Do you think working for RM kills the joy of Christmas

[krussel]

I am thinking of mostly delivery staff here.

You see I was walking around today listening to excited children walk home from school having just broken up for the holidays and I thought to myself thank god this will soon be over. I don’t mean the actual festivities and being with family etc but walking in to a stacked sorting office and trying to cope with 4 packet bags. Having to reload the trolley every 90 mins and feeling like I am knocking on every other door. I just want the job back to a steady medium ASAP.

The reason I ask this is that I personally cannot remember working anywhere else over Christmas. I have distant memories of my previous job going in Christmas eve and doing no work, waiting for the bosses to come around and hand you a envelope with a cash bonus and then you were off home or to the pub by lunch time.

However I was very young back then so everything seemed brighter. I really enjoyed my first few Christmases with RM but the rounds were half what they are now.

Maybe it was the fact i had more time off to relax as i know that come late Boxing day afternoon I will be refusing that extra drink as I will be up at 4.30am and working on the Saturday.

So has anyone done say 5 years service and feels that Christmas has changed since they started working for Royal Mail or is it just me getting old and grumpy.

[interesting]

Have to say I agree
I really want to enjoy it
But it's over before I get time to sit down
So many people you know have a good few days off at Xmas
I know you can book the week off after Xmas
I'm very easy going
But can't say I'm enjoying at the moment
God only knows what 2015 holds for us

[Surreypostie]

Oh yes, I hate the run up to xmas now. Christmas eve used to be so easy, nothing left to do. Home by about 9, I can honestly see us cutting off xmas eve. We never used to have D2D's this time of year but yes next week we have them and 2 less days to deliver. Monday and Tuesday are short days, everyone is knackered, everyone saying today after this week there will be no more extending next week as we don't want to be too knackered to enjoy the two day break. I do feel sorry for people who may not get their items delivered but they had 11 months to get on that computer and order it all, if you leave it this late you do run a risk of not getting it and serves you right. I read Moya's bit in te courier about expecting large amounts packets to be dispatched every monday, hopefully not this monday if they have any sense.

[justdeno]

Same here. I loved Christmas but loathe it now. Get no recognition from managers. Just a slog to xmas then New Year sales, never ending. Still not put decorations up, but have to. Used to organise a meal for the posties but I gave up no one has the energy after work now.

[krussel]

I really want to enjoy it
But it's over before I get time to sit down

Yeah that sums up how I am feeling about it right now.

[krussel]

Used to organise a meal for the posties but I gave up no one has the energy after work now.

Same in my office as we used to have a meal in the canteen every year when we all finished the day before xmas eve, it was such a laugh. People are still fairly lively in the morning prep but when they come back from delivery they look exhausted and almost too tired to talk.

[dave72]

We should have our own Christmas in July

[ebbzie]

We should have our own Christmas in July

Yeah after triple lapsing we have bags of energy

[ratty3k15]

I completely agree, Im only 28 but tbh ill just be glad when you can walk into the office and their isn't packets everywhere and stacks of mail and boxes! Kills the joy of xmas, it just seems to create hard work for us and little reward! My xmas days off will probably be spent recovering and sleeping

[Darren Bent]

It does kill the joy for me. I am also too knackered to go out dancing more than one night a week :( 3 years ago I use to go 3 parties a week. For me Christmas start after work on Christmas Eve.

[5plusbonusball]

Here's a funny one , boss asked will I come in tomorrow (christmas saturday) because he's short on staff - as if, you wait 4 weeks for a saturday and after a busy christmas week you go in , and he's on his day off! You must be aving a larf mate

[ziggy]

It has spoiled it for me. I'm sick of having pressure put on us to work late delivering parcels so that other people's Christmas isn't "ruined" but there is never any acknowledgement that it's Christmas for us too. We have shopping to do, meals to plan and a life to be getting on with

Most people I know finish the day before Christmas Eve and are off for at least a week and a half, we get two grudged days. Even some of the public seem annoyed that we get Boxing Day off
Not sure about other places but in our DO there is not an ounce of Christmas spirit, most people just want it over with.

Also the last thing I want to do when I get home is write out bloody Christmas cards lol. I'm not all bah humbug about it though I do thoroughly enjoy all the family getting together for the big day, we do have a great time with plenty grub, plenty booze and plenty giggles. At that point work is a distant memory

[bensonhedge]

Have you heard you all?? Doom and gloom merchants,not the only ones in life having to do a hard days yacker

[Sir Henry]

And I bet they're pissing and moaning about it too.

[k979aaa]

I wake up at 3am with strange ghosts Christmas passed one's of joy and fun and merriment and mirth, Christmas present hard work no joy no merriment not a sniff of mirth nor any goodwill, Christmas future 20,000 job cut's triple prep with triple lapsing and collection on delivery with a broom up your ass as the council have contracted Royalmail as the street cleaners!