[no]

[Sprattacus]

[no]

[twoloops]

I do not think your requests are unreasonable, but reading your post the first thing I would do is visit the quack & get signed off for a few weeks, refresh your batteries, the way we are treated will only get worse & you get no better thought of by keep turning up, you are only a number to RM.

[richietns]

I think its standard across the job if you are a reserve to not know your days off to far in advance thats the point of being a reserve the managers can short notice you.Like twoloops said get a sick note you do seem like you need a break.

[nightcrawler]

Like twoloops said the first thing you should do is get signed off by your doctor with stress. I had 3 weeks off last year for stress, and whilst it helped me in the short term it isn’t really a long term solution, though I guess that depends in how long you have off. It will help to “recharge your batteries”, and just (hopefully) get your head in a better place. When you return (don’t rush back) you can decide whether to carry on, or maybe start looking for another job. Your work/life balance is important, as is your mental health. I’ve mentioned in other threads that I’ll probably be leaving before Christmas as I’ve had enough, and I’ve done 30 years. The job is too stressful now for many people, and RM don’t give a s**t.

[ssdd]

It's pretty much par for the course with being a reserve unfortunately. Could you have a chat with your manager to explain how you're feeling and see if he could move you onto something else for a while?
Also, you never mentioned if you've had a revision. Is there a possibility of changing roles off the back of the revision?

[priority102]

The most important thing to note is that how things are now are NOT going to change for the better - at best it will stay as it is. The sheer volume of posts on here is a worrying testament to it - and these posts are from honest employees up and down the country.

I got out earlier this year after almost 25 years and the change to my body, mental health, family life etc has been phenominal.....for the better. A few weeks off with stress as suggested is only a few weeks answer (not to mention it going on your sick record and creating more worry should you need to have further time off with illness at a later date) - when you come back normal service will be resumed and back to square one.

Being constantly knackered is a thing of the past for me now, even my grandchildren tell me that I'm much happier! Finishing Friday until Monday every week is an unbelievable feeling!

We know that many people have commitments that make their decisions harder but money doesn't buy your health.

[yellowbelly]

The biggest issue I have with being a 'reserve' is that when you get your job interview, the fact that you
get royally screwed over with not knowing what duty you're on, what day off you're (not) going to get
etc IS NOT MENTIONED!

For example this role that is currently advertised at Exmouth - in the small print it is mentioned
you are a leave reserve:

Cover periods of leave for a fixed number of routes (so you’ll need to be a bit flexible)

and

Flexibility: You will be working in different areas covering your colleagues’ holidays, so you might need to adjust your working hours to match your round.

a 'bit' is the understatement of the year and 'you might' should read 'you will have to' unless you want to have a daily 'discussion'
with your lino.

Also it clearly states:

One day off during the week (rotational day off)

- which in reality is unlikely to happen.

A quick look at current vacancies indicates same wording for a Wokingham vacancy, Northwich,
Cardiff (doesn't mention the rotational day off), Kingston UT, Epsom (doesn't mention rotational day off), Basildon.

So it's no wonder that when people are recruited to these reserve jobs without knowing the full story, they soon get cheesed off!

[Jahpostie]

The most important thing to note is that how things are now are NOT going to change for the better - at best it will stay as it is. The sheer volume of posts on here is a worrying testament to it - and these posts are from honest employees up and down the country.

I got out earlier this year after almost 25 years and the change to my body, mental health, family life etc has been phenominal.....for the better. A few weeks off with stress as suggested is only a few weeks answer (not to mention it going on your sick record and creating more worry should you need to have further time off with illness at a later date) - when you come back normal service will be resumed and back to square one.

Being constantly knackered is a thing of the past for me now, even my grandchildren tell me that I'm much happier! Finishing Friday until Monday every week is an unbelievable feeling!

We know that many people have commitments that make their decisions harder but money doesn't buy your health.

Great Post. This is me going to bed now at 9pm ON A SATURDAY. Says everything about the job. I'm absolutely knackered.

[Dayman!]

Having been in a very similar position when I was at RM the only way things will show a slight improvement as a reserve is causing management a bit of a headache (which is madness). Not staying out that extra hour, having already 'made plans' and not being able to move your day off last minute etc. The issue being that these things come with the inevitable confrontation on top of the stresses already being caused.
Ultimately the only realistic end game is trying to find other employment elsewhere as 'flexibility' & 'dynamic solutions' are likely to become more prevalent as costs continue to be cut

[mjd24]

The most important thing to note is that how things are now are NOT going to change for the better - at best it will stay as it is. The sheer volume of posts on here is a worrying testament to it - and these posts are from honest employees up and down the country.

I got out earlier this year after almost 25 years and the change to my body, mental health, family life etc has been phenominal.....for the better. A few weeks off with stress as suggested is only a few weeks answer (not to mention it going on your sick record and creating more worry should you need to have further time off with illness at a later date) - when you come back normal service will be resumed and back to square one.

Being constantly knackered is a thing of the past for me now, even my grandchildren tell me that I'm much happier! Finishing Friday until Monday every week is an unbelievable feeling!

We know that many people have commitments that make their decisions harder but money doesn't buy your health.

Great Post. This is me going to bed now at 9pm ON A SATURDAY. Says everything about the job. I'm absolutely knackered.

Same here, always absolutely dead on my feet, mentally and physically shattered every Saturday.

The job now, for many, is just totally and utterly exhausting with no sign of hope that things will get better.

And all we get is continuous bullying from disrespectful line managers, and this hugely patronising and gas lighting from Simon Thompson who is either stupidly naive or has some cunning plan to push as many of us out of the job as possible.

[HTPostman]

The biggest issue I have with being a 'reserve' is that when you get your job interview, the fact that you
get royally screwed over with not knowing what duty you're on, what day off you're (not) going to get
etc IS NOT MENTIONED!

For example this role that is currently advertised at Exmouth - in the small print it is mentioned
you are a leave reserve:

Cover periods of leave for a fixed number of routes (so you’ll need to be a bit flexible)

and

Flexibility: You will be working in different areas covering your colleagues’ holidays, so you might need to adjust your working hours to match your round.

a 'bit' is the understatement of the year and 'you might' should read 'you will have to' unless you want to have a daily 'discussion'
with your lino.

Also it clearly states:

One day off during the week (rotational day off)

- which in reality is unlikely to happen.

A quick look at current vacancies indicates same wording for a Wokingham vacancy, Northwich,
Cardiff (doesn't mention the rotational day off), Kingston UT, Epsom (doesn't mention rotational day off), Basildon.

So it's no wonder that when people are recruited to these reserve jobs without knowing the full story, they soon get cheesed off!

It’s absurd when you think about it. All that time and money spent interviewing, processing and training them only for a huge percentage to walk out because they weren’t told the facts at interview stage.

Surely it’s easier to just be honest at interview, and then those who are still interested are more likely to stay. Or start committing to a rolling day off and handing out contracts with actual hours are expected to work.

We (well, management) really are in a mess and are just going round in circles. Anyway, looking forward to 3 new starters tomorrow who no doubt will be gone by the end of the month.

To the original poster I hope you manage to take some time away and get support. Best of luck for the future.

[Dorset Plodder]

I can't see the situation improving over the short and medium term. Christmas is going to be a Bloody Nightmare, and most of us are already dreading it.

I believe most of the problems are being caused by the shortage of staff. That particulat situation is ridiculous, with lead times of 12 weeks to get a new recruit through the door. Fair enough when you're trying to train a guy for HGV work but a Postie FFS!

There is a school of thought that RM Top Management are delaying ANY recruiting until after the October Shareholders Meeting & Profit Forecasts. Make the Company Shares look good (because you're saving on thousands of Not Employed Posties Wages & NIC etc) then when the Christmas Pressure starts (and RM start throwing money at the problem) you can recruit loads and make it look like it's working?

I'd recommend anyone that's still got a considerable working life ahead of them (20 years plus) to start looking around and find another career. I find it ironic that with the lack of HGV Drivers companies are going out of their way to sweeten the pot for their existing staff (30% wage increases in some cases), and attract New Drivers, meantime RM are suffering from the same staff shortages and just bury their heads in the sand and ignore the problem!

[Cucumber]

It seems clear to me that the 'plan' was to deliberately not replace anyone who has left over the past 18 months and hope that the revisions would somehow eat into this fabled bottomless well of capacity that practically every office has. Management got too used to failing runs every day, when it had nothing to do with the pandemic. We had our revision agreed by the rep when we don't even have all the staff to fill the duties. Some days 25% of walks are still failing.

[bustedflush]

Judging by a lot of the recent threads here people have had enough now. It's been a crap 18 months for most and in the beginning of the pandemic we done our part as "key workers" and got on with it. Our manager would frequently mention how it won't be like this forever. Seems he was wrong and it's only going to get worse coming up to Christmas.

I've got burnout from it now. For 2 years I've been a FT reserve. I've not been moved offices but frequently moved off of duties, moved onto duties with double/triple mail, working with different people daily etc. I know it's how it is for many of us and I put up with it, but I'm realising I'm exhausted and I'm not even getting the reward of enjoying home life. At the start of the year I gave dates I wanted for annual leave (tbh my headspace at the time, I wasn't really looking forwards in the year), so like many I've got random weeks off that don't coincide with my partners or families, and it's been impossible to change those weeks or even use AL I've got spare because we're short staffed with no cover. I only know my rest day at maximum two weeks in advance which makes it difficult to plan anything. I've only had a couple of long weekends over the last two years and I've realised how important those 3 days off in a row are physically and mentally, and just having something like a long weekend in the future to look forward to and plan around. It's taken a real toll on my mental health and I've had to get help from my GP for it.

I want to speak to my manager and ask to know what my rest day will be at least 4 weeks in advance, ideally longer. And to have at least 1 long weekend every 2-3 months.

Is this an unreasonable request? Is it a case of that's how it is for everyone so deal with it?

I assume you are not on the Wally week where you work 6 days then get every 6th week off on top of your annual leave? I was, and am glad I didn't have to get the 'rotating' day off like some (rotating viz-a-viz Tuesday the easiest day of the week 4/5 times so office favourites could get Saturdays and/or Mondays!)
I was too knackered to go out on a Saturday night for nearly 4 years, unless it was in a week off, not after work. Sunday I was simpy resting my body ready for the travails of the following week, along with the old butterflies as to what s**t I would face when going back Monday - would I be paired with an unnecessarily slow and lazy person who stretched it out deliberately meaning I was stressed all day about getting up the school by 15:20 to do the pick-up? Would I be given a round I had no experience on, expected to perform the same as the holder? If lucky, I was allocated the whole week on the same do-able round to cover a rota week off/leave week and with one of the get-it-done-ASAP-and-f*ck-off-home people. Yes, I know those 'quick people' who dodged breaks and finished early are not flavour of the month here in most cases, but working hard and fast for a shorter time was far less stressful than worrying all day about being late and then having the cut-off argument over and over....

To be fair my office generally kept me on the same 10-12 rounds with the same round holders most of my 4 years on a weekly basis - after realizing that I would advance warn about cutting off if put with certain people and they would have to drive me back to the DO too at my finishing time (not to be awkward but for school reasons.) Only 3 times in 4 years was I moved one morning off my allocated round, usually because the holder had been asked to come in and do O/T and refused to do so unless they did their own round that I was covering, which may I add caused a ruckus as I thought that if someone wanted voluntary OT it should be where they were needed rather than choosing where they did it!

With what I have typed above, many reading would think I had it comparably easy compared to most new starters or reserves, and on paper it looks that way, I agree. But it was still stressful after finishing work on a Saturday and getting back to the DO to see just a bad round number on the rota list next my name, meaning I had a s**t week to look forward to and dread in my stomach for the remainder of the weekend.

So I do not envy the OP here as if they work in an office where rota days off are the system and their reserve position is dynamic on a daily basis, rather than weekly like mine was, then they must go home with butterflies nearly every day on top of being knackered. That along with no sense of consistency or routine to plan around, well I would never have been able to handle that myself, and I happily admit it. Rather a convoluted way of saying to the OP "I get where you're coming from, know what it's like and have much empathy..."

[Sprattacus]

[no]