Total Disaster: USPS Survey Shows That The Entire Workforce Is Abjectly Miserable

townhall.com ^ | April 30, 2016 | Matt Vespa

[PROCON]

We all have cracked jokes about the United States Postal Service, especially about their workers “going postal.” Most postal workers you’ve encountered are probably lethargic, short-tempered, half-asleep, or just plain rude. Well, that could be due to their work environment. These people are miserable, which is what the USPS painfully discovered when they gave Gallup to conduct this survey at the cost of $1.8 million (via Inside Sources):

The topline results were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request after the USPS declined to provide the data to InsideSources when asked in January.

Postal workers reported strong job dissatisfaction, and in comparison to other organizations surveyed by Gallup, USPS employees say they rarely receive recognition for good work; their supervisors don’t care for them as people; they don’t feel their job is important; they lack opportunities to learn and grow, and their fellow employees are not committed to doing quality work.

A spokesperson for USPS says the organization was disappointed with the results. “Clearly, there is much room for improvement.”

[bluecollarman]

“Your workday will end at the appointed time and you take a paycheck home. Voila!”

That statement shows you are clueless and have no idea of what a postal job/environment is like.

I have worked there and elsewhere. I retired from USPS and trust me it is different and it is worse. It is one of those things you almost have to experience before you understand it.

[DPMD]

I wonder if we shouldn’t put the complaints about management in perspective. For example, if a new hire letter carrier starts out by completing all deliveries far faster than the average established by the carriers union, how would the local shop steward react? Is the problem really all management’s fault?

[Sicon]

I am a highly experienced and qualified IT engineer working for a very well-known company. I spent 4 hours last night that should have been spent sleeping, responding to software incidents. I haven't had a raise in almost 10 years, get maybe a 3% bonus in a good year despite glowing reviews and comments from our corporate client, contribute to my health care benefits, have no pension to look forward to, and live with the constant worry that my job will be outsourced to some guy in Bangladesh who will do it for 1/3 the pay (albeit not as well, and with a serious language barrier), and I'm supposed to give a sh*t about these postal employees?

I had a guy do some painting in my house, who paints as a part time gig. He is a "civil servant" who has better benefits than I do, and who will be retiring at 55 with a six figure lifetime pension that I am helping to pay for.

To hell with all of these government leeches.

[cgbg]

In our rural area they often deliver our mail to the neighbors and vice versa—fortunately we take care of each other.

As to the postal managers, they follow the old British Navy dictum” “Continue the flogging until morale improves.” :-)

[fireman15]

You can’t have 13% of the population all filling upper decile qualification jobs and be successful as a nation

After working for a government organization for 25 years I can say that you are absolutely correct. We worked with agencies from smaller communities who were sometimes very good. On more than one occasion, I had no choice but to apologize for the incomprehensible stupidity of supervisors who were both affirmative action hires and promotions. Even given that the job was a great blessing and that I was well compensated... these were humiliating experiences. This was especially true knowing that if I were to have tried to bring the problem into the spotlight... I would have been the one who would have faced very negative consequences.

[CodeToad]

As are all organizations run by liberalism and not merit.

All liberal companies I have been in contact with have been mental disasters with people always on the defensive and with bad attitudes.

[AlaskaErik]

I had my mail on a temporary forward for 2.5 months. During that time I had mail returned to sender, mail placed in my mailbox, mail that disappeared and a few pieces that were actually forwarded to me. This continued even after I complained to the Post Office. Most everything is now e-mailed to me, but a few things can only be received through the mail. I expect a lot more things to disappear when I go to Arizona for the winter, but I’m going to complain to the postmaster one more time right before I leave.

[Secret Agent Man]

And this is at the same time ups and fedex take a significant amount of long haul package traffic for them too.

[Conservative4Ever]

Talk about schedules to keep. Did payroll for a company with 140 employees. You miss a deadline and not only the wrath of the gods rain down on you, disgruntled employees can call in the labor board dogs. No, no pressure there.

[Conservative4Ever]

For those of us who still write old fashioned letters with (gasp) fountain pens on (cover the children’s eyes) fine writing paper, I say let the anachronism continue. Somethings a good thing like letter writing continues because it is a good thing. It has its place. One person...one fountain pen at a time.

[353FMG]

USPS personnel should be a happy bunch — job security with no mass lay-offs like in the Oil&Gas business.

[Chode]

USPS employees say they rarely receive recognition for good work;

they need a pat on the head for putting mail in a slot???

hell... several times a year i get the wrong mail in my box and don't get mail i'm expecting, prolly for the same reason, and the one doing it is the POSTMASTER!!!

it's gotten so bad i have to put a notice in my box when i'm expecting a package if i want to get it

4, FOUR, times she put locker keys for packages i was expecting in the wrong box, three times they were returned the forth time it wasn't

i told her if she loses another one after being notified in advance, i would goto the regional and state postmasters and demand she be fired

[Colo9250]

This survey could have been taken 25 years ago and you would have gotten the same results. The Unions are a major cause of the low morale, same as any other union controlled business. Sure there is poor management, all the way to the top, always has been and always will be as long as the unions run the show. A lot of Supervision have good intent to perform well but their hands are tied.

[joethedrummer]

Great point!

I spent ten years (the 90’s) in the USPS. It really IS miserable - unless you’re a lazy Union worshipping lib.
Being a union shop, there are many who know to do the bare minimum. And then those with a good work ethic are pushed to pick up the slack.

I was hated by the unionists who said I worked too hard and was ruining the job for everybody. And then management (former union guys) gave me twice the workload of the female carriers they were trying to make time with. If I came back 10 minutes late, I got written up. And like I said, the union was no help.

A bunch of us tried to change the system by all signing up to be supervisors once.. They FORCE them to have X amount of disciplinary actions each week. We’d say nobody did anything wrong and were told to “find things, then!”

The supervisors do get big bonuses each year - so they will push you and push you and push you.

They want constant turnover so they try hard to make folks want to quit. Problem with that is you never know if you’re pushing a person so far that they come in with a rifle and 200 rounds on Friday... True! But they ride employees just the same - it’s ordered from above.

The trend now is to use as many ‘temp’ employees as the union will let them get away with. So every 89 days, you’re getting a new carrier who hasn’t got a clue.

Bottom line is, you have folks who really don’t appreciate what they have and where the absolute crap rises to the top. Folks who were your friends as coworkers turn into the most miserable SOBs toward you when they’re your supervisor.

[Rockpile]

Post 11

What you posted does not make a bit of sense. A carrier is on the end of the distribution line and would not need a ZIP code on anything in order to deliver his route.

[vetvetdoug]

Try hiring employees that are grateful for earning a job instead of those that are hired because of race and color. The USPS is a good job with decent health and retirement benefits unlike those in the private sector.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Newman Doesn't Think It's Such a Great Job (YouTube).....

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I don’t want anyone scanning my mail.

Give me a break. Email is much more secure and convenient than getting it physical.

Many things still need to exist physically and be delivered physically.

Grocery store ads, billing notices don't need to be sent via snail mail. You can download magazines on a Kindle or even your smartphone.

[PROCON]

[Sequoyah101]

Affirmative action has run amok. Preferences and credits for them have wrecked the workforce.