New starter doubts

[Arthur Pint]

Hi everyone. I've been offered a 20 hour contract for six months, having previously been a postie for about six weeks in late 2011.

I resigned around halfway through my three month contract eight years ago because I cracked under the pressure to complete an increasing workload on time. If I cut off, I got aggro for that, so I often went well over my hours to finish a duty, even if I didn't actually want the overtime. I think I even sometimes got stick for being so slow as to have to claim overtime in the first place.

Fast forward to 2019. I convinced myself that I'd now be better prepared for the demands of being a newbie with RM at this time of year. I've long kicked myself for quitting when the going got tough all those years ago, and I reckoned that I'd do better second time round. But my initial confidence is slipping. It probably doesn't help that I suffer from clinical depression and anxiety, which was undiagnosed during my first stint with RM.

I'm torn. On the one hand, when I was a postie in 2011, there was a period when I genuinely enjoyed the job. I'd settled in, I was getting up to speed with my longer-serving colleagues and I liked the physical challenge. But on the other hand, I bottled it when the festive rush really kicked in. I don't have the strongest of personalities, which made the confrontations over cutting off and finishing late very stressful.

What's RM like with regards to the mental health of posties? I know they've made big public pledges here and there about it, but I'd like to know if they practice what they preach. If I have a second go of it, I will join the union, which I foolishly didn't do first time round, being a naive youngster.

All help's much appreciated.

[dennyboycox]

take the job and work 2 ur time mate .... simples

[Murdoch]

Without telling you how things have changed, because I wasn't around in 2011. Just ask yourself the question, do you think things have gotten easier for the people working in Royal Mail, since it was privatised in 2014?

Royal Mail are facing issues from all angles. Declining letter levels, huge competition from cheaper delivery companies for parcels (cherry picking the most profitable areas), a pressure to make efficiency savings from OFCOM. A large decrease in the share price. An aging and pissed off workforce, that's trying to retain the good working conditions they have by calling strike action, action which will mostly just make things decline faster as companies shift their business elsewhere.

Meanwhile a shift from letters to parcels and packets makes the job increasingly unproductive, as we try to deliver parcels to empty houses when people are at work, with an ever increasing amount of reasons we cannot actually deliver those parcels, well not without risking the sack if something goes wrong. While the technology we use, is even being surpassed by companies like Yodel and Hermes as the simplest software changes or improvements seem to take Royal Mail years longer to implement. We can't even deliver specific day delivery slots, in flight redirects, or any of those obvious solutions to the simple problem of people not being in for signed items.

At the moment, it seems the question with Royal Mail isn't have things gotten better, it's more a case of how long does it have left, before it gets much worse.

[Justanotherstar]

What's RM like with regards to the mental health of posties?

They'll look sympathetic, give you a phone number and send you on your way with your unmanageable workload and moan when you cut off every day (assuming you do the job properly) thus ensuring the cycle repeats.

[General Mannerheim]

It's gotten worse since then.
Bullying and harassment up by wet behind the ears managers who couldn't run a bath.
Mental health at Royal mail amounts to some asswipe putting up a few posters and a telephone number to `Feeling worst class`
When you go sick with their bullying they keep sending you letters until you come back to work to be bullied again or send you to atos so they can bully you back to work.
The whole place is a f***ing shithole.

[scoobydo79]

If You didn’t like it then You will hate it now

[rambo1]

take the job and work 2 ur time mate .... simples

Did you not read the op? If you did then you would realise that for the individual concerned, with their accociated mental health issues, then it really isn't 'simples' !

[rambo1]

Without telling you how things have changed, because I wasn't around in 2011. Just ask yourself the question, do you think things have gotten easier for the people working in Royal Mail, since it was privatised in 2014?

Royal Mail are facing issues from all angles. Declining letter levels, huge competition from cheaper delivery companies for parcels (cherry picking the most profitable areas), a pressure to make efficiency savings from OFCOM. A large decrease in the share price. An aging and pissed off workforce, that's trying to retain the good working conditions they have by calling strike action, action which will mostly just make things decline faster as companies shift their business elsewhere.

Meanwhile a shift from letters to parcels and packets makes the job increasingly unproductive, as we try to deliver parcels to empty houses when people are at work, with an ever increasing amount of reasons we cannot actually deliver those parcels, well not without risking the sack if something goes wrong. While the technology we use, is even being surpassed by companies like Yodel and Hermes as the simplest software changes or improvements seem to take Royal Mail years longer to implement. We can't even deliver specific day delivery slots, in flight redirects, or any of those obvious solutions to the simple problem of people not being in for signed items.

At the moment, it seems the question with Royal Mail isn't have things gotten better, it's more a case of how long does it have left, before it gets much worse.

Great post. Concise evaluation of the current state of the business. I'm personally hoping for evr's within a couple of years. CWU are quite honestly un realistic if they think this business can go into the future and flourish without any job cuts IMHO.

[DirtyHarry]

Unless you’re desperate, don’t do it.
As the General has stated above, Royal Mail deliveries is a shithole place to work in. Every day is its own nightmare. The s**t we’re put through is relentless.
If, when, I am able to walk away from this bastard company, I would have a mental breakdown if I was forced back into this relentless, merciless, slog.

[rambo1]

Hi everyone. I've been offered a 20 hour contract for six months, having previously been a postie for about six weeks in late 2011.

I resigned around halfway through my three month contract eight years ago because I cracked under the pressure to complete an increasing workload on time. If I cut off, I got aggro for that, so I often went well over my hours to finish a duty, even if I didn't actually want the overtime. I think I even sometimes got stick for being so slow as to have to claim overtime in the first place.

Fast forward to 2019. I convinced myself that I'd now be better prepared for the demands of being a newbie with RM at this time of year. I've long kicked myself for quitting when the going got tough all those years ago, and I reckoned that I'd do better second time round. But my initial confidence is slipping. It probably doesn't help that I suffer from clinical depression and anxiety, which was undiagnosed during my first stint with RM.

I'm torn. On the one hand, when I was a postie in 2011, there was a period when I genuinely enjoyed the job. I'd settled in, I was getting up to speed with my longer-serving colleagues and I liked the physical challenge. But on the other hand, I bottled it when the festive rush really kicked in. I don't have the strongest of personalities, which made the confrontations over cutting off and finishing late very stressful.

What's RM like with regards to the mental health of posties? I know they've made big public pledges here and there about it, but I'd like to know if they practice what they preach. If I have a second go of it, I will join the union, which I foolishly didn't do first time round, being a naive youngster.

All help's much appreciated.

Hi Arthur. You know that being active outdoors will help with your condition already, so that's a plus.
If you take the job, you will have a head start on an absolute beginner as you do have the basic skills to do the job. There is a lot more parcels now but there seems to be less mail. More work with the PDA ( which I can't quite remember if we had the original one in 2011 , think we did). More things to scan, and they know where you are all the time by GPS tracking the PDA (PDA actuals).
I think it would be a positive for your mental health to take the job on and at least give it a go. See it as a challenge to get through the Christmas period. I would say however that you really need to have a meeting with your managers right at the start to explain your mental health position and your reservations regards your previous employment with royal mail. It may take you some courage to do this but you will feel so much better for doing it. I would recommend you take someone in with you purely for support and as a witness, could be Union rep or a workplace coach, which you should have to train you for at least your first couple of days.
Think of it as a positive opportunity for you. What have you got to lose? It's hard sometimes but it really should be seen as the sort of job you leave at the door when you finish, try not to take any stresses and anxiety home with you.
Good luck with everything and take care.

[rambo1]

Unless you’re desperate, don’t do it.
As the General has stated above, Royal Mail deliveries is a shithole place to work in. Every day is its own nightmare. The s**t we’re put through is relentless.
If, when, I am able to walk away from this bastard company, I would have a mental breakdown if I was forced back into this relentless, merciless, slog.

Yeah it's not perfect, but what job is? With respect, it sounds like you're in the wrong job if you're painting it that bad.

[Arthur Pint]

take the job and work 2 ur time mate .... simples

Easier said than done when you have the assertiveness of a garden gnome.

[Arthur Pint]

Hi everyone. I've been offered a 20 hour contract for six months, having previously been a postie for about six weeks in late 2011.

I resigned around halfway through my three month contract eight years ago because I cracked under the pressure to complete an increasing workload on time. If I cut off, I got aggro for that, so I often went well over my hours to finish a duty, even if I didn't actually want the overtime. I think I even sometimes got stick for being so slow as to have to claim overtime in the first place.

Fast forward to 2019. I convinced myself that I'd now be better prepared for the demands of being a newbie with RM at this time of year. I've long kicked myself for quitting when the going got tough all those years ago, and I reckoned that I'd do better second time round. But my initial confidence is slipping. It probably doesn't help that I suffer from clinical depression and anxiety, which was undiagnosed during my first stint with RM.

I'm torn. On the one hand, when I was a postie in 2011, there was a period when I genuinely enjoyed the job. I'd settled in, I was getting up to speed with my longer-serving colleagues and I liked the physical challenge. But on the other hand, I bottled it when the festive rush really kicked in. I don't have the strongest of personalities, which made the confrontations over cutting off and finishing late very stressful.

What's RM like with regards to the mental health of posties? I know they've made big public pledges here and there about it, but I'd like to know if they practice what they preach. If I have a second go of it, I will join the union, which I foolishly didn't do first time round, being a naive youngster.

All help's much appreciated.

Hi Arthur. You know that being active outdoors will help with your condition already, so that's a plus.
If you take the job, you will have a head start on an absolute beginner as you do have the basic skills to do the job. There is a lot more parcels now but there seems to be less mail. More work with the PDA ( which I can't quite remember if we had the original one in 2011 , think we did). More things to scan, and they know where you are all the time by GPS tracking the PDA (PDA actuals).
I think it would be a positive for your mental health to take the job on and at least give it a go. See it as a challenge to get through the Christmas period. I would say however that you really need to have a meeting with your managers right at the start to explain your mental health position and your reservations regards your previous employment with royal mail. It may take you some courage to do this but you will feel so much better for doing it. I would recommend you take someone in with you purely for support and as a witness, could be Union rep or a workplace coach, which you should have to train you for at least your first couple of days.
Think of it as a positive opportunity for you. What have you got to lose? It's hard sometimes but it really should be seen as the sort of job you leave at the door when you finish, try not to take any stresses and anxiety home with you.
Good luck with everything and take care.

Thanks for the encouraging words, Rambo. It's true that being outdoors on delivery was, for me, the best part of the job. It was mostly back in the office where I got more stressed. I never had a work coach - I just shadowed another postie for about 3 days before being out on my own. I was never told about breaks, and I only found out about cutting off after overhearing a colleague mention it.

I agree that I really should talk to the managers at the beginning about my mental health and concerns resulting from my previous experience. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it myself, though, but as you said, that's where the union rep or workplace coach would come into it.

A challenge to look forward to, rather than a problem to fear - that's certainly the more helpful mindset to have. The worst that could happen, I suppose, is that the job doesn't work out and I end up back at square one, i.e. where I am now. On the other hand, it could work out - I could get as competent as the old-timers and eventually become one myself.

Hey ho, we've got a general election in December. Perhaps RM might get renationalised before Xmas!

[Arthur Pint]

I feared that RM talked the talk but never walked the walk regarding mental health. I hope the upcoming strike marks a turning point for the best, and that it represents a more militant stance from the CWU from here on. People before profit

[richietns]

[quote="Arthur Pint"]I feared that RM talked the talk but never walked the walk regarding mental health. I hope the upcoming strike marks a turning point for the best, and that it represents a more militant stance from the CWU from here on. People before profit [/
Comments like its a crap job are not very accurate ive had plenty worse jobs than this.Do you HAVE to cut off that seems to be were your struggling.It will be far less stressful if your not on a phycological deadline to finish.Obviously if you do cut off you have to tell your manager every day even he milatant find that hard.