Life after Royal Mail

[Seymour Buts]

Just wondering if many still post on here who may have moved on. What did you do? Was it worth leaving? Did you regret it? I like this job still, but full time is a pipe dream. I make up my hours currently with overtime but that will disapear eventually and nobody should rely on overtime to cover their bills. On the other hand I am unskilled, and there's very few unkilled jobs that pay anything like the 12 quid an hour or whatever it is now that we get paid. I'm conclicted and certainly won't do anything untill covid has settled down in a year or two.

[blacov]

If Royal Mail is finished or you will find difficult to put bread on the table relying on the part time contract I will suggest you try to get a courier work with one of RM's competitors. You will already have delivery knowledge and if you manage to land a job near your place of residence or even better around the area where you used to deliver for Royal Mail you should settle down very quickly and there is no such thing like part time courier work. You will get most likely full time hours. You will work most likely from early hours in the morning until pretty late during the busy times.

Parcelforce full time drivers usually start around 6-7am and finish 3-5pm but it depends on the duty they have. Some if not most used to paid SA. Self employed couriers day is a lot harder they were first to come in and usually one of the last to finish but their workload during Xmas was unbelievable.

I am just saying it could be an option.

[vastus35]

The money is not worth the crap you have to put up with every day. Selfish colleagues, bad managers, the list goes on. It's not all bad but if you talk to long termers, they talk the talk about leaving but never do because they are to scared or they've got a cushy number. I had a forktruck license from previous job & got work in a warehouse. Regular hours proper breaks & decent managers. Less money BUT it's worth it cos I don't get up dreading the day ahead. Nearly forgot, weekend off every week, time & half for Saturday morning if I want to go in. A job is a job & you make the most of it, however if you hate it do something about it. Forktruck training is reasonable if you look around. I don't miss RM one little bit. The best move I've made.

[Chelseablue]

Scared or a cushy number .lol b Once uve did a lot of years on foot theres no such thing as a cushy number. Joint problems etc are rife . All or most of the ,,old timers have erm, earnt there cushy numbers and have spent years being spare/reserves . If i was younger dunno what id do stay , or go to get full time hours elsewhere . Ot looks out the window in the future.

[scoobydo79]

The railway has been a popular choice round My way.Train driver (good money) ticket collector and also signals.None have regretted the move.

[bobthepostie]

I left after 10 years service (pt) a year and a half ago. The ONLY thing i miss is the earlier finishes and some of my workmates. I don't miss the B&H and all the other politics that the DOM and LINO used to play in my office.

The job i'm in now is set hours (full-time) and overtime if and when i want it. No pressure and just to be treated like a human being again makes me wonder why I put up with Royal Mails draconian management for so long. At the time it was hard to see a way out and the usual of some colleagues trying to put you down for daring to think about leaving, with the old the grass is never greener scenario. I did and i'm glad i did. I wouldn't go back to work for RM for all the money in the world.

Royal Mail has some of the most hard working people out there seriously let down by an awful management style and are never valued enough. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

[HA1]

Another one who couldn't cope with the job so they have to blame someone else.

[HTPostman]

A bit of perspective from someone who left RM then returned.

Firstly the thing I missed the most after leaving RM was money. Not going to tar every job the same but there wasn’t any in my ‘between RM’ job. Even now doing my basic 25 hours I get more than the last job. Obviously OT is set to be cut but I have a feeling it will always be available at some point in the year - Christmas for example.

Secondly I hated having to work till 5 every day, getting home at 6. It was literally make tea then pretty much time for bed. Again lately I’ve been doing 1 while 6 at RM, I’ve realised while I don’t like finishing that late I’ll cope if I have to. It’s a bit different getting a nice lie on or being able to get on with a few jobs in the morning than having to be in at 9 and still having to go till 5.

I was also doing an indoors job and I really started missing the outdoors. I just love being outside, I feel better for it, my skin clears up.

Managers is a tricky one. My non RM job manager was a walking contradiction and very difficult to work with. Whereas my current RM managers are on the whole pretty decent, I get the feeling I’m working in one of the few DOs that has ok management.

Overall I’d say if you’re really fed up of the job and want to go for another, go for it. The grass wasn’t greener for me but as with my points above I think I picked a bad job to go to and have returned to a half decent DO.

As for the competition I spoke to a local Hermes driver the other day. I’ve known him a while and he seems to talk honestly. He says he gets a £1 a parcel because he does some rural calls instead of just residential (which I think he said is 60p a parcel). He said those rounds are hard to come by. Interview process is easy, they take anyone on. Last month before tax he earned almost£4500 - he’s getting around 160 parcels a day and doing 6 days a week. Says he actually starts at 10 by picking up the parcels (think they also deliver your parcels for the day to your address?), gets out just before midday and finishes 5-6pm. If I lose my RM job that’s one I’ll look at. Even after providing van, fuel etc and less busy times that’s a good wage. He also says there’s no tracking/monitoring how fast you’re going. Have to say of all the couriers Hermes seem to be the some of the most relaxed.

[Acca Dacca]

A bit of perspective from someone who left RM then returned.

Firstly the thing I missed the most after leaving RM was money. Not going to tar every job the same but there wasn’t any in my ‘between RM’ job. Even now doing my basic 25 hours I get more than the last job. Obviously OT is set to be cut but I have a feeling it will always be available at some point in the year - Christmas for example.

Secondly I hated having to work till 5 every day, getting home at 6. It was literally make tea then pretty much time for bed. Again lately I’ve been doing 1 while 6 at RM, I’ve realised while I don’t like finishing that late I’ll cope if I have to. It’s a bit different getting a nice lie on or being able to get on with a few jobs in the morning than having to be in at 9 and still having to go till 5.

I was also doing an indoors job and I really started missing the outdoors. I just love being outside, I feel better for it, my skin clears up.

Managers is a tricky one. My non RM job manager was a walking contradiction and very difficult to work with. Whereas my current RM managers are on the whole pretty decent, I get the feeling I’m working in one of the few DOs that has ok management.

Overall I’d say if you’re really fed up of the job and want to go for another, go for it. The grass wasn’t greener for me but as with my points above I think I picked a bad job to go to and have returned to a half decent DO.

As for the competition I spoke to a local Hermes driver the other day. I’ve known him a while and he seems to talk honestly. He says he gets a £1 a parcel because he does some rural calls instead of just residential (which I think he said is 60p a parcel). He said those rounds are hard to come by. Interview process is easy, they take anyone on. Last month before tax he earned almost£4500 - he’s getting around 160 parcels a day and doing 6 days a week. Says he actually starts at 10 by picking up the parcels (think they also deliver your parcels for the day to your address?), gets out just before midday and finishes 5-6pm. If I lose my RM job that’s one I’ll look at. Even after providing van, fuel etc and less busy times that’s a good wage. He also says there’s no tracking/monitoring how fast you’re going. Have to say of all the couriers Hermes seem to be the some of the most relaxed.

So if he starts delivering at 12pm and finishes at 5pm doing 160 parcels he must do on average 32 an hour, 1 every 2 minutes and with rurals included in that......

Oh wait its Hermes

[Munchboii]

A bit of perspective from someone who left RM then returned.

Firstly the thing I missed the most after leaving RM was money. Not going to tar every job the same but there wasn’t any in my ‘between RM’ job. Even now doing my basic 25 hours I get more than the last job. Obviously OT is set to be cut but I have a feeling it will always be available at some point in the year - Christmas for example.

Secondly I hated having to work till 5 every day, getting home at 6. It was literally make tea then pretty much time for bed. Again lately I’ve been doing 1 while 6 at RM, I’ve realised while I don’t like finishing that late I’ll cope if I have to. It’s a bit different getting a nice lie on or being able to get on with a few jobs in the morning than having to be in at 9 and still having to go till 5.

I was also doing an indoors job and I really started missing the outdoors. I just love being outside, I feel better for it, my skin clears up.

Managers is a tricky one. My non RM job manager was a walking contradiction and very difficult to work with. Whereas my current RM managers are on the whole pretty decent, I get the feeling I’m working in one of the few DOs that has ok management.

Overall I’d say if you’re really fed up of the job and want to go for another, go for it. The grass wasn’t greener for me but as with my points above I think I picked a bad job to go to and have returned to a half decent DO.

As for the competition I spoke to a local Hermes driver the other day. I’ve known him a while and he seems to talk honestly. He says he gets a £1 a parcel because he does some rural calls instead of just residential (which I think he said is 60p a parcel). He said those rounds are hard to come by. Interview process is easy, they take anyone on. Last month before tax he earned almost£4500 - he’s getting around 160 parcels a day and doing 6 days a week. Says he actually starts at 10 by picking up the parcels (think they also deliver your parcels for the day to your address?), gets out just before midday and finishes 5-6pm. If I lose my RM job that’s one I’ll look at. Even after providing van, fuel etc and less busy times that’s a good wage. He also says there’s no tracking/monitoring how fast you’re going. Have to say of all the couriers Hermes seem to be the some of the most relaxed.

So if he starts delivering at 12pm and finishes at 5pm doing 160 parcels he must do on average 32 an hour, 1 every 2 minutes and with rurals included in that......

Oh wait its Hermes

Lol I'm on a rural and I only ever see hermes parcels on Tuesdays and Thursdays, that's because they only deliver once every 2 days in the sticks because they are slack bastards.

I found a Hermes parcel today at an address for the completely wrong address. I laughed very hard and drove off in my red van. Hermes are terrible dont join the dark side

[Celgar]

Regarding Hermes there was a poster notice on the front door of one of my customers houses today. It was addressed to the Hermes driver to let them know their house wasn't the house of a different name in a different road & directions to that other house.
I think I mostly see DPD round our way in terms of the competitors.
Hermes have apparently been auctioning off some parcels that they were not able to deliver recently .

[Munchboii]

Sometimes I do feel sorry for the Hermes lot. I mean there must be so much pressure getting paid per parcel and the training and managers are probably even worse than RM!.

I've always been looked after and rarely got pushed onto rounds I didnt know except for a couple of months when I first started. With hermes I bet it's hell in that regard.

[Seymour Buts]

The railway has been a popular choice round My way.Train driver (good money) ticket collector and also signals.None have regretted the move.

Railways is very decent money. Between 40 - 60 grand a year for the average driver. Getting in is like winning the lottery; not quite literally, but not far off. Thousands of applications per vancancy for trainee train drivers. I'm not sure I'd fancy the daily abuse of the fare collector. Signals is definately something I'd be interested in but again, it's getting in. That kind of job is the only type of role I'd leave my current one for.

[Navalron]

If Royal Mail is finished or you will find difficult to put bread on the table relying on the part time contract I will suggest you try to get a courier work with one of RM's competitors. You will already have delivery knowledge and if you manage to land a job near your place of residence or even better around the area where you used to deliver for Royal Mail you should settle down very quickly and there is no such thing like part time courier work. You will get most likely full time hours. You will work most likely from early hours in the morning until pretty late during the busy times.

Parcelforce full time drivers usually start around 6-7am and finish 3-5pm but it depends on the duty they have. Some if not most used to paid SA. Self employed couriers day is a lot harder they were first to come in and usually one of the last to finish but their workload during Xmas was unbelievable.

I am just saying it could be an option.

Are you seriously telling somebody to leave RM even though it's part time to go and work for a courier firm where you get as low as 60p per parcel delivered and if it's not delivered you don't get paid and it's back in your van the next day for another attempt at delivery. And when I say your van, I mean YOUR VAN, as you need to hire a van, pay for fuel ect. And you have no holiday pay, no sick pay, no pension, no f**k all. And imagine how bad it will be when you get the coronavirus (which the majority of us will need to catch and go through) to get herd immunity when you have no sick pay coming in and you can't claim ssp as a newly qualified self employed person this year. By all means mate go for another job and good luck with that but you would be better, in my humble opinion of staying EXACTLY where you are for the moment because this lockdown ain't going to be over for a couple of years until we get back to beat normality, if we ever do.

[Sugar]

The money is not worth the crap you have to put up with every day. Selfish colleagues, bad managers, the list goes on. It's not all bad but if you talk to long termers, they talk the talk about leaving but never do because they are to scared or they've got a cushy number. I had a forktruck license from previous job & got work in a warehouse. Regular hours proper breaks & decent managers. Less money BUT it's worth it cos I don't get up dreading the day ahead. Nearly forgot, weekend off every week, time & half for Saturday morning if I want to go in. A job is a job & you make the most of it, however if you hate it do something about it. Forktruck training is reasonable if you look around. I don't miss RM one little bit. The best move I've made.

I'll echo most of that.

I was IHR because of years of b&h by management and even though not back in work yet the reduction in stress is immense. Never known anyone who's left regret it even a few that got the sack said it was a good thing in the end and all have gone on to better jobs. One friend said it perfectly after they'd left and pointed out that so many are just scared to leave because they think nothing is out there or the money is so bad they couldn't cope and become institutionalised and miserable. But as they put it to me "is an extra £2 an hour worth all the s**t, stress, arguments and putting your body through hell year after year and it never being good enough for management"?

With what could potentially happen once C-19 has finished and RM's push to focus on parcels, increase delivery spans and alter shift patterns and possibly go for a 7 day a week service I can see a lot more considering jumping ship with IHR or VR.

Remember with this company you're just a number and are only any good if you come in early, cut corners and are willing to work all hours God sends even if it impacts on your own family life. Then when you break they'll do everything they can to get you out.