Chaos

[grumpazoid]

Was that 2 hours unpaid you gave them, or was it overtime? If it was overtime in a way that's proof it couldn't be done in part-time hours.

It was overtime. Due to the size of this particular duty, it is locally referred to as "The Money Walk". Everyone knows that it is just too big to complete, even by a full-timer. On the lightest of days, it cannot be done in less than five hours (from leaving the office - prep, tying-up and loading the van not included). I'd had enough of coming in two hours early and regularly staying out for at least an hour past my finishing time just to clear that day's mail. I knew that, as long as I continued getting in early to prep the walk, they would keep me on that duty and, more often than not, I would get it cleared as I just couldn't face coming in to an ever-increasing backlog of work every day.

I gave my manager several days' notice of this fact, advising that it was no longer convenient for me to come in early. For some bizarre reason, I have not been moved off of that particular walk and none of it is being prepped before I come in. He collared me for a chat this morning, during which he told me that it might be best if I was moved to another walk to allow someone "more experienced" to cover this duty. He then mentioned how he would be deploying workplace coaches to our area, in order to ensure that there was always someone on hand to offer guidance following the identification of any "training issues". Feeling uncomfortable with where this conversation was going, I asked him outright if I had made any cock-ups that hadn't been brought to my attention. He stringently denied this and insisted that these coaches would be there for EVERYONE'S benefit. Personally, I don't trust a word he says. It feels like he could be using me as a scapegoat for his failure to manage the situation.

Once again, "The Money Walk" didn't go out today. Just Tracked and Specials. Letters and bog-standard packets/parcels continue to accumulate around the frame.

[Krypteia]

He collared me for a chat this morning, during which he told me that it might be best if I was moved to another walk to allow someone "more experienced" to cover this duty. He then mentioned how he would be deploying workplace coaches to our area, in order to ensure that there was always someone on hand to offer guidance following the identification of any "training issues". Feeling uncomfortable with where this conversation was going, I asked him outright if I had made any cock-ups that hadn't been brought to my attention. He stringently denied this and insisted that these coaches would be there for EVERYONE'S benefit. Personally, I don't trust a word he says. It feels like he could be using me as a scapegoat for his failure to manage the situation.

All the usual psychological pressure tactics employed by royal mail managers to make staff feel uncomfortable in the hope that they crack and continue to put up with the unmanageable workloads either by coming in early for free, not taking their breaks or staying out till everything is cleared so they don't have to deal with managers.

Obviously he's failed to manage the situation and by you saying you're not putting up with it any more you've highlighted his incompetence which will have had a huge impact on his ego, self importance and quite possibly his manly macho "I'm a manager" status.

[Chelseablue]

Wasnt the Culture supposed to have changed with the 4 pillars agreement???? Its worse than ever so where do we go from here?

[postslippete]

Was that 2 hours unpaid you gave them, or was it overtime? If it was overtime in a way that's proof it couldn't be done in part-time hours.

It was overtime. Due to the size of this particular duty, it is locally referred to as "The Money Walk". Everyone knows that it is just too big to complete, even by a full-timer. On the lightest of days, it cannot be done in less than five hours (from leaving the office - prep, tying-up and loading the van not included). I'd had enough of coming in two hours early and regularly staying out for at least an hour past my finishing time just to clear that day's mail. I knew that, as long as I continued getting in early to prep the walk, they would keep me on that duty and, more often than not, I would get it cleared as I just couldn't face coming in to an ever-increasing backlog of work every day.

I gave my manager several days' notice of this fact, advising that it was no longer convenient for me to come in early. For some bizarre reason, I have not been moved off of that particular walk and none of it is being prepped before I come in. He collared me for a chat this morning, during which he told me that it might be best if I was moved to another walk to allow someone "more experienced" to cover this duty. He then mentioned how he would be deploying workplace coaches to our area, in order to ensure that there was always someone on hand to offer guidance following the identification of any "training issues". Feeling uncomfortable with where this conversation was going, I asked him outright if I had made any cock-ups that hadn't been brought to my attention. He stringently denied this and insisted that these coaches would be there for EVERYONE'S benefit. Personally, I don't trust a word he says. It feels like he could be using me as a scapegoat for his failure to manage the situation.

Once again, "The Money Walk" didn't go out today. Just Tracked and Specials. Letters and bog-standard packets/parcels continue to accumulate around the frame.

I would tell him to put the workplace coach on it. They get paid extra, they should do extra. Most of these coaches are not training someone every week but still pocket an extra £20.

We got a few of these what you call "money walks" in our section; the screws are doing exactly the same as yours - paying them extra to come in early to get it prepped and hopefully all of it delivered. What really needs to happen is another revision to balance out these monster walks with the p*ss easy ones; but that would mean that the managers would actually have to change things instead of just doing everything ad hoc. Everyones outdoor duty should be more or less the same.

[clashcityrocker]

Most of these coaches are not training someone every week but still pocket an extra £20.

I think you will find it is closer to £40.

[Chelseablue]

Every few months is closer to the mark

[postslippete]

Most of these coaches are not training someone every week but still pocket an extra £20.

I think you will find it is closer to £40.

My bad, you're quite right clash

Money for nothing all the same

[rambo1]

Was off with stress for 14 days, came back to resign round, with 20 crates of flats and 3 non-tracked parcel sacks backlog to prep and deliver blind.

The round is a van share and, after 3 weeks as of tomorrow, consensus from van- share colleague is that the round cannot be completed in the allocated time, especially earlier finish times on Tue, Fri and Sat.

Have told the manager, who insists its doable. This despite no time for D2Ds or IPS, both of which we haven't done since assigned the revision duties.

To top it all, I got a Stage 1 for being off 14 days, despite this being my only absence in well over a year.

To be honest, I'm completely demoralised, still stressed and actively looking for alternative work.

Stress can be a killer. Literally. Don't take it lightly. You have reasonable grounds to go to your GP and get a few more weeks off.

[grumpazoid]

Sunday parcel delivery shift. No manager present. One of the usual lackeys overseeing things.

Return to the DO having found my van to be suffering from a defect that would result in an MOT failure and could result in a serious accident, i.e. the vehicle is not roadworthy. Unable to log the issue on my PDA without the name of a manager and a PMT form reference number.

Ask the lackey for the keys to the office to complete the relevant paperwork, only to be questioned about the nature of the fault. Once informed, said lackey tells me to leave it, that he can fix the issue himself and that several of our vans are in a similar condition. Without access to the necessary documents all I could do was write the fault in the vehicle's logbook.

This is getting beyond a joke.

[Bigjj]

Crazy how it varies so much! Was either late or struggling to complete almost every day in September and October to the point where I was just thinking of quitting. Then had a weeks leave and the last two weeks have been quieter weirdly, Maybe people waiting for Black Friday/Pay day? Haven't gone over once in the last two weeks completing every day and most days finished 30minutes+ early even

[Racingpostie]

Sunday parcel delivery shift. No manager present. One of the usual lackeys overseeing things.

Return to the DO having found my van to be suffering from a defect that would result in an MOT failure and could result in a serious accident, i.e. the vehicle is not roadworthy. Unable to log the issue on my PDA without the name of a manager and a PMT form reference number.

Ask the lackey for the keys to the office to complete the relevant paperwork, only to be questioned about the nature of the fault. Once informed, said lackey tells me to leave it, that he can fix the issue himself and that several of our vans are in a similar condition. Without access to the necessary documents all I could do was write the fault in the vehicle's logbook.

This is getting beyond a joke.

Sunday's really are a mess the majority of the time, especially when things are going wrong. Sure we get it whoever is the "manager" for the day they don't want to be there until 5-6pm but tough your paid for it! Through the week you don't need managers as there are folk still in until 6/7pm at our depo to ensure collections and such but Sunday's you often find folk coming back to everything locked up and leaving parcels in vans that are then not sorted for a day or two or worse still left in for over a week in some scenarios despite needing to go to to other depos.

So many agency staff are being used of late too(clearly offering this service without consulting existing employee's has gone down well ). Most are barely shown how to log in with a generic access code on the PDA, never mind how to record items at the end of the shift as "Delivery not attempted" etc. It's a half hearted service at present with most items being delivered not even urgent, with the majority of customers greeting you with "I didn't know RM worked Sunday's" or "I wasn't expecting this until Tuesday"