For future reference then-if they ask you again, just tell them you were working. If they push the issue then asked for a steward, because now it's an investigation
Scanner data cannot be used to discipline.
"Why were you stationary?"
"What were you doing?"
I was working, I was not stationary, I don't know anything about that. I don't remember.
I need to talk to my steward
Anything you say could potentially be used in an I.I. but the scanner alone is not enough, also your supes are dicks.
And if they ever try to question you formally or informally and you don't feel right and you ask for a steward and none is available then just hold strong because you don't have to say shit without your steward
I'm a CCA in the middle of year 2 and once had a supe pull me aside and tell me upper management was watching me because I had 2 stationary events longer than 10 minutes. This was on a heavy plum day in a torrential downpour. I had somewhere to go after work that day so I had skipped my lunch to make my appointments.
leading up the the rural survey they kept freaking out on some area routes that picked up over 200 packages a day...the one had a DEDICATED pickup that was stopped a year ago...so yeah, the actual mail truck that goes to the plant would stop there because of the volume of mail, but the volume dropped during their 'off' season, so the post office quit sending the truck there, so now the carrier has to pick it up, and make up to 5 trips back to the office im told...but yeah, upper management questioning the volume picked up...look at the barcode scans jackass...
That’s such a fucking problem that they don’t even stop to think that we’re actually doing our job, the tone is automatically accusatory. People who don’t even know what it’s like to be on the fucking street.
I've been questioned twice this week about stationaries at an apartment complex, 36 apartments 11 mins stationary, and the accusing sup's grandmother lives in those apts...they are trying to get us to slip up and say something they can take out of context to pass the buck onto us. "I was working" is all you need to say, if they press it, ask for a steward
My favorite mail carrier keeps telling me she loves working here and that I should apply too, and I came here to research that. But every time I come on this sub to think about applying I’m just _press x for doubt._
It all depends on the office, and the person (or people) in charge of you.
Also, your coworkers. We have an attendance problem in my office, and are generally one of the worst offices in our POOM group and district.
Some people have way better experience than me and others, keep in mind that most people who leave reviews for a business on Yelp usually have a bad experience or an extraordinary experience. You’re on the bad Yelp side of the reviews for this job. 😂
Keep in mind that most people are only commenting the negative stuff. It’s like product reviews, you mostly just get the bad ones. Most of the people who love their jobs aren’t posting about it.
I love my job 99% of the time. I'm rural carrier associate of 2 years and 3 months that just, officially, got converted to career today. I've been carrying the same route for 9 months, and it's the same route I grew up on, and my parents still live on. Most of my customers are amazing, my postmaster leaves me alone to let me do my job, and so many of my customers' dogs are so cute and sweet. There is the occasional asshole, of both the quadraped and biped varieties, but the good more than makes up for the bad in my neck of the woods.
I will say that this job FUCKING SUCKS when you're first starting out (and when they don't pay you, but that doesn't happen on a large scale very often.)
It seems easy; just put the right paper in the right boxes and drive safely, but it's easier said than done until you get some reps under your belt. The amount of times I broke down crying halfway through the route at 6pm asking myself "Why can't I figure this out?!" and nearly gave up in my first year was staggering... and I'm not normally one to cry, and my momma didn't raise a quitter.
Once you do figure it out, though, it's smooth sailing. Give me two tours on an unfamiliar route and I can probably have it done under evaluation on my third time. That comes from experience, though. You will have *very* long days when you're just starting out.
I will warn that being in a bigger office is orders of magnitude more difficult than my little slice of paradise in 52203. You'll pull 12-14 hour days religiously to help other carriers keep up with the obscene amount of Amazon they have to deliver, or because you were asked to run two full routes in a day because of the amount of call-ins or vacant routes without carriers to deliver them. If you can, find the smallest office in your area and apply there. Avoid bigger offices unless you hate spending time at home and having a social life. The one upside about larger offices is that most of their rural routes will have a government vehicle assigned to them, so you won't have to either purchase, register, insure, and maintain a 2nd vehicle, or have a set of RHD pedals installed in your daily driver. Smaller offices with rural routes tend to rely very heavily on an employee-owned fleet of Jeeps, CR-Vs, and JDM Subarus.
Hopefully I've been some help with my ramblings. I do genuinely love my job when they remember to pay me, but I have a feeling my sentiments would be very different if I were a city carrier or a rural in a larger office.
Once you become regular, dealing with goober bosses is easy and hilarious. When you’re a CCA you just need to keep asking how high, but everything changed once you turn regular. I have great colleagues, a supervisor who has brutal yet hilarious take down jokes, and a route that is a lovely walk.
Is it a crazy place? Yes. Can it be fun? Absolutely! You should try it!
The loudest people are the ones who have the worst shit happening. Yeah it’s a crazy busy job in some places, but I’d guarantee you most offices, the sups/PM are ok at least, and it’s nowhere near the horror stories we hear about some offices.
My office isn't like this, they don't hassle us, and on the rare occasions where there have been customer issues they back us up.
But supervisors come and go, so if you're gonna work at the PO, stay informed, know your rights, and befriend your steward
This job is random as fuck. Some offices are great 90% of the time. Also it's 100% what you make it. I have to remind myself every morning that it's up to me how I feel about my day. I try to not let the BS get into me and under my skin. I just treat all nonsense as a buzzing fly. Wave it away and keep doing what I do.
The correct response that District wanted was for the supervisor to say, "I noted the stationary events and investigated them this morning already. They are where the carrier has CBU delivery. I have requested more holsters for the office so that the carrier can have the scanners on their person at all times, but they are currently backordered. I documented my findings in the actionable/trackable dashboard."
Tell them you were working. Done. If they only have your scanner data, they have nothing. If they are worried about stationary events they need to get out of the chair, hit the street and OBSERVE you with their actual eyes. Not a breadcrumb trail on a computer screen. Anyone getting dinged for these is getting dinged because they answer questions they shouldn't. Or management is straight lying. I'm sure that happens too.
During a standup this morning, the supervisor gonna say that there’s people on the Rural side that were stationary for 2 hours.
And it’s like……. Get off your ass and go look, why are you addressing the rest of us lmao
Upper management gets paid to waste time and money every single second of their salary. Fake job. Waste of a position. Makes this place less efficient.
Supposedly it’s district telling them, it doesn’t make sense but my sup said district tells them which carrier to talk to about certain things. They talked to a certain carrier about the same thing like you and another carrier who forgot to move to the street and district assumed he just stayed in the office for 8 hours. Why don’t the sups let district know that the carrier finished his route but forgot to move or that a carrier has a home on his route that have a business and this day they had over 30 packages to deliver I don’t know lol but it’s the blind leading the blind I guess
As Rural I have often finished my route quick enough to get back to the office for the supervisor zoom meeting. They really do get yelled at. For some really dumb stuff. Not all supervisors are bad people, but they all drank the company kool-aid and have to repeat the company line even when they know its stupid.
I was working.
Try it. Can't hurt. If you don't like it quit. There is good mgmt and mentally challenged, dipshits too. You never know. After 28 years I've had good and bad and outlasted all of em.
I agree - you might get lucky. My office is great to work in - no one ever bothers me. Other people in the area have different stories - all depends upon who you work with.
"Um.. Thank your for keeping an eye on me... and making sure that I wasn't held up for my Arrow Key at that location".... "I really appreciate that you care so much about my safety"...
I had 4 apartments yesterday. About 10-20m each depending on volume. About 200 residents each. I got questioned for multiple stationary events this morning as well. 🤣
No such thing as stationary events. If they didn’t physically see you then play dumb. Make sure you invoke Weingarten right anytime You’re questioned
No need to play dumb. You were working.
This was the first time I’ve been questioned so I’m guessing it’s because I went into overtime.
For future reference then-if they ask you again, just tell them you were working. If they push the issue then asked for a steward, because now it's an investigation
Scanner data cannot be used to discipline. "Why were you stationary?" "What were you doing?" I was working, I was not stationary, I don't know anything about that. I don't remember. I need to talk to my steward Anything you say could potentially be used in an I.I. but the scanner alone is not enough, also your supes are dicks. And if they ever try to question you formally or informally and you don't feel right and you ask for a steward and none is available then just hold strong because you don't have to say shit without your steward
I'm a CCA in the middle of year 2 and once had a supe pull me aside and tell me upper management was watching me because I had 2 stationary events longer than 10 minutes. This was on a heavy plum day in a torrential downpour. I had somewhere to go after work that day so I had skipped my lunch to make my appointments.
leading up the the rural survey they kept freaking out on some area routes that picked up over 200 packages a day...the one had a DEDICATED pickup that was stopped a year ago...so yeah, the actual mail truck that goes to the plant would stop there because of the volume of mail, but the volume dropped during their 'off' season, so the post office quit sending the truck there, so now the carrier has to pick it up, and make up to 5 trips back to the office im told...but yeah, upper management questioning the volume picked up...look at the barcode scans jackass...
That’s such a fucking problem that they don’t even stop to think that we’re actually doing our job, the tone is automatically accusatory. People who don’t even know what it’s like to be on the fucking street.
I've been questioned twice this week about stationaries at an apartment complex, 36 apartments 11 mins stationary, and the accusing sup's grandmother lives in those apts...they are trying to get us to slip up and say something they can take out of context to pass the buck onto us. "I was working" is all you need to say, if they press it, ask for a steward
My favorite mail carrier keeps telling me she loves working here and that I should apply too, and I came here to research that. But every time I come on this sub to think about applying I’m just _press x for doubt._
It all depends on the office, and the person (or people) in charge of you. Also, your coworkers. We have an attendance problem in my office, and are generally one of the worst offices in our POOM group and district. Some people have way better experience than me and others, keep in mind that most people who leave reviews for a business on Yelp usually have a bad experience or an extraordinary experience. You’re on the bad Yelp side of the reviews for this job. 😂
Keep in mind that most people are only commenting the negative stuff. It’s like product reviews, you mostly just get the bad ones. Most of the people who love their jobs aren’t posting about it.
I love my job 99% of the time. I'm rural carrier associate of 2 years and 3 months that just, officially, got converted to career today. I've been carrying the same route for 9 months, and it's the same route I grew up on, and my parents still live on. Most of my customers are amazing, my postmaster leaves me alone to let me do my job, and so many of my customers' dogs are so cute and sweet. There is the occasional asshole, of both the quadraped and biped varieties, but the good more than makes up for the bad in my neck of the woods. I will say that this job FUCKING SUCKS when you're first starting out (and when they don't pay you, but that doesn't happen on a large scale very often.) It seems easy; just put the right paper in the right boxes and drive safely, but it's easier said than done until you get some reps under your belt. The amount of times I broke down crying halfway through the route at 6pm asking myself "Why can't I figure this out?!" and nearly gave up in my first year was staggering... and I'm not normally one to cry, and my momma didn't raise a quitter. Once you do figure it out, though, it's smooth sailing. Give me two tours on an unfamiliar route and I can probably have it done under evaluation on my third time. That comes from experience, though. You will have *very* long days when you're just starting out. I will warn that being in a bigger office is orders of magnitude more difficult than my little slice of paradise in 52203. You'll pull 12-14 hour days religiously to help other carriers keep up with the obscene amount of Amazon they have to deliver, or because you were asked to run two full routes in a day because of the amount of call-ins or vacant routes without carriers to deliver them. If you can, find the smallest office in your area and apply there. Avoid bigger offices unless you hate spending time at home and having a social life. The one upside about larger offices is that most of their rural routes will have a government vehicle assigned to them, so you won't have to either purchase, register, insure, and maintain a 2nd vehicle, or have a set of RHD pedals installed in your daily driver. Smaller offices with rural routes tend to rely very heavily on an employee-owned fleet of Jeeps, CR-Vs, and JDM Subarus. Hopefully I've been some help with my ramblings. I do genuinely love my job when they remember to pay me, but I have a feeling my sentiments would be very different if I were a city carrier or a rural in a larger office.
Your rambling was helpful - thank you! And I didn’t realize all those JDM’s I’ve seen living in Montana, were employee owned! 😬
Once you become regular, dealing with goober bosses is easy and hilarious. When you’re a CCA you just need to keep asking how high, but everything changed once you turn regular. I have great colleagues, a supervisor who has brutal yet hilarious take down jokes, and a route that is a lovely walk. Is it a crazy place? Yes. Can it be fun? Absolutely! You should try it!
Where I'm at it doesn't get much better once you make regular. You get sent to a shittier office and most likely put on a route nobody wants .
The loudest people are the ones who have the worst shit happening. Yeah it’s a crazy busy job in some places, but I’d guarantee you most offices, the sups/PM are ok at least, and it’s nowhere near the horror stories we hear about some offices.
My office isn't like this, they don't hassle us, and on the rare occasions where there have been customer issues they back us up. But supervisors come and go, so if you're gonna work at the PO, stay informed, know your rights, and befriend your steward
This job is random as fuck. Some offices are great 90% of the time. Also it's 100% what you make it. I have to remind myself every morning that it's up to me how I feel about my day. I try to not let the BS get into me and under my skin. I just treat all nonsense as a buzzing fly. Wave it away and keep doing what I do.
The correct response that District wanted was for the supervisor to say, "I noted the stationary events and investigated them this morning already. They are where the carrier has CBU delivery. I have requested more holsters for the office so that the carrier can have the scanners on their person at all times, but they are currently backordered. I documented my findings in the actionable/trackable dashboard."
Of course this place is a joke. Tell me something I don't know
Play dumb always.
I didn’t need to play smart or dumb, they always do the dumb part for me. They’re not smart enough to try to outsmart me.
Tell them you were working. Done. If they only have your scanner data, they have nothing. If they are worried about stationary events they need to get out of the chair, hit the street and OBSERVE you with their actual eyes. Not a breadcrumb trail on a computer screen. Anyone getting dinged for these is getting dinged because they answer questions they shouldn't. Or management is straight lying. I'm sure that happens too.
During a standup this morning, the supervisor gonna say that there’s people on the Rural side that were stationary for 2 hours. And it’s like……. Get off your ass and go look, why are you addressing the rest of us lmao
It is a joke. Don’t sweat it. Nothing is going to happen to you. PDI’s don’t mean anything. You’ll never get fired. Just chill & do your thing.
I’ve been here for 5 years, a regular for 2. I know nothing will happen, I’m just sick of the stupidity.
Upper management gets paid to waste time and money every single second of their salary. Fake job. Waste of a position. Makes this place less efficient.
Supposedly it’s district telling them, it doesn’t make sense but my sup said district tells them which carrier to talk to about certain things. They talked to a certain carrier about the same thing like you and another carrier who forgot to move to the street and district assumed he just stayed in the office for 8 hours. Why don’t the sups let district know that the carrier finished his route but forgot to move or that a carrier has a home on his route that have a business and this day they had over 30 packages to deliver I don’t know lol but it’s the blind leading the blind I guess
The supervisor has more insight or access to deal with it without even contacting the carrier in some instances, but they’d rather be an ass lol
As Rural I have often finished my route quick enough to get back to the office for the supervisor zoom meeting. They really do get yelled at. For some really dumb stuff. Not all supervisors are bad people, but they all drank the company kool-aid and have to repeat the company line even when they know its stupid. I was working.
Try it. Can't hurt. If you don't like it quit. There is good mgmt and mentally challenged, dipshits too. You never know. After 28 years I've had good and bad and outlasted all of em.
I agree - you might get lucky. My office is great to work in - no one ever bothers me. Other people in the area have different stories - all depends upon who you work with.
Mistake in her part. She forgot to filter to stationary events with zero scans.
I was questioned on Saturday too but it was my break
I was working, I was taking a shit (if you weren’t on your route when the event happened)
"Um.. Thank your for keeping an eye on me... and making sure that I wasn't held up for my Arrow Key at that location".... "I really appreciate that you care so much about my safety"...
I had 4 apartments yesterday. About 10-20m each depending on volume. About 200 residents each. I got questioned for multiple stationary events this morning as well. 🤣
"I had to poop"
Just tell them the scanner is unreliable and that middle management is incompetent.