Bullying and harassment in delivery offices

peshwaarinaan · Post by **peshwaarinaan** » 04 Dec 2016, 10:04

I was on the same round for a year but was off sick over the summer. When I came back I was kicked off my old walk and have been on six new walks in the last five weeks without any training. I am on a new walk tomorrow which is massive and it's December. This place is a f@@@ing joke. I was put on a huge walk (new) a couple of weeks ago. They gave me a HCT and a map and told me to get on with it. It took me 6.5 hours. The following morning I had a bollocking for being too slow and costing them too much money. The day after that I said I wasn't taking it all out so I had a bollocking for that as well. I have gone from loving the job to dreading going in to work.

Clared · Post by **Clared** » 08 Dec 2016, 21:50

I have been put on another walk this week of which I have actually done before & no it really well but my colleague has said to me today I was really slow. I don't class myself as being slow but if ppl aren't answering the door quick enough for me to delliver their parcels what more can I do. I feel I am being harrassed to get around just so we get back on time. I'm not sure what to do..... Any ideas ?

wannabeek · Post by **wannabeek** » 09 Dec 2016, 19:19

peshwaarinaan wrote:I was on the same round for a year but was off sick over the summer. When I came back I was kicked off my old walk and have been on six new walks in the last five weeks without any training. I am on a new walk tomorrow which is massive and it's December. This place is a f@@@ing joke. I was put on a huge walk (new) a couple of weeks ago. They gave me a HCT and a map and told me to get on with it. It took me 6.5 hours. The following morning I had a bollocking for being too slow and costing them too much money. The day after that I said I wasn't taking it all out so I had a bollocking for that as well. I have gone from loving the job to dreading going in to work.

The bits I highlighted are the same woes of probably every reserve in RM - except that you were massively fortunate to have been left on the one initial walk for such an extraordinarily long time. (Seven weeks on the initial walk is supposed to happen, but it's usually just a month before you get moved around all over the place with no training.)

Welcome to the job as the rest of us know it!

Realistically you have 2 choices - put up with it because that is what the job actually is and stick it out for a decade or so until you get a set walk, alternatively look for a better job! I'm going with the latter, personally - don't want to end up like the miserable old sods with wrecked joints!

*edit: if you want to stay, just follow all the rules (yes, maddeningly that will make you even slower!) and they should be unable to fire you, just give you 'extra training'. Lol

You unfortunately need to develop a very tough skin as a reserve as you can expect almost constant criticism from mgmt and colleagues pretty much every day.

And they wonder why so many quit??!!

peshwaarinaan · Post by **peshwaarinaan** » 10 Dec 2016, 10:42

wannabeek wrote:
peshwaarinaan wrote:I was on the same round for a year but was off sick over the summer. When I came back I was kicked off my old walk and have been on six new walks in the last five weeks without any training. I am on a new walk tomorrow which is massive and it's December. This place is a f@@@ing joke. I was put on a huge walk (new) a couple of weeks ago. They gave me a HCT and a map and told me to get on with it. It took me 6.5 hours. The following morning I had a bollocking for being too slow and costing them too much money. The day after that I said I wasn't taking it all out so I had a bollocking for that as well. I have gone from loving the job to dreading going in to work.
The bits I highlighted are the same woes of probably every reserve in RM - except that you were massively fortunate to have been left on the one initial walk for such an extraordinarily long time. (Seven weeks on the initial walk is supposed to happen, but it's usually just a month before you get moved around all over the place with no training.)

Welcome to the job as the rest of us know it!

Realistically you have 2 choices - put up with it because that is what the job actually is and stick it out for a decade or so until you get a set walk, alternatively look for a better job! I'm going with the latter, personally - don't want to end up like the miserable old sods with wrecked joints!

*edit: if you want to stay, just follow all the rules (yes, maddeningly that will make you even slower!) and they should be unable to fire you, just give you 'extra training'. Lol

You unfortunately need to develop a very tough skin as a reserve as you can expect almost constant criticism from mgmt and colleagues pretty much every day.

And they wonder why so many quit??!!

I've decided to put up with it for now. I'm on a 3 day week so that makes it more bearable and I am down for a 'nice' walk next week (although I won't count my chickens as I will probably be moved to something shitty........).

Flora · Post by **Flora** » 13 Dec 2016, 09:54

I feel I am so lucky as we have a great managers in our office. I've worked there now for about 15 months. I work Fridays and Saturdays and over the Christmas period I've been able to go in on Mondays to do IPS and half a walk, 4 am till 12.

Since starting I've not been on any walk regularly, but I knew as a reserve that is the way it is. I would say I have done probably about 20 walks in total. 7 or 8 I would say i do on a more regular basis, which is great for this time of year. However I found out yesterday that I was down to do a duty I haven't previously done this Friday. I mentioned it to a manager Monday and she said she would swap me onto another duty. :) Don't get me wrong I would do any round, but would prefer one where I can complete it before it gets dark.

wannabeek · Post by **wannabeek** » 13 Dec 2016, 19:49

I am so glad that you have great managers in your office.

However - have you ever done anything to cause them extra effort, such as be ill for a period or be unable to work over your contracted hours on a very busy day? (And I don't mean just swapping two posties onto different rounds - that can usually most simply be done without managers interfering)

It is very surprising in my experience how quickly a 'great manager' who is normally accomodating and understanding can rapidly turn into an utter git once you have created a problem for them to solve (which may very likely not even be your fault).

fishtank · Post by **fishtank** » 14 Dec 2016, 07:59

Flora wrote:However I found out yesterday that I was down to do a duty I haven't previously done this Friday. I mentioned it to a manager Monday and she said she would swap me onto another duty. :) Don't get me wrong I would do any round, but would prefer one where I can complete it before it gets dark.

The problem with that scenario is the question of how it was managed. Obviously to accommodate your wishes someone else will have to be moved at very short notice, were they happy about that? Do they think they have a great manager?

lancspostie · Post by **lancspostie** » 16 Dec 2016, 10:00

we are on strike at Accrington do exactly because of the topic you have commented on here and royal mail are condoning it at area level

lancspostie · Post by **lancspostie** » 19 Dec 2016, 08:43

Hi bob gibson this is partly the reason we at accrington are now making a stand we have now been out twice strikewise and we are hellbent on seeing this through at accrington it starts at the top and comes down the managerial chain somebody has to take this nationally this cant just be happening here at accrington enough is enough its about time royal mail find out the hard way exactly how much this wont be tolerated by this or any other union .yours ian aspin accringtond d
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Post by **GT750rider** » 19 Dec 2016, 17:42

My best wishes go out to lancspostie, I hope you get management rattled, and something positive results.

Post by **General Mannerheim** » 19 Dec 2016, 20:34

lancspostie wrote:Hi bob gibson this is partly the reason we at accrington are now making a stand we have now been out twice strikewise and we are hellbent on seeing this through at accrington it starts at the top and comes down the managerial chain somebody has to take this nationally this cant just be happening here at accrington enough is enough its about time royal mail find out the hard way exactly how much this wont be tolerated by this or any other union .yours ian aspin accringtond d
.o rep

Not smart putting your name mate and your position in the office in question.

By the way well done Accrington.

Pompey Boy · Post by **Pompey Boy** » 20 Dec 2016, 23:58

Some of us have been thinking that his sort of behaviour by guvnors is a local thing. Well RMC shows that it's a national thing and that they must be acting on instructions from RM high up. Over to you CWU......................

ChoZanWan · Post by **ChoZanWan** » 29 Dec 2016, 21:34

Not sure if this qualifies as bullying, but my line manager has threatened conduct meetings if we start earlier than contracted. I thought you had to follow full disciplinary procedure in any case (apart from gross misconduct)?

South_London_Postie · Post by **South_London_Postie** » 30 Dec 2016, 00:53

ChoZanWan wrote:Not sure if this qualifies as bullying, but my line manager has threatened conduct meetings if we start earlier than contracted.

What is the reason behind this? Has something happened ?

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 30 Dec 2016, 06:06

ChoZanWan wrote:Not sure if this qualifies as bullying, but my line manager has threatened conduct meetings if we start earlier than contracted. I thought you had to follow full disciplinary procedure in any case (apart from gross misconduct)?

Ignoring the context as its superficial to the answer.

No, managers don't "have" to follow the full disciplinary procedure stage by stage. If they have a reasonable explanation to jump stages then an ET would probably accept it.

However, to put "threatened" into context would help. If it was a reminder of an existing policy in either a group of individual setting, then that could be effectively considered the very start of the Disciplinary process. If it was a rant aimed at one person in particular, or one that was in anger - then yes that MIGHT be considered B&H. It all depends on the context.