Culture of speed?

Post by **woopesh** » 08 Oct 2016, 15:52

Can anyone tell me why Royal Mail postmen seem to value being quick? I don't understand it. Surely as long as you deliver roughly in your hours and do the job properly, that's the most important thing? Yet I've come across countless postmen who boast about completing a 4h delivery in 1h 30mins, taking all kinds of short cuts in order to do so. DOM's berating guys who do their jobs to the book for being slow. I don't get it. What can you get for being fast? I haven't come across another culture like it, where something inconsequential to the job is valued so much. Most other places I worked, they want good results / a job well done in a reasonable time. Can anyone explain?

Post by **IloveMYredTROLLEY!** » 08 Oct 2016, 16:01

Part of it I think is by being quick, they hope to get less scrutiny of how they do the job from lino and DOM, so the pressure is placed at another OPG's door.

Many of us might be paying CWU subs each week, but it is very much an "every man/women for him/herself" job, I've never worked anywhere else anything like as cancerous as RM all my life.

fishtank · Post by **fishtank** » 08 Oct 2016, 16:27

Management encourage it by letting people go home when it's done and hassling people who can't get it done.
That's the beginning and end of it, the rest is just carrot and stick human behaviour, nothing deep and meaningful about it.

datasaint · Post by **datasaint** » 08 Oct 2016, 16:31

It's a throwback to the days when job and knock was allowed. Obviously a lot of people still get away with it today to some extent.

Personally if I'm getting a move on I enjoy the job more, time seems to go quicker, if you dawdle about the day drags and it seems to be more draining on the legs.

Post by **Theghost** » 08 Oct 2016, 16:35

woopesh wrote:Can anyone tell me why Royal Mail postmen seem to value being quick? I don't understand it. Surely as long as you deliver roughly in your hours and do the job properly, that's the most important thing? Yet I've come across countless postmen who boast about completing a 4h delivery in 1h 30mins, taking all kinds of short cuts in order to do so. DOM's berating guys who do their jobs to the book for being slow. I don't get it. What can you get for being fast? I haven't come across another culture like it, where something inconsequential to the job is valued so much. Most other places I worked, they want good results / a job well done in a reasonable time. Can anyone explain?

4 hour delivery in 1 hour 30 ? Impossible,With the amount of knock ons etc,Totally impossible,They are lying.

rubberbond · Post by **rubberbond** » 08 Oct 2016, 17:10

woopesh wrote:Can anyone tell me why Royal Mail postmen seem to value being quick? I don't understand it. Surely as long as you deliver roughly in your hours and do the job properly, that's the most important thing? Yet I've come across countless postmen who boast about completing a 4h delivery in 1h 30mins, taking all kinds of short cuts in order to do so. DOM's berating guys who do their jobs to the book for being slow. I don't get it. What can you get for being fast? I haven't come across another culture like it, where something inconsequential to the job is valued so much. Most other places I worked, they want good results / a job well done in a reasonable time. Can anyone explain?

Because at one time the only thing you ever gained from Royal Mail,was time. It then became an ingrained culture and as such is very difficult to change the mindset. At one point people were actively recruited on the basis of job and finish, during Alan Leighton's tenure. Then all of a sudden, it was met with disapproval, one day they will make their minds up,but I doubt it, not with such low grade executive management, who couldn't get jobs elsewhere in a properly run company.

postmandick · Post by **postmandick** » 08 Oct 2016, 17:21

At a meeting with our DSM present I asked why dose'nt my manager challenge the postmen coming back 2 hours early and going home .... whilst paying the 'slow' postman
2 hours O/T

I got the cold shoulder from the DIM for a few days

what other industry would tolerate there staff buggering of home 2 hours before they finish

I wonder if RM have a plan for X-mas this year

jetblack · Post by **jetblack** » 08 Oct 2016, 17:37

IMO trackers will put an end to it.

Not sure wether that is a good thing or not.

But I'm erring on the side of it being a not so good thing. 1) not nice being tracked like a microchipped dog and 2) as rubberbond said above, "at one time the only thing you ever gained from Royal Mail was time."

Certainly won't make the co. any more profitable.

enskied · Post by **enskied** » 08 Oct 2016, 18:58

Most runners only run on an easy duty. Give them a heavy day on an average duty and they are the first ones to start complaining. They never get a weeks rota on a heavy duty. Runners are basically lazy. Do half a job no matter where they are, even on a light duty on a light day, they will cut the corners. Runners are crap to work with. Give me a steady partner every day.

postmandick · Post by **postmandick** » 08 Oct 2016, 19:23

I had a young girl whinge about being teamed up with the 'slow' guy last week .... and she was asking my advice about her pay-slip
and i was trying to get my head around her payments IE:25 Hr contract with extra payments .... Etc Etc

I tried pointing out that the 'slow' bloke is getting paid more than you ..... so whizzing around saves the DIM money ...... but the 'slow' bloke still gets paid more

just think about it folks ...... now if I have to explain it

Vwtouran · Post by **Vwtouran** » 08 Oct 2016, 21:34

Everyone has there own pace obviously age comes into it. I like to think I am in the middle of the runners & the snails. This Hs been the most topical conversation in my time at Royal Mail and always will be due to all kinds different people!

Post by **bustedflush** » 09 Oct 2016, 00:04

Every OPG is an individual and there are countless permutations of rounds, partners and workloads day-to-day. No runner ever intends to discredit 'average' or 'slower' posties - that to them is an unintended consequence if the DIM compares someone going over on X round with a runner who can do it early. The runner is merely out for himself, to minimize his hours of life spent working. In some ways a natural mindset.

Rounds cannot be done in an 90 minutes even by runners. The quickest (and I was considered a quick person to be paired with) I ever finished was a Saturday with a runner at 10:50. We did the Tuesday by half 10. Then what? We peed about for an hour driving about winding up some other lads still walking because we couldn't go back so stupidly early. Our next move was to park up a road near the office where we could spy unseen on those leaving. As soon as we saw any other OPG going home we knew it was 'safe' to go back so returned to the DO. Even Wed/Thu we were done between 12-12:30. One week a couple of older slower guys were placed on the duty and did a round each separately. One finished 16:30 and one at 15:45. They asked not to be put on it again. This demonstrates the potentially huge contrast in time taken between the quickest and slowest workers, literally twice as long in this case.

It was considered gentlemanly conduct to call the other 'runners' if you were say second to leave the office to inform them it was OK to drive back, or that there was no managers about so not to worry. If a runner wanted a favour he would meet up with us and ask us to take his packets so he could go home unseen without needing to enter the DO anyway, just in case on that day we were sent out again and he had somewhere to be. The best was to have an 'insider' a runner on light duties, as I was a few times before being IHR'd. About 11:30 my mobile would become hot with with guys asking if the 'office was clear' meaning there was no uncovered deliveries or loops not covered by docket, so they knew they couldn't be sent out again.

It's a bit of workers' capitalism, getting paid for being at home for an hour or two, much the same as 'ghost overtime' means getting paid twice for the same hour. It's not ideal, but is overlooked for the needs of the DO, to get people to do OT or cooperate in other areas. Most DIMs have a laissez-faire attitude because to intervene would ultimately make their jobs harder.

I know it must p*ss people off slogging away at 13:45 in the rain knowing that OPG X would have been home an hour ago, or OPG Y has just driven past on his way home and tooted you.

I work from home now online and I get e-mailed my jobs/editing etc. overnight and although I know exactly how long it will take me, I still have the tendency to start it as soon as, bash away until complete in one go knowing when finished the rest of the day is mine - even though I could spread it out over whatever hours I choose day or evening. Maybe I have an impatient personality and this could be connected to why I felt compelled to do my walk as quick as possible? Are the runners you people know impatient fidgety types and the 'slower' OPG's more laid-back? It could be part of the issue.

Whether you like runners or not, and whatever the managers think about them, it's simply a trait of human nature and to attempt to regulate that or control it would be futile.

DiamondSmiles · Post by **DiamondSmiles** » 09 Oct 2016, 08:13

Let's just see how fast they get around in 20 years time when their bodies start to creak!

Post by **greengiant** » 09 Oct 2016, 09:08

DiamondSmiles wrote:Let's just see how fast they get around in 20 years time when their bodies start to creak!

Or when customers start complain about D2Ds being dumped at the bottom stair of a block of flats, rather than delivered to each doors letter box. Or mysteriously endorsed "Under Enquiry" letters being returned to office to save them going round the back and up the stairs to deliver a couple of letters to upstairs flats..... Or letters for the care home being left in pouch bag to save them having to deliver them. That's what I find why a runner covers my usual shift on my day off... You mention this to management, and not a thing is done!

Yet any slight misdemeanour for those who do the job by the book, means threats of conduct code.

The runners must be coated in teflon, as nothing sticks to them!

danny8hoy · Post by **danny8hoy** » 09 Oct 2016, 11:39

In my opinion, these postmen/women should be brought up for fraud, being paid for work they have not done. Seen plenty posties regularly being paid 10+ hours for sitting at home, finished their days work, yet some of us are being questioned over O/T and by being to slow, could potentially be brought on a disciplinary for willful delay!!