Questions regarding getting into management,pay etc?!

[Lounge Lizard]

Im 24 and have been in the RM for a year and a half now, there was a lad who started 6 months before me that has applied to be graduated into doing management, think he's similar age to me. I dont ever get to chat to him because he usually works days I dont but as far as im aware he must have applied for graduation when there was a window of opportunity. Ive sort of thought about it but im not sure if I could deal with everything that comes with the job and don't really want to take my work home with me and work 12hrs a day 6 days a week like my manager does.
All I know from this lad is that he has had the heads up from RM to now proceed,I presume go on courses and go to different offices and he will be getting a payrise.
Question is, will he recieve a significant payrise now,or just a small increase on the hourly rate. Do you know anyone from your office thats done this and if I ever wanted to get into it in a year or two then can I apply anytime?

With parlance like "window of opportunity", "sort of thought about it" and "he has had the heads up from RM to now proceed" you should be well equipped for a management role.
Enjoy the significant pay rise but don't spend it all at once.

[BarnsleyLackey]

I did the management thing myself for 18 months till 4 years ago so any info I've got may be out of date. The way I got into it was just by mentioning it my DOM they first fetched me in to the office on DOM support which involved me doing the balance of staff and various other general office work plus deliveries when needed, that job I really liked but then stepped into the managers shoes while they were on leave.

The job itself for me was a bloody nightmare with the cutbacks and never having enough staff plus as you can see from some of the replies on here you have to try mange people like this who are just awkward for no reason. Pay wise it was only worth £85 extra a week on an acting up basis not sure what it would have been once made up to permanent as didn't stick around long enough. In the end I had enough and went back on deliveries and don't miss it one bit.

One piece of advice would be not to be a twat to the staff as you may want to go back to being a postie after a while. I wouldn't put anyone off having a go at it but for me after a while it started to drain my soul and found myself becoming the type of manager that I hated as it was the only way to get stuff done and that was when I decided to jack it in

Thankyou for your honest reply.
Iam unsure I could do it,my current manager was an ex postie and I can see what he is up against with us lot,especially with the ones that have been there years and will refuse to do lapsing,or packets because of the time which of course needs to be cleared on the same day. There is no harm in enquiring on here and getting sensible replies/feedback from people like yourself and Norm. I dont think the money justifies the extra responsibility and would rather work extra just doing OT with no responsibility. I just wanted to know thats all. Its just a pity a few more on here weren't as helpful or if they didnt know then just don't reply. !!

thanks again!!

To be honest, going on this quote, you're not really sure what you want. The first bit, you're speaking like a manager; the rest, it doesn't seem like you have the heart. I've no problem with anyone bettering themselves, but you need to ask yourself what 'bettering yourself' means to you. Yes, you will have a better pay packet and will get those bonuses, though the attitude you're going to have to adopt to get into the job and stay there will take it's toll on you, if it's not genuine.
Popular opinion is "Be a tosser, crap on everyone and you'll be fine". This may sound blunt and petty, but it's to the point. You'll be schooled on how to behave, and though some managers do try it, you can't stay friends with the lads.

I suppose a simple way to decide on whether or not you're cut out for it is to watch how they behave when either things aren't going their way i.e lapsing, and when you or anyone else needs something that prevents them from doing the job: like lieu days, light duties or getting finished on time (leaving in or cutting off).
If you're OK with what you see, then what are you waiting for? Go get 'em tiger!

[maisymoo04]

Why? What site should I be on? Im sure some of your collegue friends have done this. I cant find a sub forum on this site that suits the topic.

Eeerrrrmmmm no

[plaguelift]

We had a couple of guys tried the step up to managerial level and to be honest they were both glad to get back to delivering post. One lasted six months, the other guy about two months. Grief from management (cut hours, cut staff etc.) and grief from postal workers (don't want to lapse, not enough staff etc.). You're really stuck between a rock and a hard place. By all means give it a go. You won't know until you've tried it, but I reckon there will be a huge cull of middle to lower end management in the not too distant future.

[rubberbond]

You should learn to spell first!
You will more than likely be doing deliveries anyway,as they will use you as a resource. So you get the worst of everything ,going out on lapsed duties,clearing cut offs, prepping walks etc. treated with contempt from those above you and those "below " you, no wonder they are desperate for managers.

[Lincox]

Having been a manager in a different business for 25 years there are normally three ways in which you can work. No 1 is to act the way a majority of Royal Mail junior managers do, and that is to be totally devoid of people experience, lie, cheat and bully to achieve and befriend one or two of the people you manage to create mistrust among the ranks. No 2 is to try and be a friend to all, and be taken for a ride by the staff and usually use your job very quickly. The only way to manage is to abide by the rules and regulations, treat all staff the same, do not create clicks among the staff, be tough when it is necessary to be tough and explain why to all of your staff the reason for taking such action. Under no circumstance leave reasonable requests or questions to remain unanswered. If there is going to be a delay in finding anything out, inform your staff of that and the possible time period for resolving the issues. Work on the basis that no one is a friend but by the same token no one is an enemy and you may have a fair chance of having a good relationship with your staff and enjoy your position. Do not be afraid of questioning superiors, they make mistakes and it is only fair that you are happy with whatever it is you have to cascade down. Do not be a puppet to superiority.

[dvbuk55]

I think you need to be a tw*t to be a manager - I think it was tailor made for me

Seriously you need to be aware of what is required to achieve the target for the day and do whatever it takes to achieve that. It helps to plan ahead and think about alternatives should the crap hit the fan and be realistic which is one of the failings of line managers today.

[Senior Service]

The question shouldn't be how much do you get but what does it cost

YOUR SOUL !!!

[Lounge Lizard]

Having been a manager in a different business for 25 years there are normally three ways in which you can work. No 1 is to act the way a majority of Royal Mail junior managers do, and that is to be totally devoid of people experience, lie, cheat and bully to achieve and befriend one or two of the people you manage to create mistrust among the ranks. No 2 is to try and be a friend to all, and be taken for a ride by the staff and usually use your job very quickly. The only way to manage is to abide by the rules and regulations, treat all staff the same, do not create clicks among the staff, be tough when it is necessary to be tough and explain why to all of your staff the reason for taking such action. Under no circumstance leave reasonable requests or questions to remain unanswered. If there is going to be a delay in finding anything out, inform your staff of that and the possible time period for resolving the issues. Work on the basis that no one is a friend but by the same token no one is an enemy and you may have a fair chance of having a good relationship with your staff and enjoy your position. Do not be afraid of questioning superiors, they make mistakes and it is only fair that you are happy with whatever it is you have to cascade down. Do not be a puppet to superiority.

Yes, from also previously being a manager elsewhere I recognise a lot of what you say, and much of your good advice isn't actually all that difficult to carry out.

[doorstepped]

best bit of advice I can give you is this.

Ask people to do something, Don't tell them.

we have had a few doms through our DO in the last few years, only two were liked and thats because they talked to us like people and not like children.

[Patrick301]

apply for this job mate , 39 grand a year
pay your mortgage in exeter on that money

http://rmg.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_royalmail ... rmhhgetphy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jpro747]

There are some good managers out there (believe it or not), yes many of them are lazy idiots who just want to go home. But there are a select few who are decent - most of whom have actually started as a postman so they know how hard it is. I think some on this forum need to take a differrent outlook on things, it seems when someone asks about moving up to management they get a load of hassle for it. Posties who want to move up the ranks from the bottom should be encouraged to do so, instead of making way for some chump straight out of uni who hasnt got a clue of how it all works. So I say give it a go, if you don't like it you can always come back to OPG. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But if you do decide you enjoy it, don't let it all go to your head, remember how it was on the frontline and treat your staff with respect.

[baldrick]

I agree that there are decent managers. Most of the managers I worked with were ok. But they seem to be the ones that RM are getting rid of with redundancy. And if there are opg redundancies taking place in their office they can't go back to opg grade if they are substantive managers, though acting managers can.

[General Mannerheim]

I'd sooner be f***ing waterboarded then apply to be a manager backstabbing piece of sh***s.

[maisymoo04]

I'd sooner be f***ing waterboarded then apply to be a manager backstabbing piece of sh***s.