Transfer issue causing stress

[daft_punk]

Hi there,

I am looking for some advice. I am 3 months into the job as a postperson and due to personal circumstances I have moved to a different area to live which now means a 26mile/45 minute commute to the depot I currently work at. I have asked to transfer to a different depot who are more that happy to have me and is nearer to where I now live. Due to the 6 month rule, at first it got completely turned down. But since then senior managers have been informed/asked about it and seem ok with it. I got the union involved and asked why there was a delay and it turns out that my depot are now willing to let me go but they want reimbursed for 90 hours training towards their training budget. The manager at the depot I want to transfer to has never heard of such a thing. Its affecting me now mentally due to financial costs, logistics, time with travelling and i’m a single mother having to do the school run. Not only this but at my current depot I am currently doing 1 in 3 sundays when the job was advertised as 1 in 6. I understand the increase due to Christmas but it now being increased as 1 in, 1 off. I have a daughter and this eats in my time with her as I work every Saturday and my current manager has asked me just to ask family to help with watching her on the increased amount of Sundays? This is really unfair treatment ever since I asked for this transfer. I have annual leave days rejected also to do things with her.

I enjoy the job and would rather not leave but my manager isnt making it easy. I just want to work nearer to home. This is causing a great deal of stress and upset. Surely Royal Mail has a duty of care here.


Any advice?

Thanks for reading x

[Atanarjuat]

You can try raiding a grievance with HR to put pressure on the OPLs that the COMs report to.

[priority102]

Welcome to the world of Royal Mail 2024.

[postslippete]

I've never heard of any unit needing to be reimbursed for 90 hours training towards their training budget but managers will say anything if they are short staffed. And as you said it is now 6 months before you can transfer to another unit anyway. Happy to be corrected of course.

If you're obviously working every other Sunday and other staff on the new contract aren't, then you could simply refuse to work all these Sundays regardless of it being Xmas. But just be aware that you are on a probationary period and managers are already making things awkward for you and they could make things a lot worse. Maybe you could stick it out over Xmas and do the 6 months, apply for the transfer next year and then look at reducing the number of weekends that you are currently doing?

[daft_punk]

Do you happen to know the correct email for HR? Thanks for you input :)

[eggraidonmojo]

If you want to raise a grievance you should go through the 'raising concerns' tile on the people app. You might want to let your union rep know that you are thinking of doing this.

To message HR you can go to the 'My App and HR Help' tile. You can also call them on 0345 606 0603

[Basildon Bond]

Keep it all documented and write down a timeline of what occurs each day/week so you have a record to look back on. You have to try (can be hard) to keep what has been said recorded AND when it was said. They probably won't be issuing you a letter but you can text your manager "how things stand according to me at the moment" and ask "if you disagree please reply with any corrections" - perhaps the best you can do. Do it weekly - they cannot claim to have missed a whole bunch of text messages. And you'll have proof on your phone, that you control, of what you wrote and when.

Don't just let things drift along without a record. A month will go by and no one will be able to recall exactly what was said and when exactly. You'll be arguing "but you said a couple of weeks (was it?) ago that.. xyz". And the manager can shrug or shake their head.

In the mean time...

- come in just less than 10 minutes late everyday (I think that's the limit on clocking in) and blame the longer commute and traffic
- miss a few indoor scans
- miss a few outdoor scans
- never check your "My Doorstep" tile on the PDA
- idle horribly in the van
- miss a van check or two
- when you have a special and can see they are in scan it at 12:58 as no answer and rescan it at 13:02 as delivered ("they were slow at coming to the door - sorry didn't see the time limit trip over!")

Suddenly your transfer looks more promising in the local manger's eyes!

[mjt120]

Do you happen to know the correct email for HR? Thanks for you input :)

My advice is to record everything including any verbal conversations with managers, they mostly are all liers and cheats in my experience of them. Worked for royal mail 12 years so I know what I'm talking about. Record everything dates, times, what was said and by whom, etc. They really are the most incompetent bunch of cretins you will ever encounter. You will see this the longer you work for them , your very new to the company and they will use this to take advantage of you.