World Class Mail

[jifjoe]

The problem with the cost/time savings is that RM has no way to turn these numbers on a board into actual financial savings.

Joe comes up with a way that saves 1 minute on Mick's prep.
This minute is applied across the office of 100 duties saving 100 minutes per day.
This is multiplied by 250 work days and £10/hour to give an annual saving of around £4,200.
This is then put up on a WCM board and the team goes out for a slap up meal.

What can Mick then do with this extra minute?
He scratches his arse and talks to Joe about last night's game.
Where is the £4,200 saving?
Nowhere.
Royal Mail is down a slap up meal on the whole experience.

The bottom line is WCM only works in a very structured manufacturing environment.
It does not work in a mail delivery business when the work comes in "around" this time and the amount is "around" this much and performances might be "around" standard and management resourcing capabilities are "around" mediocre.

I understand this and still question what is known as 'Virtual Savings' but with the reduction of minutes for multi projects, not just a minute of each operator, this will then eventually reduce the head count, this will be done my reduction in O/T and no backfill when someone was to leave the business. There is no more pressure on the WCM team to start to deliver what is know as Soft and Hard savings from the business. Which is starting to happen.

[Budfrog]

The difference between calculated workload and the hours that could actually be scheduled used to be known as duty chart wastage. Aside from the traffic fluctuations it is impossible to create a duty structure (DO or MC) which matches the workload due to the complexities of arrivals/despatches and in MCs the fact that the best processing method is not always achievable.

The problem with today's management is that they not only expect an unrealistic work rate but have no real concept of staffing an office in a way that will clear on a consistent basis. When things go tits up, as they invariably do, they panic and start to question OPG capability or attitude when it is there own competence that should be called into question.

[hubbahubba]

The difference between calculated workload and the hours that could actually be scheduled used to be known as duty chart wastage. Aside from the traffic fluctuations it is impossible to create a duty structure (DO or MC) which matches the workload due to the complexities of arrivals/despatches and in MCs the fact that the best processing method is not always achievable.

The problem with today's management is that they not only expect an unrealistic work rate but have no real concept of staffing an office in a way that will clear on a consistent basis. When things go tits up, as they invariably do, they panic and start to question OPG capability or attitude when it is there own competence that should be called into question.

Bang on there budfrog,that last paragraph is to a t.

[fishtank]

with the reduction of minutes for multi projects, not just a minute of each operator, this will then eventually reduce the head count.

The business has two choices.

It either accepts that unlike a car plant Royal Mail is a highly labour intensive business with a variable input and output and with that has to have a degree of resourcing flexibility and trapped costs or it cuts its resource to the bone and simply plans to fail.

If you reduce the headcount on the basis of optimised performance and zero non-value time every time a van is stuck in traffic for 5 minutes you will fail,every time the volume is above expected you will fail,every time you have higher than planned absence you will fail,every time management fail to resource properly you will fail,any time performance dips you will fail,every failure at any point in your pipeline will be irrecoverable and that failure will cause a chain reaction of failure.

If you are involved in World Class Mail you are instrumental in the philosophy of failure.

[Billy Ray]

Thank f**k the union has pulled out of this farce should have done it years ago.

[Budfrog]

Well CWU may have withdrawn from WCM but the show must go on:

http://goo.gl/N4xTz6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Continuous Improvement Manager

£33,184 - £39,024 + Pension and Benefits

Nationwide

There are massively exciting changes under way at Royal Mail. We’re building a business that’s more innovative, more profitable and truly worthy of being called World Class.

This is a very public transformation and when we come out the other side as a real contender in the 21st century marketplace, you’ll be able to say that you were there; you helped make it happen. This opportunity could be a major catalyst to furthering your career.

After an initial 10 week induction on World Class Mail at our training academy, you’ll spring into action, spearheading the project management of the initiative across a postcode delivery sector, which comprises of around 10 delivery offices. You’ll be at the forefront of developments, embedding new working practices, methods and tools, particularly those focused on improving the safety and wellbeing of our people.

You’ll work closely with team managers to support them in applying new methods and tools to embed smarter, safer working practices in all areas of operation, both now and in the future. You’ll also coach and guide how to roll out these new approaches across their teams, as well as encourage a culture where people are more proactive in identifying areas for improvement and ensuring they have the right skills to solve them

What you’ll need

An understanding of HSE
Willingness to apply your personal time to learning more about the World Class Mail initiative
A proactive, positive attitude
Strong influencing and communication skills
Ability to analyse data and results
Experience in a similar senior improvement or change management role within manufacturing or logistics would be ideal. However, we would also like to hear from those who have successfully led a team or organisation through times of change, or have managed a business transformation project.

Please click on apply to find out more.

Closing date: 19 September 2013.

At Royal Mail we embrace equality and diversity and are proud to employ a rich and diverse workforce. We encourage and welcome applications from all backgrounds and all parts of the community, particularly women and people from ethnic minorities who are currently under-represented. We are positive about disability and developing a disability friendly workplace. All applications are judged on merit.

[LinChong]

The problem with the cost/time savings is that RM has no way to turn these numbers on a board into actual financial savings.

Joe comes up with a way that saves 1 minute on Mick's prep.
This minute is applied across the office of 100 duties saving 100 minutes per day.
This is multiplied by 250 work days and £10/hour to give an annual saving of around £4,200.
This is then put up on a WCM board and the team goes out for a slap up meal.

What can Mick then do with this extra minute?
He scratches his arse and talks to Joe about last night's game.
Where is the £4,200 saving?
Nowhere.
Royal Mail is down a slap up meal on the whole experience.

The bottom line is WCM only works in a very structured manufacturing environment.
It does not work in a mail delivery business when the work comes in "around" this time and the amount is "around" this much and performances might be "around" standard and management resourcing capabilities are "around" mediocre.

RM would not care if WCM increased its costs because the real point of WCM is not what we are being told it is.

WCM's biggest value to RM is that it allows management to communicate with workers without having to go through their elected representative. It is a tool for sidelining the union and that is why Higson loves it so much. Selected workers are manipulated into proposing management initiatives by chatty managers being friendly and drip feeding their targets with ideas and opinions months and weeks before WCM sessions. Management can then "consult" workers and implement these ideas that "came from the workforce".

[Budfrog]

The problem with the cost/time savings is that RM has no way to turn these numbers on a board into actual financial savings.

Joe comes up with a way that saves 1 minute on Mick's prep.
This minute is applied across the office of 100 duties saving 100 minutes per day.
This is multiplied by 250 work days and £10/hour to give an annual saving of around £4,200.
This is then put up on a WCM board and the team goes out for a slap up meal.

What can Mick then do with this extra minute?
He scratches his arse and talks to Joe about last night's game.
Where is the £4,200 saving?
Nowhere.
Royal Mail is down a slap up meal on the whole experience.

The bottom line is WCM only works in a very structured manufacturing environment.
It does not work in a mail delivery business when the work comes in "around" this time and the amount is "around" this much and performances might be "around" standard and management resourcing capabilities are "around" mediocre.

RM would not care if WCM increased its costs because the real point of WCM is not what we are being told it is.

WCM's biggest value to RM is that it allows management to communicate with workers without having to go through their elected representative. It is a tool for sidelining the union and that is why Higson loves it so much. Selected workers are manipulated into proposing management initiatives by chatty managers being friendly and drip feeding their targets with ideas and opinions months and weeks before WCM sessions. Management can then "consult" workers and implement these ideas that "came from the workforce".

I partly agree with this in the sense that RM is artificially making employees contribution to initiatives seem greater than it actually is and demonstrating that their 'taking ownership' allows the business to bypass the CWU. However all employers have a right to communicate with their workers directly and to implement changes that they believe benefit their business, unions are their to police such activities and prevent the abuse of their members rights and safety. I believe there is nearly always a cost/benefit advantage to RM even when health and safety is supposedly the main driver. If WCM were being managed by a team that was fit for purpose then maybe staff would have a little more faith, as it is there is too much waste, too little realistic benchmarking and too many lucrative jobs for the blue eyed boys (and girls).