Does Sorting Your Packets Count as Prep Time?

[BernardBresslaw]

Our office has introduced a new union/management 'initiative' that means, rural delivery staff, are not allowed to fetch their packets from the sorting 'bull pen' until all sorting is complete. So currently, we prep our letters and flats, and then just stand around until we are allowed to fetch our packets and go through them.

It wouldn't be so bad at a normal time of the year, but during these hectic times, it means a mad rush at the end of sorting, to go through them. The 'genius union/management decision of putting two rounds into one york, for sorting purposes, means once we fetch said full york of packets, two postal workers have to again go through them, to pick out their own packets, and prepare them for delivery.

As you can see, this adds a lot of time to prep, so my question is, is fetching and sorting your packets, actually officially part of prep time, or is prep time, just made up of allowances for throwing the letters into the frame.

Thanks for any info.

[DGP1]

It's a WCM thingy, don't worry about it, it'll soon fail and things will be back to some sort or workable methods.


Personally, it's one of the more stupid ideas that has come out but then I don't really expect anything else from RM planners.

[deltaforce]

If it eats into your del/ prep time ,then so be it. If they want to play silly buggers then let them get on with it.

[BernardBresslaw]

I have already told management I will be working my time over Christmas, so I'm not overly bothered. I'm just trying to get my head round the whole proposal and why it is deemed a good idea. It seems that the current gameplan is for Royal Mail to dream up stupid idea after idea, for the sole purpose of p*ssing off it's workforce, at a critical time of the year. I honestly don't see any sense in it.

[pinstripe]

It seems that the current gameplan is for Royal Mail to dream up stupid idea after idea, for the sole purpose of p*ssing off it's workforce, at a critical time of the year. I honestly don't see any sense in it.

Well it wouldn't do to have a happy, contented and willing workforce.

I thought we should draw up a list of the most stupid, unworkable and downright outrageous proposals that RM could ever dream up and run a sweepstake, but then I thought, why do their work for them.

[dvbuk55]

Why would you be standing around doing nothing? Why aren't you sorting then the IPS would be finished more quickly and you'd be on your packets sooner? It's poor management that allows people to stand about and being paid.

[BernardBresslaw]

Because I'm being paid to prep and deliver a round, not do IPS. Rightly or wrongly, there is a division in our office, where town rounds do IPS and have smaller delivery spans, whereas rurals prep and have bigger duties. Rurals are usually called off to do 15-20 minutes sorting in the morning, when the need arises. To be fair, they could have me sweeping the floor during my paid hours, but when decisions like this, mean I get out later, and struggle to complete, it's bad management.

[dvbuk55]

Because I'm being paid to prep and deliver a round, not do IPS. Rightly or wrongly, there is a division in our office, where town rounds do IPS and have smaller delivery spans, whereas rurals prep and have bigger duties. Rurals are usually called off to do 15-20 minutes sorting in the morning, when the need arises. To be fair, they could have me sweeping the floor during my paid hours, but when decisions like this, mean I get out later, and struggle to complete, it's bad management.

Which is what I pointed out - just be aware that if you are seen hanging about they could increase your workload one way or another.

[fishtank]

Because I'm being paid to prep and deliver a round, not do IPS. Rightly or wrongly, there is a division in our office, where town rounds do IPS and have smaller delivery spans, whereas rurals prep and have bigger duties. Rurals are usually called off to do 15-20 minutes sorting in the morning, when the need arises. To be fair, they could have me sweeping the floor during my paid hours, but when decisions like this, mean I get out later, and struggle to complete, it's bad management.

If you "struggling to complete" means you can't complete then don't and management will react.
If it doesn't...suck it up and help out on the IPS,standing twiddling your thumbs while watching other people work and then moaning about being held up doesn't really make much sense.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I thought demarcation had gone out with the 80s.

[clashcityrocker]

No. Double posting went out in the 80s.
But you really are on a one man mission to bring it back.

[clashcityrocker]

No. Double posting went out in the 80s.
But you really are on a one man mission to bring it back.

[hampshireman]

Our office has introduced a new union/management 'initiative' that means, rural delivery staff, are not allowed to fetch their packets from the sorting 'bull pen' until all sorting is complete. So currently, we prep our letters and flats, and then just stand around until we are allowed to fetch our packets and go through them.

It wouldn't be so bad at a normal time of the year, but during these hectic times, it means a mad rush at the end of sorting, to go through them. The 'genius union/management decision of putting two rounds into one york, for sorting purposes, means once we fetch said full york of packets, two postal workers have to again go through them, to pick out their own packets, and prepare them for delivery.

As you can see, this adds a lot of time to prep, so my question is, is fetching and sorting your packets, actually officially part of prep time, or is prep time, just made up of allowances for throwing the letters into the frame.

Thanks for any info.

To answer the question. Yes. Prep is prep , whether it be packets or letters or flats or etc, etc.

Madness for you to just stand around and wait. There must be something you can do?

[BernardBresslaw]

There is always something to do of course, be it fetching mail, loading your van etc etc the 'standing around' comment was dramatic licence on my part

I guess then that the thinking behind it is management are hoping that people will gradually drift over onto the IPS frames if you forbid them access to their packets until the end of sorting.

The state morale is in at the moment though, I think the majority will indeed just stand around, if they have spare time because of this idea, or perhaps have a few extra trips to the coffee machine. Rightly or wrongly, people will see this as just more work that is being dumped on us, and will probably stubbornly refuse to help out, or just prep their letters more slowly so they have less down-time. If you have to cut-off every day anyway, there is no real incentive to help out on IPS.

[dvbuk55]

There is always something to do of course, be it fetching mail, loading your van etc etc the 'standing around' comment was dramatic licence on my part

I guess then that the thinking behind it is management are hoping that people will gradually drift over onto the IPS frames if you forbid them access to their packets until the end of sorting.

The state morale is in at the moment though, I think the majority will indeed just stand around, if they have spare time because of this idea, or perhaps have a few extra trips to the coffee machine. Rightly or wrongly, people will see this as just more work that is being dumped on us, and will probably stubbornly refuse to help out, or just prep their letters more slowly so they have less down-time. If you have to cut-off every day anyway, there is no real incentive to help out on IPS.

That sounds a bit Irish - cutting off presumably because the packets aren't available until the sorting is finished