Disgusted with lack of empathy

hivisvest · Post by **hivisvest** » 13 Mar 2020, 16:08

This happened a couple of weeks ago and I've tried to let it go but I am still furious and need to vent.
I have worked for royal mail for a few years now and for most of them I have been on a shared van duty with the same partner. We have become very good friends obviously after being together for multiple hours, five days a week for years. On the day in question we were nearly finished our round and making great time because it was an incredibly quiet day, everything was great until we were at the van after a loop and he collapsed with chest pains (it was later found out he had actually had a heart attack) and I had to call an ambulance. This was obviously a very stressful situation, I was on the phone to 999 whilst trying to calm him down. The ambulance arrived after a few minutes (it felt like hours) and whilst they were attending to him I called the office to let them know about the situation. Our manager asked me to put it on speaker phone to talk to my partner and the ambulance team. They explained that they were going to have to take him to the hospital, at this point he asked the ambulance team if I could come with him because I was his friend; before they could answer my manager cut in and said I would have to stay and continue delivery. My partner started crying because he didn't want to go alone so I said to my manager he could dock my days wages off of me and give it to someone who would finish the walk on overtime. I was told that that wouldn't be possible and I would have to let him go alone and continue. I basically told him to f*ck off (stupid I know but I was frustrated as I wanted to be there for my friend) and that I was going with him. I was told that if i went in the ambulance with him I would be charged with willful delay of mail and would be sacked.

How can royal mail have such little compassion? Thankfully he is ok now (apart from the stage he was issued!) and has recovered. But he could have died alone in the ambulance for all we knew and the only thing they cared about was the mail? Not once on the phone did my manager actually ask if he was ok, one of the first questions he asked was how many loops do you have left? I am disgusted by what happened and hate the company more than ever, which I thought would have been impossible.

Sorry for my rant, I am just angry that I was expected to go about my day as if my friend wasn't on deaths door. This situation has really made me rethink my job with royal mail, I don't think I can keep working for a company that treats people like this

Bahia Feliz · Post by **Bahia Feliz** » 13 Mar 2020, 16:24

I've always said if the president of the United States was to drop dead they would find a replacement for him in a heartbeat,if a postman goes sick it's panic stations,who is going to do the delivery!!

terry2972 · Post by **terry2972** » 13 Mar 2020, 16:36

Sorry about your treatment did they go down the go down the discipline route?

hivisvest · Post by **hivisvest** » 13 Mar 2020, 16:57

terry2972 wrote:Sorry about your treatment did they go down the go down the discipline route?

Not officially, my union rep heard about the situation and said if they actually went down that road the office would "fight back" but I did get yelled at and told that if I went against his authority again I'd get a bollocking. If the situation happened again i'd still go with him, I'm not going to let a friend go through something like that alone just because I've been threatened by a want to be dictator

Post by **WASD** » 13 Mar 2020, 17:07

Sorry to read this, it actually angers me reading this. Your manager is moron and will cross the wrong person at some point. Personally i would of not even phoned the manager until at the hospital.

Any customer would not care that a product wasn't delivered if someone had a heart attack. Health is #1, money comes way further down the line.

My advice is start recording phone calls and using a secret camera. Play it by the book, don't let people like this get to you. The other alternative isn't forum friendly. The rep sounds like a waste of space also.

hivisvest · Post by **hivisvest** » 13 Mar 2020, 17:13

WASD wrote:Sorry to read this, it actually angers me reading this. Your manager is moron and will cross the wrong person at some point. Personally i would of not even phoned the manager until at the hospital.

Any customer would not care that a product wasn't delivered if someone had a heart attack. Health is #1, money comes way further down the line.

My advice is start recording phone calls and using a secret camera. Play it by the book, don't let people like this get to you. The other alternative isn't forum friendly. The rep sounds like a waste of space also.

I only called the manager as a courtesy so he'd be able to start organising cover, if I knew he was going to be a bellend I wouldn't have phoned at all. The union rep was actually helpful, I did'nt word it correctly, it was the manager who yelled at me not the rep, he has been fighting my side the whole time

Ren Hoëk · Post by **Ren Hoëk** » 13 Mar 2020, 17:21

Absolutely disgusting behaviour from RM yet again. You did exactly what you should have done. Anyone worth their salt would have done what you did which is what cuts us apart from the spineless management this company likes to recruit.

daveyeff · Post by **daveyeff** » 13 Mar 2020, 17:40

AND they issued a stage.!! it doesn't surprise me one bit. f***ing tossers.

ted_glen · Post by **ted_glen** » 13 Mar 2020, 17:54

daveyeff · Post by **daveyeff** » 13 Mar 2020, 18:14

no appeals against stage 1 and 2. so a bellend manager making a wrong decision(as is obviously the case here) may as well be regarded as the correct decision. because you can't appeal.

hero22 · Post by **hero22** » 13 Mar 2020, 18:22

I was angry enough with the coronavirus thread on this site and the response from Royal mail lol but this has made my blood boil. I only wish I had a van partner like you, a decent human being with some morals. You should have been applauded for your response and also for your part in saving this mans life. No one goes to work to be yelled at by a manager or anyone, you simply don't have to accept that. My manager shouted at me last year for being back late even though there was a van break down ! I told him get me that in writing and I will be speaking to a solicitor on my way home lol. Next morning apologised for his behaviour. Barely spoken to me since but that's a good thing

I completely agree with your feeling about this company, I used to love this job but now its only a job and ive lost all motivation in it.

PostmanBitesDog · Post by **PostmanBitesDog** » 13 Mar 2020, 18:30

hivisvest wrote:
WASD wrote:Sorry to read this, it actually angers me reading this. Your manager is moron and will cross the wrong person at some point. Personally i would of not even phoned the manager until at the hospital.
Any customer would not care that a product wasn't delivered if someone had a heart attack. Health is #1, money comes way further down the line.
My advice is start recording phone calls and using a secret camera. Play it by the book, don't let people like this get to you. The other alternative isn't forum friendly. The rep sounds like a waste of space also.
I only called the manager as a courtesy so he'd be able to start organising cover

I'm wondering why the manager didn't get in his car or an RM van and come out to offer assistance. In our office, most of our Delivery Line Managers (DLMs) do this in a serious situation such as the one you described. Our DLMs step in to cover when needed. Or at least this manager in your case could've accompanied your partner to the hospital.

crimson king · Post by **crimson king** » 13 Mar 2020, 18:31

Blimey, blood boiling reading this!
Glad your mate/partner is okay and fair play to you for sticking by him.

Post by **Takeitforaride** » 13 Mar 2020, 18:33

I once had a fight tooth and nail to get a single day off work for my uncles funeral as he died suddenly at 42 years old. My manager said no, but after pressure said I could have an hour as it was only my uncles funeral. It took the CWU a whole day of fighting all the way to the top to get me the day off.

RM management are disgusting people, maybe not all of them, but I haven't met one that is a decent human being for a very long time.

hivisvest · Post by **hivisvest** » 13 Mar 2020, 18:49

PostmanBitesDog wrote:
hivisvest wrote:
WASD wrote:Sorry to read this, it actually angers me reading this. Your manager is moron and will cross the wrong person at some point. Personally i would of not even phoned the manager until at the hospital.
Any customer would not care that a product wasn't delivered if someone had a heart attack. Health is #1, money comes way further down the line.
My advice is start recording phone calls and using a secret camera. Play it by the book, don't let people like this get to you. The other alternative isn't forum friendly. The rep sounds like a waste of space also.
I only called the manager as a courtesy so he'd be able to start organising cover
I'm wondering why the manager didn't get in his car or an RM van and come out to offer assistance. In our office, most of our Delivery Line Managers (DLMs) do this in a serious situation such as the one you described. Our DLMs step in to cover when needed. Or at least this manager in your case could've accompanied your partner to the hospital.

The line manager was on his day off and nobody came to cover him so I think my manager didn't want to leave the office unattended. The real reason is probably just because he didn't care about him at all, he's a real prick most of the time but even this behavior was shocking coming from him