Thoughts after 10 weeks

[Caesar]

What's hard to get your head around, your working 75 minutes for free every week, and making the person who doesn't work 75 minutes free every week look less productive.

No need to worry about making others look less productive, you should see how long it takes me to prep my walk lol

Let's add that up. 15 minutes every day. That is 75 minutes per week. ~3600 minutes per year or 60 hours!

That means you are basically giving Royal Mail over £700 of free labour per year!

Are Royal Mail a charity?

You also state you don't take a break. Again there is another 30 minutes per day. Or 120 hours per year. That is another £1400 per year you are gifting to this company!

I start work when I get to work, if that happens to be 15 min early, yes I m gifting that to RM. If the traffic is heavy, I arrive a couple of min before my start time.
Regarding breaks, like I said earlier, I personally don't require a sit down break, I sometimes have to wait for my partner to finish his loop or come back from delivering larger parcels.
Like I said in my OP, I've worked with 6 different full time staff and none of them have taken breaks. Many have told me that very few posties take their break.
So I did a calculation that if half of the 140,000 workforce are like me and skip their break and start a bit early, that would be around £140,000,000 gifted. Without that gift last years profit would be even more gloomy lol.
If I ever feel the need for a break I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem to take one.

[steve1873]

[Zoemaz123]

I can’t understand why people moan if you go in early off your own back, I’m contracted to 25 hours a week and I start around 20 minutes earlier for my own benefit, 9 times out of 10 my frame hasn’t been touched so I go in early to start so I can get out for a reasonable time.

[steve1873]

I can’t understand why people moan if you go in early off your own back, I’m contracted to 25 hours a week and I start around 20 minutes earlier for my own benefit, 9 times out of 10 my frame hasn’t been touched so I go in early to start so I can get out for a reasonable time.

It isn't for your own benefit at all. Stop lying to yourself would be the first step.

It is for the management's benefit.

[Zoemaz123]

I’m not lying to myself, I get paid overtime every day and I start 20 minutes earlier unpaid, I want to get out the door at a decent time so I can finish at a decent time and to be fair most days I’m back around 15 minutes earlier so where is the harm in that rather than sat in my car 20 minutes I want to crack on and get my frame sorted

[Smith1212]

I’m not lying to myself, I get paid overtime every day and I start 20 minutes earlier unpaid, I want to get out the door at a decent time so I can finish at a decent time and to be fair most days I’m back around 15 minutes earlier so where is the harm in that rather than sat in my car 20 minutes I want to crack on and get my frame sorted

You can finish on your time every day tho just work your hours ! I'm confused why you or anyone would work for free surely you are better working over and getting paid for it on overtime!!

[Marshamp11]

I love early starters who then finish on their time because when I am questioned why I am booking overtime I always reply that Postman A started 20 minutes early to finish on their time where as I started on my time so how could I possibly finish without booking. Particularly as managers deem all duties to be equal.

[steve1873]

I’m not lying to myself, I get paid overtime every day and I start 20 minutes earlier unpaid, I want to get out the door at a decent time so I can finish at a decent time and to be fair most days I’m back around 15 minutes earlier so where is the harm in that rather than sat in my car 20 minutes I want to crack on and get my frame sorted

The harm is that you are doing work which should be allocated to other individuals and if it isn't, then it is a failing of the management. You are working for free for nearly 2 hours every week. That is approx. 80 hours of unpaid labour every year.

Are you so rich that you can afford to pass up nearly £1000 per year?

It isn't all about YOU as an individual. There are consequences. Take for example your day off cover. If they start on their time and get out around 20 minutes later than you and thus are unable to complete - who will their performance be compared to? "If Zoe can do it, why can't you?"

[Newbie001]

Until they bring in clocking machines nothing will change. Posties don't want it because despite the rhetoric there is still an element of job and finish. Can't understand why CWU don't push for it as it would make reps life a lot easier. Instead of spending morning banging head against wall they can concentrate on stuff that matters.

[LittleEmm]

I can’t understand why people seem to have such strong objections about others going in early and have such a major issue with other posties? Every other job I’ve ever had outside this industry has always expected workers to be on the premises at desks or stations etc prior to their start time so that they can be prepped and ready to start work at their allocated time. Now if the employee arrives early (such as wanting to avoid traffic or whatever other reason they choose too) I personally would feel pretty daft just hanging round twiddling my thumbs for 10/15mins when I could be getting on with something productive? Or do I take the view that seems to be very popular of pfft “I’m not helping anyone” or “that’s not my job” or “why should I work for free”? Everyone is employed by RM to do a job including absorption and personally I work till my round is finished if that includes OT or I finish early so be it, I do not take my breaks whilst out as I don’t find I need or want one but that is my choice but I do claim this as part of OT if I’ve worked over my time.

[Zoemaz123]

To be fair didn’t think of it like that, I have been doing a round on my own and that’s why I have been starting earlier for me as the frame is never prepped, when I was with a full timer doing a van share it was never a problem starting at my allocated time as the full timer had prepped,

[hero22]

I can’t understand why people seem to have such strong objections about others going in early and have such a major issue with other posties? Every other job I’ve ever had outside this industry has always expected workers to be on the premises at desks or stations etc prior to their start time so that they can be prepped and ready to start work at their allocated time. Now if the employee arrives early (such as wanting to avoid traffic or whatever other reason they choose too) I personally would feel pretty daft just hanging round twiddling my thumbs for 10/15mins when I could be getting on with something productive? Or do I take the view that seems to be very popular of pfft “I’m not helping anyone” or “that’s not my job” or “why should I work for free”? Everyone is employed by RM to do a job including absorption and personally I work till my round is finished if that includes OT or I finish early so be it, I do not take my breaks whilst out as I don’t find I need or want one but that is my choice but I do claim this as part of OT if I’ve worked over my time.

Everyone is employed by Royal Mail to do a job properly. That means starting at your start time, taking your meal relief which is part of royal mails working policies as well as health and safety policies and finishing on your time or requesting overtime if required. By coming in early and doing 15 minutes instead of twiddling your thumbs and not taking your breaks you are not only making your colleagues potentially look bad but you are also failing to follow royal mail procedures. It seems to be new starters in my office that don't understand why there are strong objections but maybe once they have been in long enough they will realise the repercussions of working for free. Saying that there are plenty of long serving posties just as bad.

[steve1873]

I can’t understand why people seem to have such strong objections about others going in early and have such a major issue with other posties? Every other job I’ve ever had outside this industry has always expected workers to be on the premises at desks or stations etc prior to their start time so that they can be prepped and ready to start work at their allocated time. Now if the employee arrives early (such as wanting to avoid traffic or whatever other reason they choose too) I personally would feel pretty daft just hanging round twiddling my thumbs for 10/15mins when I could be getting on with something productive? Or do I take the view that seems to be very popular of pfft “I’m not helping anyone” or “that’s not my job” or “why should I work for free”? Everyone is employed by RM to do a job including absorption and personally I work till my round is finished if that includes OT or I finish early so be it, I do not take my breaks whilst out as I don’t find I need or want one but that is my choice but I do claim this as part of OT if I’ve worked over my time.

I will try be as polite as can be, but...

You fail to understand why people, reps especially want yo ensure that all measured workload is contained within people's actual working hours, at a time when Royal Mail is insistent in cutting the job to the absolute bone and reducing the workforce? Look 10/15 minutes maybe doesn't seem a lot on an individual basis. But it isn't individuals we are attempting to change the attitude of, it is the collective.

But until such time as individuals take some responsibility for their actions and acknowledge the consequences, then it is unfortunately a case of bashing ones head against a wall.

[steve1873]

To be fair didn’t think of it like that, I have been doing a round on my own and that’s why I have been starting earlier for me as the frame is never prepped, when I was with a full timer doing a van share it was never a problem starting at my allocated time as the full timer had prepped,

Again, please accept my apology if I came across as blunt or as if I am pontificating. I understand frustration of coming in to work with a large amount of work that should have been done prior to you starting not having been done. This is a failure of resourcing, which should be highlighted to management. The likelihood is they will try brush you off. However you need to stick to your guns and maintain that the indoor workload is going to result in you departing late, which in the will impact on your ability to complete the outdoor element in the allocated time and it will either be a cut off or incur overtime. Always ensure you calculate your .Sal relief entitlement as well when attempting to guesstimate rough timelines.

I always think it's easier to work back from scheduled finish time. Let's say that is 2pm. And let's say the delivery span is 4 hours. Travelling time is 10 minutes either way and you have 10 minutes at end of duty for ancillary tasks such as handing back keys, endorsing undelivered items etc. So to be back at office at 13:50 You require to leave office 4 hours and 10 mins prior to this (assuming you have break prior to departure) this means you need to be departing office at 09:40 at latest. 09:10 If you haven't had meal relief and intend to have it whilst on delivery.

Obviously these times won't be reflective of your individual situation but rather just act as a guideline as to how to estimate whether or not you are going to be able to complete on time. Don't feel pressurised in to starting early to avoid confrontation from management. It is their failings that put you in the position as to the workload not being performed.

[LittleEmm]

I can’t understand why people seem to have such strong objections about others going in early and have such a major issue with other posties? Every other job I’ve ever had outside this industry has always expected workers to be on the premises at desks or stations etc prior to their start time so that they can be prepped and ready to start work at their allocated time. Now if the employee arrives early (such as wanting to avoid traffic or whatever other reason they choose too) I personally would feel pretty daft just hanging round twiddling my thumbs for 10/15mins when I could be getting on with something productive? Or do I take the view that seems to be very popular of pfft “I’m not helping anyone” or “that’s not my job” or “why should I work for free”? Everyone is employed by RM to do a job including absorption and personally I work till my round is finished if that includes OT or I finish early so be it, I do not take my breaks whilst out as I don’t find I need or want one but that is my choice but I do claim this as part of OT if I’ve worked over my time.

Everyone is employed by Royal Mail to do a job properly. That means starting at your start time, taking your meal relief which is part of royal mails working policies as well as health and safety policies and finishing on your time or requesting overtime if required. By coming in early and doing 15 minutes instead of twiddling your thumbs and not taking your breaks you are not only making your colleagues potentially look bad but you are also failing to follow royal mail procedures. It seems to be new starters in my office that don't understand why there are strong objections but maybe once they have been in long enough they will realise the repercussions of working for free. Saying that there are plenty of long serving posties just as bad.

I do understand as we have some in my DO that come in hours before their start time! However I don’t think being on site 15mins ( in order to make sure you’re not late etc) is a bad thing, I’m sure you’d soon be frowned upon if you rushed in a couple of mins before you start time or rolled up at start time and not ready to start work. There the old quote - Being early meant being on time, being on time meant being late, but being late was unacceptable. As for breaks I can honestly say I know of no one in our DO that takes breaks during or prior to their duty, that not because it is not allowed or discouraged most people seem to be happy to take them at the end of their shift.