A rare organization in our country can compare with Russian Post in terms of the number of claims from dissatisfied customers, as well as negative reviews in the press and the Internet. For years, people have been complaining about the long delivery times for parcels and letters, the unprofessionalism and rudeness of the FSUE Russian Post operators, and tariffs that are disproportionate to the quality of postal services. But are postal employees always to blame for the poor performance of the organization? You can answer this question by evaluating the working conditions in the branches of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Post. Reviews of employees who have been or are currently working at the post office provide an inside look at the work of a postman, sorter or post office operator. What do the employees of the country's main postal service most often complain about? Under what conditions do they work?
Salary and bonuses
One of the most common complaints and, according to former employees, the main reason for layoffs is extremely lowsalary at the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Post. Working as a postman, for example, depending on the region, is paid from 5,000 rubles to 12,000. Operators earn a little more, the amounts are called from 6,000 to 25,000 rubles.
It is worth mentioning separately that the remuneration of postal employees is piecework, that is, it directly depends on the number of services performed and goods sold per month by the FSUE Russian Post operator. Envelopes sold by the operator add no more than 1-2 kopecks to the salary per unit, and one accepted postal order adds about 80 kopecks. Many former postal workers are outraged by the lack of extra pay for performing several labor functions and for "overtime" during the day.
One can, of course, ask the question: what is the reason for so many negative salary reviews? After all, when applying for a job, an employee voluntarily agrees to the salary offered by the employer (in this case, the leadership of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Post). Feedback from employees helps to understand the reason for this phenomenon: in the announcement of vacancies, as a rule, the salary is indicated in the amount of 20,000 rubles. Later, at an interview, a candidate for a vacant position may not always receive clear explanations about how the monthly salary is calculated. For these reasons, already in the first month of the "newcomer's" work, an unpleasant surprise can await: instead of the promised 20-25 thousand rubles, 7-8 thousand rubles are given out. To a low salary by today's standards, bonus deprivation and the employee's obligation to repay the shortfall revealed in his shift are added fromyour pocket.
Of the clear benefits of paying postal employees, the following stand out:
- Stable "white" salary.
- Ability to increase salary by passing the promotion exam.
Management and personnel problems
Judging by the numerous reviews of postal operators, some branches of the Russian Post are experiencing many difficulties in this area. Relationships within the team can be fully considered the second reason why an employee decides to quit the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Post. Employee feedback most often contains the following complaints:
- Aggressive or frankly boorish behavior of the immediate supervisor in relation to employees.
- High turnover, lack of experienced qualified staff.
- Layer cuts.
- Not fully staffed post office.
The latter creates a lot of additional problems with the distribution of the load of working time and labor functions of each individual employee of the FSUE Russian Post. The management of small post offices combines the functions of an operator and even a postman with their work.
But there are a lot of positive reviews about the workforce of the post office. An impressive number of employees, including former ones, call excellent relations between people working in the same post office one of the main advantages of their work. Among the reviews you can find such statements about colleagues:
- Friendly (good, kind)collective.
- Mutual assistance, friendly support of colleagues.
- Real enthusiasts work at the post office and love their job.
- The immediate supervisor is a good (attentive, responsive) person.
Some employees who left feedback emphasized that excellent relationships with colleagues are the main reason why they work at the Russian Post branch.
Post office room
Old dilapidated buildings with leaking roofs, creaky floors with torn linoleum, lack of repairs or repairs done partially and of poor quality - this is a partial list of complaints from employees about the building and premises in which their post office is located. More often we are talking about branches in small towns. But even in large cities, not every post office meets all standards. Even employees of some metropolitan and Moscow region post offices tell that operators are forced to work in cold rooms in winter, sitting in warm boots and outerwear. There are many complaints that in the summer in the same rooms it is unbearably hot and stuffy. Workers are especially outraged that postal management does not make any attempts to improve working conditions, for example, install air conditioners.
There are other complaints about the organization of workspaces:
- No kitchen or just a separate eating area.
- A cramped, poorly equipped postal warehouse.
- San. unit without repair or with faulty plumbing.
- Oldunsightly furniture at operators' workplaces.
To be fair, it should be noted that employees complain about the lack of repair or normal heating much less often than about low salaries or personnel shortcomings. In addition, there are many positive reviews from postal workers who work in premises with European-quality repairs and new furniture.
Hard physical labor
Great physical activity, as well as the related non-compliance with the norms established by the requirements of safety and labor protection, is a huge problem not only for postmen delivering correspondence “with a thick bag on their belt”. Due to the lack of a loader, and simply male workers, postal employees are forced to lift and drag heavy postal parcels. Due to this circumstance, Russian Post is very often not recommended for work by young girls and women of reproductive age.
The situation is not much better in the sorting shops and warehouses of this organization, although here the loading process is facilitated and partially automated. Those working "at sorting" talk about forklifts that break down frequently and do not work most of the working time, complain about the lack of qualified drivers for this category of equipment. As a result, even in the warehouse, a large number of shipments are shipped manually, in violation of applicable weight lifting regulations.
Supplying stationery and consumables
The fact that the leaders of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Post of Russia" often "forget" to supplybranches with consumables and necessary little things, like stationery, employees say in every third review. Postal employees do not even complain, but rather wonder why money is not allocated for all this. However, this does not affect the work of mail. Very often, post office employees, not spoiled by high earnings, create the conditions for customer service themselves, buying paper, writing materials and refilling printer cartridges with their own money.
Uniform
A "hot" topic of discussion on online forums is uniforms for employees. And it's not even the numerous jokes about the appearance of the new uniform of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Post. Employee feedback is more about the convenience and quality of the materials used to make the uniform. Most of the employees who managed to get corporate clothing agree that they saved money on quality - the fabric is completely synthetic.
Another problem is the size range of clothing for postal employees. When receiving a uniform of the size that is available, and not the one that is needed, employees have to adjust and alter corporate clothing at their own expense. A tangible plus in all this is that the Russian Post uniform is issued to employees free of charge.
Working hours
Irregular working hours with constant, often unpaid overtime is a common complaint in the reviews of FSUE Russian Post employees. Working hours at post offices are usually from 8:00 to 20:00, frombreak for lunch and rest. But this, as post office workers admit, is only official. In practice, employees start their working day half an hour or an hour earlier. The reason for this is the large volume of work and the lack of employees in post offices. In addition to the main duties, employees are required to fill out reporting documentation, an electronic database, prepare all shipments for further transportation, and much more. Work at the post office can end at 22:00 or 23:00.
Another problem is that there is no time for a break during a twelve-hour workday. With a large number of customers in the hall of the post office, the operator not only does not have a technical break due to working on a computer, but also a simple opportunity to go to the toilet. There may also be no lunch break or the time for rest is significantly reduced.
Irregular working hours are not only for operators. Due to a shortage of staff, postmen take over two or three stations and often finish delivering mail late at night. This makes the work of the postman not only difficult, but also unsafe. Especially when you consider that in his bag there are not only letters and newspapers, but also considerable sums of money for the delivery of pensions at home.
But even in such an organization of working time there is a plus. There is a shift schedule for postal workers, and the employee has the opportunity to choose the most convenient distribution of working days for himself. Shift work, usually 2/2 nights, is very convenient for women with children or students.
However, the choice of scheduleis not always possible, but only on condition that the branch is fully staffed. Otherwise, as mentioned above, employees are forced not only to work in accordance with the needs of the post office, but also to overwork.
Obsolete computers and equipment
The post office is equipped with obsolete computers, for this reason there are a number of problems in work:
- Constant failures in the work of the mail computer lead to the fact that information is lost or incorrectly indicated, the accuracy of which is necessary for the normal operation of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Post: addresses, data in payment documents and receipts, the name of printed publications, etc.
- Computer and other equipment, no less old, work very slowly. Because of this, the speed of customer service is reduced, which leads to queues, a large number of complaints from the population and jokes that have not been funny for a long time about the “slow” work of the Russian Post.
- Worn-out monitors, as well as the lack of technical breaks, lead to poor eyesight for postal operators.
- Tracking letters via Russian Post is much more difficult.
The situation is complicated by the fact that the special program installed on this equipment was created for new generation computers. This often causes problems with installation and updating.
Plan, deprivation of bonus for not fulfilling the plan
Surely those who have been to Russian post offices canIt should be noted that the traditional "goods" sold by Russian Post - envelopes, stamps, special branded boxes - are far from a complete list of what can be purchased from a telecom operator today. The showcases contain items that often have nothing to do with mail or communications: household chemicals, textiles, dishes, children's toys and much more.
Every post office has a monthly sales target, failure to meet which may result in all or part of the bonus being forfeited by all employees. Therefore, stories about how, in pursuit of a plan, postal workers are forced to buy out part of the goods they do not need, unfortunately, are quite common.
EMS: Working conditions in express delivery
Separately, it is worth considering such an innovative format of the postal service as EMS or "Express Post of Russia". Express Mail Service - delivery of postal items to the addressee by road, appeared relatively recently. The main protagonist of this service is the driver of a branded car, who also performs the functions of a cashier, courier, and, if necessary, a loader. Despite the short period of work, Express Post of Russia managed to get a lot of feedback not only from customers, but also from its employees. What are the most unhappy employees?
- Old or rapidly breaking vehicles, which the driver has to work on. Russian Post, while repairing and servicing branded vehicles, renews its fleet rather reluctantly.
- Not always fair distribution of workload between employees. There are many complaints that moresimple, short or financially profitable routes go only to "experienced" drivers who have worked for several years.
- Irregular working hours, overtime, which are not too willingly paid by management.
- Salary less than promised at employment. This is due to the fact that the driver's salary directly depends on the work performed, that is, on the orders completed. To this is added a system of fines, for example, for a monthly overexpenditure of fuel and lubricants.
It is worth adding that other reviews often say that they manage to earn much more per month than the amount that was discussed during employment. The work of the driver is called difficult, but very profitable. In addition, drivers are regularly paid bonuses. Other benefits of working at EMS include the possibility of training and career growth.
Negative postal customer attitude
Operating rules regarding customer service require employees to be extremely polite and respond with a smile to any question or complaint from citizens. But most postal workers admit that conflict is not always avoided. It is not uncommon for front-line employees to receive a flurry of reproaches and hurtful remarks from post office visitors. Of course, most conflict situations are the result of the problems voiced earlier: slow equipment and a lack of operators at the post office slow down the speed of customer service and create a long queue at the windows of the post office. Quiteit is logical that a long wait can provoke conflict situations both in relation to the operator and between clients.
But when employees talk about cases of aggressive behavior towards them, they single out a category of clients who are convinced that “everyone is rude to them at the post office and in Sberbank.” With experience, employees learn to ignore a negative visitor and, in response to overt or covert aggression, respond calmly and with a smile.
The benefits of working in the mail
The importance of the work of all postal employees is difficult to overestimate. Despite the problems that exist in this area, the branches of the Russian Post continue to provide services to citizens in every region of our country. And this is a considerable merit of the people working in post offices. Labor activity in the branches of the Russian Post cannot be called easy. So why are workers not in a hurry to change the position of a postal clerk to another occupation? The answer is given by the employees of the Russian Post themselves, who often write in their reviews that work at the post office is not only interesting for them, but also beloved. Are there any significant advantages for employees of FSUE Russian Post? Employee feedback highlights several benefits of working in the post office:
- Full social package, paid sick leave, annual, study and maternity leave.
- Stable payment of wages.
- Interesting job, opportunity to learn a lot.
- "White salary" and official employment.
- Union support, travel at discounted union prices for postal workers and their children.
- Quarterly bonuses.
- For employment, work experience, a university diploma is not required.
- Free tuition, scholarships for interns.
- Opportunity to improve skills regularly, free courses.
- Career growth.
- Convenient work schedule.
