Thursday 23rd - Conference Call

[billyhayes]

16:00 - 17:00

Phone no. 08448004256

Code no. 934916

Apparently this will be hosted by Richard Barker for the BM's. Don't know if it's open to anyone else but I care not a jot.

I will be listening in, and I suggest, (if you are free), to do the same.

[subbie]

The original posting made this morning that raised the issue of the unviability of Crown PO's seems to have disappeared, is there a censor in the house?

Subbie

[billyhayes]

Hmm, I deleted my own reply to the Running Mans original post. I did this as I was just gonna get straight to the point and put the numbers up for the call. But as for his ORIGINAL thread...

[Running Man]

Sorry to disappoint you conspiracy theorists but there is a perfectly simple explanation for my original thread disappearing.
Having read it again earlier today I felt that there was a little too much information that would be considered as commercially sensitive. Given that customers can also access this forum I think the information within my thread went just a little too far so I deleted it around 7pm on Tuesday.
You can call it a pang of conscience if you like but even though I'm incredibly fed up with POL at the moment, that little voice inside said "that's a bit too much Maty!"
I will await Thursday's conference call with baited breath and see what pearls of wisdom Mr. Barker has for us.
I will add to this thread on Thursday evening after the said call.

[The BFO]

Apparently this will be hosted by Richard Barker for the BM's.

24 Hours may well prove me wrong, but with all due respect to our Junior Manager colleagues, I doubt anything of significance will be revealed to a bunch of hairy arsed Branch Managers, many of whom would struggle at entry level hop scotch (contributors to this forum excepted of course).

I suspect it will be a ‘call to arms’ over the bloody sodding Barnardos appeal. A subject I am heartily sick of hearing about.

Feeling a tad grumpy at present…

[billyhayes]

I will add to this thread on Thursday evening after the said call.

Ditto. Will be good to get a few takes on it. Anyone else?

[cashman]

I will add to this thread on Thursday evening after the said call.

Ditto. Will be good to get a few takes on it. Anyone else?

Will try to listen in, does'nt really apply to me but may be intresting

[Running Man]

A short sharp point made by the BFO on the "sodding Barnardo's appeal" that I couldn't agree with more. We are a business in crisis and we are messing about collecting money for charity and being forced into arranging something that very few people in crown offices can actually be bothered with.
I would love to know the thinking behind playing about with all this charitable stuff when we are clearly going down the drain. If it's to take our mind off what's really annoying us all at present then it certainly isn't working for me!
Let me finish by saying that I am a charitable person with children and I regularly give to charity. However I object to being almost forced into giving to a charity that would not be my first choice just because some knob in RMG thinks it's a good idea.
Sorry to go off topic but I just neede a bit of a rant. Thanks for listening!!!

[The BFO]

However I object to being almost forced into giving to a charity that would not be my first choice just because some knob in RMG thinks it's a good idea.

Quite so.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Barnardo's was the chosen charity, albeit from only a few choices, through a vote in the Courier. Still I agree with you.

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... do#p105240" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Mr Love Pants]

Barnardo's was the chosen charity, albeit from only a few choices, through a vote in the Courier. Still I agree with you.

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... do#p105240" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Being only a mere pleb on the counter I don't ever see a Courier - they stopped sending me one years ago - and i agree with the BFO they can stick the Barnardos thing up their big hairy arses

[cashman]

What was said then? I couldn't get to a phone, kids etc!!

[bigjames]

I want to know how The BFO knows I have a hairy arse?

I went on the call, to be honest there was nothing new, just a half-year state of play, what to focus on for the next half-year, BM's questions and some stuff about Barnardos.

Apparently the calls will happen every 6 months or so.

[billyhayes]

I found it very telling that there were only 6 or so questions! After Barkers usual diatribe, they opened up the lines and the silence was deafening.

This tells me either that out of 373 crowns, only six managers were on the call, or, (and more likely), many more were on the call and did not wish to stick their head above the parapet.

Of course the other options are that 367 managers were on the counter or that they just don't care to bother dialing in.

This non-feedback tells barker and his cronies that all is hunky dory.

Just because someone else had asked a certain question or made a statement, and barker gave his usual non-answer, shouldn't mean that someone else should not chip in to bolster that opinion.

On the last call a few months back that was open to staff there were near 100 on the call. Of course a certain amount would have been managers wanting to know what is being said about them.

I will get the exact figure of how many were on this call tomorrow. Minus the staff who dialled in to listen it will make for depressing reading I'm sure.

Jesus people!! The word is that we will cease to exist come April but nobody deemed it that important to ask!!!

A more perfect opportunity I couldn't think of, and they blew it...

A disengaged workforce across the network albeit staff and managers??

You bet your arse!

[The BFO]

I listened to an hour of waffle and drivel. No mention of Crown Office profitability, changes to the Network, what will happen next April, the Postal Services Bill, talks with the CWU over pay and conditions, or anything of any real significance at all.
Here are my notes, typed at the time:

Branch Manager Conference Call – 23 September 2010

Achievements for last six months
Paula Vennells – Barnardos
Where are we? OK but not great. Trading in a difficult period – Travel a problem. Special Delivery down. Focus Income Down, Standard Income Up. Costs under control and above target. Some confidence that we will achieve Profit and Loss target by end of year.
Effect Scores ‘pretty good’. More weighting to queuing measure.
Waiting Times – Biggest concern amongst front line staff. ‘Q-buster’ all indicators improving but a long way to go. We need to embed Best Practice. Need to continue Q-buster initiatives. New Year will see further developments, efficiency etc.
Single Manager Branches – pressure on these managers. Review after six months – cover during summer difficult. Actions agreed – detail to follow.
Financial Specialists – Managing outside of Branches a problem. Branch Managers doing this has not worked as well as it could have. Training to Branch Managers has been extremely well done.
Review Saturday Afternoon opening not going ahead. Customer perception would not be good.
PDR’s – half year reviews due. Process long winded. Now more streamlined.
Reporting of Sick Absence – different system. Online system more straightforward. Better than paper based system.
AEI – Horizon Online has caused disruption. Identity services will create income for the future.
Priorities for the coming six months.
Sales Financial Services – Savings and Life are the Focus
Counter – Mails and Travel
Q-Buster Crystal clear this is important.
Compliance for Branch Managers/Financial Services Specialists
Effect – Customer Experience
Questions
1. Queues in non CMS Branches – more work needs to be done. Duty reviews to be done in difficult Branches. Deep in discussions with CWU about new Duty Scheduling system. Much more to be done on Q-Buster.
2. Managers Pay Deal – Offer made, CMA rejected 2% offer.
3. Single Manager Office – extra hours given, and then taken away again. Duty Reviews would have been done in usual way.
4. Managers on the Counter CWU has an issue with this but Mr Barker does not.
5. Saturday Afternoon opening why not make individual office assessments? Same arguments apply to all offices – Customer Perception. Decision has now been made final.
6. Pay Deal – not seen offer. 41 to 36 hours? Don’t get excited – you have to take off the Meal Reliefs. Short of staff – how will we cope on Saturday? Answer - Lots of Waffle.
7. FS Responsibilities. More Waffle.
8. Q-Buster capability and coaching how do we do that when we are serving on the counter and queue hosting? Answer – It’s a challenge, and a matter of priorities. We need to do what’s best for the customer. Sales Capability Team may be used to support more.
9. Duty Reviews – will Horizon Data be used to measure how much time managers spend serving on the counter? Every week the Manager is forced to serve on the counter due to shortages in other offices. This information is available and will be taken into account.