Does your park and loop work?

[dave72]

I work in a sub delivery office of 4 now. It was a office of 4 (each walk was an average of 580) and 1 driver who did the firms (about 5), farms, large packets, tracked and specials. None of use claimed any overtime or failed to complete, even at Christmas time.

Now, we are on park and loop with just the 4 of us now - they removed the driver and his duty - with 2 vans and we now fail to complete everyday, this as gone on for the last 3 months with no end in sight

Is this really a working system

[terry2972]

I haven't been in long and work in a largish DO some park and loop work but others are always over or cutting off

[eastie]

After 2 years still .............NO

[joeyuk]

We have had park & loop for about 7 weeks or so now and its not working for most of the office. Some of the office have never completed and now always leave 2-4 loops everyday. I've all but 1 time completed my round.

The stupid thing is if me and my partner were able to split up we would be done quicker. We have one normal round of 450 drop points or so that would take about 3 hours to complete with a HTC, the ound is 6 loops which fit into a bag each most days. The other would need the van, its only 297 drop points but the loops are miles apart as it is loops taken off different round's and just dumped into 1. This would take about 2 hrs 15 mins with another 20 mins driving on top. Most days we complete ontime but if we don't i put the main reason down to waiting for each other. I probably waste 20 mins waiting for my partner and as a non driver there is nothing i can do. The driver makes it back on a few loop ahead of me and can sometimes do parcels but again can wait 5 mins or so for me. Add that to the 20 mins dead driving each it adds up.

[dave72]

I forgot to add, when I say not complete I meant the sorting. They tell us to leave mail (flats and packet bags) and complete the delivery route instead

Most days we leave 8 or 10 boxes and about 5 bags and we have to catch it the following day

"Easy" Tuesdays are no more for us, we catch up on the left mail now

[wannabeek]

The P&L of our main office (the SPDOs are still pre-P&L) works I suppose. It's possible to complete the duties in time on light days if the posties don't take the P. Anything more than a light day requires OT to complete. I understood that to be the purpose of it - working all paid hours. It's v unpopular in our office as there are so many rural duties unaffected by the changes and manage to return to the DO at the same time as usual, no matter how heavy or light the day!

[Krafty]

Half the office it works - the other half it doesn't, including me.

Then you get the ones who don't take their breaks, come in early, run round, so they get it done...............

[5plusbonusball]

Ours works if we do it backwards, i mean loops 7/6 first , then 5/bulks, then 3/4 then 2/1 otherwise there is just too much dead walking and going past the same houses 2 or 3 times , so much for the planners. If one of us is off then it's a lot of hassle , if we both happen to be off then the duty fails.

[krussel]

Were booking OT through the roof. Managers are under pressure to reduce it.

We start to cut off.....managers go off sick with stress......we book again.

[Cut Off King]

YES....now that we've dumped the trolleys and gone back to bags.....

[hans solo]

YES....now that we've dumped the trolleys and gone back to bags.....

and therein lies the problem you have solved all their probs for them and h&s to boot

[celerycelery]

The majority of our park and loops work if they come in early, don't take a break, speed in van, don't use equipment, cut corners and leave parcels in blue bins etc. if they did job properly then they wouldnt work.

[Cut Off King]

YES....now that we've dumped the trolleys and gone back to bags.....

and therein lies the problem you have solved all their probs for them and h&s to boot

The reason that we have semi-solved the problem is the we are fed up of being a football kicked between the CWU rep & the DOM, neither of whom have the slightest idea of how to make the office run for the benefit of the workers & the customers....its all office politics & profits

The majority of our park and loops work if they come in early, don't take a break, speed in van, don't use equipment, cut corners and leave parcels in blue bins etc. if they did job properly then they wouldnt work.

Thats just the way it is, just accept its not going to change and you'll chill out and stop fretting. After the last two agreements it's a case of "every man for themself"
Just do what you have to do to get through the day.....YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE RUNNERS, God knows I wasted years and years trying, and there is time I'll never get back

[halfull]

no, every walk always breaks down into the opgs breaking the walks down into smaller bundles so they can carry instead of using the lwt, makes me think how much money could have been saved on all the planners.

[dave72]

Ours works if we do it backwards, i mean loops 7/6 first , then 5/bulks, then 3/4 then 2/1 otherwise there is just too much dead walking and going past the same houses 2 or 3 times , so much for the planners. If one of us is off then it's a lot of hassle , if we both happen to be off then the duty fails.

Planners? What are these mythical planners you speak of

We had to design our own and we are still using our old fitting set-up. We don't even have driver and a walker, we both do half of the round each and then go around after the walks with the packets and firms. Really is a mess

It is fantastic when your partner is off and they send a cover man up who doesn't know the walks

It would be simpler if we left the vans at the office, did out own walks and then used the van at the end to do the packets.