Casual mail sorter, any help/tips

[andy2007]

Good luck. And welcome to Royal Mail.

[atw88]

Cheers!

So any more tips to what goes on with the job?

[andy2007]

Make sure you have some decent footwear, as you'll be on your feet all day. And make sure that someone gives you an induction. You'd be surprised how many people just get told to get on with it, and ask if they have any problems. Then the Manager has a go at them, when they make mistakes. Managers don't always bother providing training for Casuals. But you've a right to it, and you'll need it.

Once someone's shown you what to do (it doesn't take long), it's not difficult to do the job accurately. But as obvious as the potential mistakes would seem to those of us already doing the job. If you've never been told, you won't know any different. And if you're ever unsure, ask for help. We've all been new starters at some point, so we know what it's like.

[atw88]

Cheers!

What kind of machinery/equipment will I be using on the job?

[atw88]

Also how much will I be paid for doing nights?

[Stampy]

If you're working at the MAIN sorting office in Papyrus Road - I'd bring a bottle of water with you in the Summer....

It gets BLOODY HOT in there during the summer - although there are water fountains around, they FREQUENTLY run out of those silly little cone cups....

You can always re-fill your bottle from one of those anyway..


Oh - and don't trust the QUADRANT food - unless you see them putting out a fresh portion, their idea of "refreshing" Baked Beans is to tip a cup of water into them and swill it around....

[andy2007]

I don't know what the night shift allowance is, it's been quite some time since I did nights. And I'm not completely certain that Casuals get it anyway. Hopefully, someone else with more recent experience, will be able to tell you.

As for the equipment you'll be using: That depends on exactly what part of the process they put you on. It's highly unlikley that they'll go to the expense of training you up on the equipment, unless/until you get a FTC (Fixed Term Contract). You'll most likley be doing manual sorting. Although I wouldn't completely rule out training on the equipment, because there's much less manual sorting with all the new equipment, than there used to be. It's just unlikley, because of the cost of training.

The 2 most important things to be careful of, when doing manual sorting are (which should all be covered in the induction): be on your guard for overweight bags (they're comparitively rare, but do slip through sometimes), and make sure you read the address carefully. It's easy to mistake an 'O' for a 'Q', for example. Everyone makes mistakes occasionally, but a high proportion of missorts will get you in trouble.

[atw88]

I normally take my own food wherever I go, always stocked up on liquid,

thanks for all the tips so far, helps me prepare a little bit better

[atw88]

Got my contract through today, boom. Just sitting here now and twiddling my fingers

would the mail I'm sorting just be like the postcode stuff on the online tests then an just filter through
to wherever?

[atw88]

Bloody hate waiting!

Who works here at Peterborough then?

[music4essex]

Who works here at Peterborough then?

It may pay you to ask someone to PM you( private Message) as we don't like to put our offices we work in for fear of reprisals by RM management

Good luck

Essex mum

[Stampy]

Indeed - a colleague in another office cannot get on this site on a RM Computer!!!

Mind you - nor can I in MY office!!

[andy2007]

No-one can get on RMC from an RM Computer. But then again, who has TIME to come on here when they're at work?

[atw88]

Ah, completely forgot about many keeping their locations quiet, fair do's!

[atw88]

Oh yeah, what do RM define 'smart casual' to actually be? Nothing really cleared up in my letter and stuff.

Just wanna start now, been bloody ages.