Favouritism by and Attitude of Managers

[highbury67]

I work in an mail centre in Kent. I have been there for over 11 years. Unfortunately, although there have been a few good managers, many have been rank and complete arseholes. That includes the mail centre managers. Unfortunately the Union is very ineffective in our office and does little to combat the practices of the managers so they can get away with anything. That means that those who are harder working, get flogged more, put in so many places at times they don't where they are from one place to the next, and get the flak from the managers while others who are less hard working get away often with messing around, not working much etc..

Today, I was pulled up for just talking to a few people, funny I didn't know that was an offence. Yet others do the same and get nothing said to them. Our line manager is often doing the work others could do and talks to you like you don't know what you are doing, yet I and others have been there a long time. Is it really necessary for them to tell you what you are doing everyday? People do know and aren't as thick as these managers try to make out. I guess it gives them some power and more ego to act in this way.

By treating badly people who work hard they run the risk of losing the performance from those people, yet these managers seem to thick to realise this. Maybe they are told to act in this stupid way. Also, they seem completely unaware that some people have disabilities or conditions like Aspergers which one person in our office suffers from. They have their cliques of people who can do no wrong, and will get away with anything and they are the ones they are buddies with it seems.

Pity those higher in Royal Mail don't root this out, it is so frustrating.

[patrickstar]

exactly the same in my office as yours!!!

[Stampy]

exactly the same in my office as yours!!!

And mine - and probably a LOT more offices as well

[spoodoo]

exactly same,,anyone else?

[midegarelu]

Sounds just like my office too!!

[wayoutman]

highbury, the reason for this was in your question mate.......

"Maybe they are told to act in this stupid way."

its all from the top (whoever the top is these days) thats the reason B&H from management is the same in so many offices

chin up

[highbury67]

Thanks folks. You often feel in a vicious cycle and that you can't do anything. The manager we have at the moment took over from a few other managers but the main one we had before was worse. She was very stubborn and quite emotional at times too. The current manager puts on this joking, friendly act with people, particularly in the evening, but won't leave you alone, and he has made a rod for his own back now by what he did. People don't forget.

B & H is common and one or two have made complaints but heard little or nothing back in their cases. It seems like the managers become untouchables.

With the oncoming one to one interviews being mentioned regarding the new mail centre in Kent, I am considering my position carefully and I don't want to go to a mail centre if you get similiar if not worse managers. The pressure really needs to come onto to the very top of Royal Mail to make them see that people are fed up with the way that they are being treated by these managers and that the morale of staff will deteriorate if something isn't done to at least educate the people who supervise.

[MinisterofCucumber]

I work in an mail centre in Kent. I have been there for over 11 years. Unfortunately, although there have been a few good managers, many have been rank and complete arseholes.

Many of us feel outrage that these arseholes are being given public money that will add up to hundreds of thousands of pounds over their working lives when any sane person would not allow such people to keep animals let alone have power over other human beings. Although there are a few exeptions, RM managers must rank as one of the most unpleasant groups of people in this country.

I think you are right about it being a deliberate strategy imposed from on high and RM have probably paid millions to a union busting consultancy for designing it. Their aim is to minimise the effectiveness of the Union within each unit. It's all about winning some of the workers' hearts and minds and using them to spread fear amoungst the rest to prevent their staff from organising into a proper union.

If you are being asked to do more than your fair share, politely refuse and tell your line manager to ask one of the favourites to do it. Use the grievance procedure to make sure there is a written record of your complaint. Your managers will probably have broken policies to cut costs. Use the grievance procedure to get money back for your workmates. Get elected as Union rep and go on the TUC accredited training courses. Make sure everyone knows as much as possible about what management and any rogue Union reps are up to. Try to introduce measures that will prevent favouritism and, most important of all, try to encourage your workmates to help each other and become active members of the Union.

[highbury67]

Very good points there MinisterofCucumber and ones that I intend to consider and act upon.

One problem that we have in our office is that the Bookroom, who are in themselves largely a bunch of wallies, and lead by a bookroom manager who shall we say is like the teflon person, will not cover the people who are away so you are asked to cover their work as well. So the manager can bask in the glory of getting amug to do two people's work and then do others work too and bask in that glory too. As you say these managers are largely amongst the most unplesant groups of people in this country. Often they will appear to talk about you behind your back or take the mickey and the thing is you can actually see some of them on the floor doing it with their favourites.

The ironic thing is those same managers would preach about dignity and respect at times but its a pity they don't carry out what they pretend to preach. Which has in fact been passed onto them again from up high because really these people have little of a mind of their own.

What is also sad is that there are some people who seem to think that these same managers can do no wrong and worship them. Have they been brainwashed themselves?

[highbury67]

Have emailed the head boss, Moya, about this general situation in mail centres, and that it needs to be stopped otherwise morale and "output" will suffer. Sorry if that word beginning with o sounds bad, I am struggling for other words for it at mo.

I will await the reply with interest....

[youwot!!!!!]

well done but be prepared for a backlash from the morons,oops sorry managers(my spelling is terrible)!!!!!
last time i did that it was the ask alan website and within a week my complaint was resolved to my satisfaction but 6 months later the moron/manager called me into a "fact finding" interview because of some innocous comments i made in a tacho infringement letter to this manager who found my comments"deeply upsetting"??????
luckily we had a good rep at the time so he just laughed at the comments and told him to stop wasting our time and the walked out.happy days.

[highbury67]

thanks youwot!!! and I will see what happens. It should be handled by Moya Greene confidentially? The morons (Managers) don't expect people to fight back at them though.

I have one or two cards I can play. The thing that concerns me at our office are the "spineless" reps. But the managers have failed to listen to comments from staff about not getting a fair deal and some favouritism going on and the surveys are ignored by those that view them. I think they prefer to have an easy time doing nothing useful to help the situation then having to deal with issues, except when getting at the wrong people.

[youwot!!!!!]

if your reps bother you then go outside your office to the area reps and if you can't trust them go above them.see the pattern?

don't let them grind you down though cos thats wot they rely on.

good luck.

[highbury67]

And these same managers seem to get more holidays then us, time off when they like, considerable sick leave and not put on stages, and then are judging us for the same things like sick leave, stages etc.

[buster01]

next time you are asked to do something that the manager WONT ask one of his favourites to do, tell him you will do it on the condition that he asks someone else next time, make sure you have a witness to this tell him you want a fair distribution of workload. if he STILL wont ask his favourites after this conversation and comes to you politely tell him to eff off and that he has burned his bridges with you. he will have lied, you will have had a witness to this. then go down the b&h route