This is a Ruralinfo.net Editorial. Click here to see all Ruralinfo.net editiorials
It never ceases to amaze me when a carrier happens upon Ruralinfo.net and then proceeds to tell us how much they love their job and they wonder why everyone complains so much on my website. They wonder why there is so much negative news shared. Only thing I can figure is that they work in a small office and have never heard what other carriers go through every day.
Rural carriers tend to be spread out a lot and there really are instances where a rural carrier might not know that another post office might have a toxic work environment. So many rural carriers work in a small office where everything is just great. They might have a good PM because sometimes small offices fall under the radar of the District and not pushed as hard as a larger office might be.
To those carriers, who happen upon this website, I say.. “Welcome to the real world”
It is easy to go through the work day without questioning or wondering what is going on when you work in a small office. I have worked in both a small and large office and there are stark differences in the method of management. Small office PM’s tend to leave most rural carriers alone if they get the mail out and return by dispatch. In some of these office’s, carriers get to choose what mail they deliver and what mail they hold back on any given day. They are usually not as harassed on a daily basis about their time as a lot of carriers in larger offices are.
When carriers figure out something doesn’t seem right in the way they are being treated by management, they seek out help online. Most rural carriers end up on the Ruralinfo.net website where they will find someone that understands exactly what they are going through. They also can relieve stress by venting about things that happen in their office.
To use the line from the “Cheers” song with a twist – “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows the game” The more rural carriers that get together online and discuss problems in their office, the more “in the know” they are of the real culture of the USPS and the games it plays.
The more one finds out about the “behind the scenes” workings of the Postal Service, the more knowledgeable they become about the USPS work place culture. It is NOT the same in every office. There is real harassment going on and real safety violations everyday. If a carrier feels better by venting about a workplace injustice, then that is a good thing in my opinion.
Ruralinfo.net is a place they feel safe to voice their feelings, knowing everyone will understand.
If you are not outraged, then you are simply not paying attention.. Pay attention.. Read.. Learn.. Do not judge.. What is happening in one office may be flowing downhill to you next and then you might be the one looking for help.
This is a Ruralinfo.net Editorial. Click here to see all Ruralinfo.net editiorials
Yup.
Took the words right out of my mouth,
Preach
Thank you, RI for this editorial. This sheds light on the fact that there are major differences in offices across the country on how the rural routes are managed. Many factors are to be considered in the areas which we deliver and the environment we work under inside the office as well as outside on the route. All rural routes are not remote country settings. Many have more of a city route setting with different issues. I have worked for the USPS since 1986 as a rural carrier and an RCA and have seen many changes. There has been numerous amounts of postmasters, OICs, supervisors, and managers that have passed through these doors good and bad. Right now there is very bad management with a hostile environment with exteme stress that evolves from that. It is a nightmare. I so wish I could be in an office that is well managed. There is no other offices available to go to in my area.
The only caveat I’ll throw out there is that it isn’t just small offices or people aren’t “smart” about what’s going on in other offices. That’s rather narrow minded as well.
People may have a good unit/management team in a larger office and things run as smooth as possible. People might be in a fully staffed office where there is enough RCA’s to help during this busy time. Maybe also there are the rare carriers who just see what others complain about as being part of the job. (IE: “We have so much mail right now.” Yeah, no shit. Next thing you’ll tell me is water is wet.)
I’m of a mindset also that a lot of what I see online is the conspiracy nonsense that some carriers spout off with. Such as “Management is out to get us” or “They don’t care” or “the cell phone tracking is only to spy on us like Big Brother” or things like that. Or, that PM Donohoe WANTS the USPS to fail. That’s just frustration/anger/ignorance bubbling up to the surface.
I personally love my job. Are there days I wonder what the heck some bigwigs are thinking? Absolutely. But I don’t think my PM or my supervisor WANTS me to struggle, or WANTS to make my job harder. But, sometimes hands are tied, or you have to work with what you got. Being pissed about work isn’t going to make the mail get lighter. Standing around for 45 minutes complaining, or posting complaints online, isn’t going to get the mail moved.
We go home when the job is done. I do that proudly. If things are WRONG (ie, giving work to city carriers/clerks to do so Rural carriers avoid OT) that’s something to complain about, and file the proper greivances. Complaining we don’t count during this time of the year? That’s just moronic talk.
Like we need MORE things to keep track of during these few weeks out of a full year.
I can agree that some of it is just venting out of frustration, but I have worked in small offices and I know how carriers work off the clock, manage their own mail, take parcels on their way home, run other routes, and the list goes on and on.. And they see nothing wrong with it.. Then when they see that there are real issues in other offices, they think it is just carriers whining. There are a LOT of rural carriers who go through the work day with their heads in the sand. I think most of us started out loving our jobs and the love has slowly been wrenched from us over the years. When we are constantly getting harassed, pushed, pressured to do more in less time, it ends up draining the joy out of anything we ever loved about this job. If one is lucky enough to have a good office, then it might really surprise them that not everyone does have a good office. There are real harassment and safety issues in the culture of the USPS.. And that kind of culture is only created from the top down.. As I said, some of the smaller offices get to miss a lot of this because they can run under the radar.. But that will not always be the case..
I AGREE!!!!! Smaller offices don't have the problems we have in the larger offices. While I really like the position, I absolutely hate what we've had to endure over the last few years. It sometimes feels like a plantation or prison mentality. Whatever rules the Supervervisors set in place, it what goes with very little regard for the Rural Contract. I've never seen ANYTHING like this in the 30 years of working!!!!
apparently Tim sees nothing wrong with working off the clock for free, hostile work environment, threats from management, lies they tell you to get you to do stuff that will favor them etc. after all, job stress is not the number one killer, (said no one ever) I am extremely glad he works in an office where he doesnt feel threatened, harrassed, coerced, etc. unfortunately that is not the norm across the country.