USO pilots, can anyone on the trial give an honest appraisal

[SpacePhoenix]

Any updates on the trial offices? when this gets pushed through then how long before we see this in all offices, I heard its over 18 months but that may have been hearsay. Is there actually anyone on this forum that is part of a trial office.?!

It will more than likely get pushed through by the end of this summer.

Probably as soon as the trial is over, RM will declare it a success and roll it out everywhere.

The business is already planning to roll this out in the summer, I can't see anyway the trial won't be declared a success, although perhaps they'll have to look again at all the duties remaining the same the length, until 2c drops off further it seems impossible to deliver 2 & 3 days mail every day of the week.

Can't see 2C dropping off further, if anything I think it'll pick up. With the increase in the price of 1C stamps, you're going to get some people moving over to sending stuff 2C instead of 1C. When I'm running a batch on the CSS, if it had been programmed to extract all the DSA and 2C, there'd be so little left that I wouldn't bother running what was left, I'd just send it as manual. AFAIK all DSA, not just DSA economy won't be delivered on a non-2C day.

[Barnacle]

Any updates on the trial offices? when this gets pushed through then how long before we see this in all offices, I heard its over 18 months but that may have been hearsay. Is there actually anyone on this forum that is part of a trial office.?!

I work in a pilot office but it has not started at mine yet.

Only one pilot is live. It is in a small rural office of around 20 walks. Fatigue has become an issue for those taking several days Mail every day. The person doing the parcels and 1c is clearing no bother because of course 2c outnumbers 1c and packets by 5-1.

If it is forced through at the end of the trials, it will be the forcing through of failure and a signal that they want to force the end of letters, sooner rather than later.

It's fairly easy to deliver two duties tracked in one day but impossible to deliver two days mail on the busy days of the week. Whilst it's easy to say posties can work 30 mins+ a day but nobody seems to realise the average postie is probably ageing not youngsters.

Average age is 50 and a glance around any office confirms this.

[ted_e_bear]

Any updates on the trial offices? when this gets pushed through then how long before we see this in all offices, I heard its over 18 months but that may have been hearsay. Is there actually anyone on this forum that is part of a trial office.?!

I work in a pilot office but it has not started at mine yet.

Only one pilot is live. It is in a small rural office of around 20 walks. Fatigue has become an issue for those taking several days Mail every day. The person doing the parcels and 1c is clearing no bother because of course 2c outnumbers 1c and packets by 5-1.

If it is forced through at the end of the trials, it will be the forcing through of failure and a signal that they want to force the end of letters, sooner rather than later.

It's fairly easy to deliver two duties tracked in one day but impossible to deliver two days mail on the busy days of the week. Whilst it's easy to say posties can work 30 mins+ a day but nobody seems to realise the average postie is probably ageing not youngsters.

Average age is 50 and a glance around any office confirms this.

With a bit of guesswork I reckon we've got about 65% over 50, a few of them are in their 60's most of the rest in their forties plus just a few under 40.

[Barnacle]

Any updates on the trial offices? when this gets pushed through then how long before we see this in all offices, I heard its over 18 months but that may have been hearsay. Is there actually anyone on this forum that is part of a trial office.?!

I work in a pilot office but it has not started at mine yet.

Only one pilot is live. It is in a small rural office of around 20 walks. Fatigue has become an issue for those taking several days Mail every day. The person doing the parcels and 1c is clearing no bother because of course 2c outnumbers 1c and packets by 5-1.

If it is forced through at the end of the trials, it will be the forcing through of failure and a signal that they want to force the end of letters, sooner rather than later.

It's fairly easy to deliver two duties tracked in one day but impossible to deliver two days mail on the busy days of the week. Whilst it's easy to say posties can work 30 mins+ a day but nobody seems to realise the average postie is probably ageing not youngsters.

Average age is 50 and a glance around any office confirms this.

With a bit of guesswork I reckon we've got about 65% over 50, a few of them are in their 60's most of the rest in their forties plus just a few under 40.

The few we have who are in their early 20s, aren’t staying. They’re on the way to somewhere else, either uni or only here on a visa which has a time limit.

[hewittinspain]

Any updates on the trial offices? when this gets pushed through then how long before we see this in all offices, I heard its over 18 months but that may have been hearsay. Is there actually anyone on this forum that is part of a trial office.?!

I work in a pilot office but it has not started at mine yet.

Only one pilot is live. It is in a small rural office of around 20 walks. Fatigue has become an issue for those taking several days Mail every day. The person doing the parcels and 1c is clearing no bother because of course 2c outnumbers 1c and packets by 5-1.

If it is forced through at the end of the trials, it will be the forcing through of failure and a signal that they want to force the end of letters, sooner rather than later.

I'm guessing 3 people will be rotating this role of being packet and 1c driver every three weeks so you each take it in turns to do the parcels? Also I'm sure the "idea" would be that if the driver has done all the packets early they have to find the walkers and help finish the mail with them? Monday and Tuesday from what I'm seeing at the minute a packet driver can clear two rounds in less than 3 hours, maybe closer to 2 hours which would give them 2 hours spare to either help the others or go back and do all the D2D's? Is this meant to be the idea?!! Who knows.

[Barnacle]

Any updates on the trial offices? when this gets pushed through then how long before we see this in all offices, I heard its over 18 months but that may have been hearsay. Is there actually anyone on this forum that is part of a trial office.?!

I work in a pilot office but it has not started at mine yet.

Only one pilot is live. It is in a small rural office of around 20 walks. Fatigue has become an issue for those taking several days Mail every day. The person doing the parcels and 1c is clearing no bother because of course 2c outnumbers 1c and packets by 5-1.

If it is forced through at the end of the trials, it will be the forcing through of failure and a signal that they want to force the end of letters, sooner rather than later.

I'm guessing 3 people will be rotating this role of being packet and 1c driver every three weeks so you each take it in turns to do the parcels? Also I'm sure the "idea" would be that if the driver has done all the packets early they have to find the walkers and help finish the mail with them? Monday and Tuesday from what I'm seeing at the minute a packet driver can clear two rounds in less than 3 hours, maybe closer to 2 hours which would give them 2 hours spare to either help the others or go back and do all the D2D's? Is this meant to be the idea?!! Who knows.

The biggest issue as I see it is fatigue. When this pilot idea was first touted, you could think that you would get some respite from double/triple mail by working it alternately but the whole point of this method is to save money by cutting staff. So they want you delivering several days mail every day by moving across several walks. If it is rolled out after the trial period, staffing will be slashed and whoever is left will be treated like a donkey.

When the Pilots start to hit larger offices, with city jobs, the fatigue issue will become more profound.

[mjd24]

Can someone explain why there is this worry about fatigue?

[scotchy1962]

Can someone explain why there is this worry about fatigue?

They are talking about longer delivery spans and don't forget there's two to three days mail.
All of which would lead to..........Fatigue!

[Barnacle]

Can someone explain why there is this worry about fatigue?

Because the call rate will increase, therefore you are walking further, and carrying more. It will be like doing D2Ds every single day.

[scotchy1962]

Any updates on the trial offices? when this gets pushed through then how long before we see this in all offices, I heard its over 18 months but that may have been hearsay. Is there actually anyone on this forum that is part of a trial office.?!

I work in a pilot office but it has not started at mine yet.

Only one pilot is live. It is in a small rural office of around 20 walks. Fatigue has become an issue for those taking several days Mail every day. The person doing the parcels and 1c is clearing no bother because of course 2c outnumbers 1c and packets by 5-1.

If it is forced through at the end of the trials, it will be the forcing through of failure and a signal that they want to force the end of letters, sooner rather than later.

I'm guessing 3 people will be rotating this role of being packet and 1c driver every three weeks so you each take it in turns to do the parcels? Also I'm sure the "idea" would be that if the driver has done all the packets early they have to find the walkers and help finish the mail with them? Monday and Tuesday from what I'm seeing at the minute a packet driver can clear two rounds in less than 3 hours, maybe closer to 2 hours which would give them 2 hours spare to either help the others or go back and do all the D2D's? Is this meant to be the idea?!! Who knows.

Shows how there's a real difference between parts of the country, Monday every week is our heaviest day for parcels, Tuesday is better and Wednesday can be the lightest before it all kicks off again on Thursday.

[norris9]

Haven't the pilots been going for a couple of weeks now.... but not sure anyone has come on here to say how they are going so far...

[claretandblue]

Haven't the pilots been going for a couple of weeks now.... but not sure anyone has come on here to say how they are going so far...

Only 1 small office of 20.

[Acca Dacca]

Can someone explain why there is this worry about fatigue?

Because the call rate will increase, therefore you are walking further, and carrying more. It will be like doing D2Ds every single day.

The only thing that matters is the duty span not the call rate

I dont understand why there is fatigue in the trial office if they are doing the same hours - even if double mail - if you insist on not doing OT to clear, which many people insist on now anyway, you are still out walking the same number of hours.

If they brought in the new way of working to trial at my office tomorrow, i'd still be out walking the street the same length of time as I am now so I dont see how i'd be more fatigued - i'd also be insisting on resupplying from the van or using the LWT if the double mail caused the pouches to be too heavy. Thats their time being wasted not mine.

[mjd24]

Can someone explain why there is this worry about fatigue?

They are talking about longer delivery spans and don't forget there's two to three days mail.
All of which would lead to..........Fatigue!

Longer delivery spans i understand. As for 2 to 3 days mail ~ im well used to that and it is a nightmare! My solution is to split the loops down and make sure im not carrying any heavy bags (or use a trolley of course).

[hewittinspain]

It amazes me how the union could think this idea would reduce fatigue!! They said walks needed to be manageable and the only way to do that is to reduce the size of the walks to compensate for the 30% increase in mail you are delivering.

We would need a further 45m-1hr outdoor time (within our hours) so how is RM going to reduce our indoor time to balance it out when you will have d2ds to prep over 4 walks not 2.
It certainly sounds like square pegs in round holes and like I say the only way this can be done is to reduce walks, abolish any lapsing otherwise walks are just going to fail and quick. One of your team goes sick then that mail is going to accumulate really quick.

Im really struggling to find any logic in this way because the first sign of a sinking ship then the managers are going to bending the rules and reverting back to this current system to clear a messed duty that hasn't been covered due to sickness and people will get taken off their own duty to cover it leaving your duty messed up.