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After 40 years working as a surveyor I am fed up of the job and all the travelling so I resigned last week. I don’t want to retire completely (my wife retired a couple of years ago but is now looking for some local part time work as she is bored) so looking for something part time. My local Royal Mail depot was after a “Post person with driving” for around 30 hours a week which would be perfect for me as it’s only a mile from home so I could cycle to and from.
I have an interview this Friday and was wondering if anyone on here has any first hand experience and advice?
Thanks
Don't do it!
If you want a prime example of how not to run a commercial company, Royal Mail is your ideal candidate!
I managed just over a year in a non-delivery role, and it was eye opening as to the level of incompetence and sheer lack of commercial acumen throughout the company.
However, as you've already resigned from your existing job, then I'd say give it a try. Some delivery offices run fairly well with decent managers, but some are absolute s*** shows with horrendous management.
Yes, I have for 15 years. And while the above can be true, if you get into a decent office it can be an enjoyable job. For the last couple of years we have had pretty good managers in our office but prior to that we a couple of evil bullying shits in charge.
Be prepared for higher work loads than you might be expecting, we have had a few new people come and go in short time as it was harder that they were expecting but the ones who stayed are enjoying it. Also, for the last couple of years RM have been operating a two tier employment system where the new starters are on lower pay and worse conditions than the older people. It's totally unfair and the union is currently working to get it levelled up and is hoping to achieve it.
Go Part time. And just LATs.
It's a piss easy 4 hour shift starting around 4pm 5 days a week. Once you know what you're doing you'll finish in 2hrs most days go home and be paid for 4
I did it for 9 months - 8 months as agency and a month as Royal Mail before I sacked it off. I was meant to be doing a 3-day job share with a colleague. They went off long-term sick and I was having to do 6-days a week with no relief cover. No one else knew the route - rural, Scottish Island. It was made worse by vans constantly breaking down, dangerous/unroadworthy - bald tyres, doors falling off along isolated single track/unmade roads in winter with no phone signal. Incompetence isn’t enough to describe the ineptitude of Royal Mail management. I loved the job once out of the sorting office delivering and serving a dispersed rural community - but when the post didn’t arrive for sorting until 1pm (because they didn’t book a spot on the earlier ferry) and you’d be out until gone 9pm in winter along icy roads with bald tyres and an engine light glowing your humour was severely tested. When it came to train my replacement they lasted 2 days and didn’t turn up for the 3rd day. There may be an exception and good management/well-run delivery offices out there and it you have the skin of a rhino to take rubbish thrown at you, it might be OK.
dovebiker's experience sounds like an extreme example but I can well believe it. I am in a rural office with a fleet of knackered vans also. Thankfully our mail gets here in reasonable time in the morning.
Many of the city/town offices are getting new electric vehicles.
There does seem to be a change taking place within RM since the recent takeover. We are being told it will be for the better but time will tell.
My best pal has been a Postie for 8 weeks or so after years stuck in a warehouse/office. He says sometimes it's ace, sometimes terrible but he's sticking it out. Good = getting much fitter and quickly losing weight, bad = back pain and not enough time to finish the round some days. He can walk up to 12 miles a day so be prepared! Biggest problem is the terrible wage for such a demanding job.
I was a postie for almost 14 years, before I took ill health retirement due to long covid two years ago. Things changed for the worse when the covid pandemic began and the way posties are expected to work now sound much worse. You would need a stiff teflon personality to not be bullied into crazy workloads, while risking no real rights for two years.
It's incredible how bad a company can be run that's existed for hundreds of years.
Have your eyes opened by joining the unofficial forum at https://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/community/index.php
Staff turn-over has been awful since I left - most islanders have either done the job or know someone who has, plus minimum wage - if you want outdoor work, then a fish farm, forestry or CalMac are far better paid. One of the local posties had booked holiday leave only to have the manager phone up and demand he go into work - just told him to f-off and stick his job.