A rare organization in our country can be compared with Russian Post in the number of complaints from dissatisfied customers, as well as negative reviews in the press and on the Internet. For years, people have complained about the long delivery times for parcels and letters, the lack of professionalism and rudeness of the FSUE Russian Post operators, tariffs that are disproportionate to the quality of postal services. But are mail employees always to blame for the poor work of the organization? You can answer this question by evaluating the working conditions in the departments of FSUE Russian Post. Testimonials of employees who were or are currently working at the post office allow you to look from the inside on the work of the postman, sorter or post office operator . What do the employees of the main postal service of the country most often complain about? In what conditions do they work?
Salary and bonuses
One of the most common complaints and, according to reviews of former employees, the main reason for the dismissals is the extremely low salary at the FSUE Russian Post. Work 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.
Separately, it is worth mentioning that the remuneration of postal employees is piece-rate, that is, it directly depends on the number of services and goods performed sold per month by the FSUE Russian Post operator. Envelopes sold by the operator add to the salary no more than 1-2 kopecks per unit, and one accepted postal order - about 80 kopecks. Many former postal workers are outraged by the lack of additional payments for performing several labor functions and for “processing” during the day.
You can, of course, ask the question: what caused such a number of negative reviews about wages? Indeed, during employment, the employee voluntarily agrees to the salary offered by the employer (in this case, the leadership of FSUE Russian Post). Employee reviews help to understand the reason for this phenomenon: in a vacancy announcement, as a rule, salaries are indicated in the amount of 20,000 rubles or more. Later, during an interview, a candidate for a vacant position may not always receive clear explanations about how the monthly wage is calculated. For these reasons, already in the first month of the work of the “newcomer” an unpleasant surprise can be expected: instead of the promised 20-25 thousand, 7-8 thousand rubles will be handed over. The deprivation of bonuses and the employee’s obligation to repay the shortage revealed in his shift from his own pocket are added to a low salary by today's standards.
Of the obvious advantages of remuneration for employees of the post office, the following are distinguished:
- Stable white salary.
- Ability to increase salary by passing an exam to upgrade the class.
Leadership and staffing issues
Judging by the numerous reviews of postal operators, some of the Russian Post branches have many difficulties in this area. Relations within the team on a full basis can be considered the second reason why the employee decides to quit FSUE Russian Post. Employee reviews most often contain the following complaints:
- Aggressive or frankly boorish behavior of the immediate supervisor in relation to employees.
- Large staff turnover, lack of experienced qualified employees.
- Reduction of workers.
- Incomplete post office staff.
The latter creates many additional problems with the distribution of the load of working time and labor functions of each individual employee of FSUE Russian Post. The management of small post offices combines the job functions of an operator and even a postman with his work.
But there are many 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) team.
- Mutual assistance, friendly support of colleagues.
- Real enthusiasts who love their work work at the post office.
- The immediate boss is a good (attentive, responsive) person.
Some employees who left a review emphasized that it is excellent relations with colleagues that are the main reason why they work at the Russian Post office.
Post Office Room
Old dilapidated buildings with a leaking roof, creaking floor with torn linoleum, lack of repair or repairs made partially and poorly - this is an incomplete list of employees' complaints about the building and the premises in which their post office is located. More often it is a question of branches in small settlements. But even in large cities, not every post office building complies with all standards. Even employees of some Moscow and Moscow post offices talk about how operators are forced to work in winter in cold rooms, sitting in warm boots and outerwear. There are many complaints that in the summer in the same rooms it is unbearably hot, stuffy. The employees are especially outraged that the postal management does not undertake attempts to improve working conditions, for example, to install air conditioners.
There are other claims to the organization of working premises:
- Lack of a kitchen or just a separate room for eating.
- Close, poorly equipped postal warehouse.
- San. unit without repair or with faulty plumbing.
- Old unaesthetic furniture at operators' workplaces.
In fairness, it is worth noting that employees complain of a lack of repair or normal heating much less than low salaries or staff shortcomings. In addition, there are many positive reviews from postal workers who work in renovated rooms and new furniture.
Hard physical labor
Large physical loads, as well as the related non-compliance with the standards established by the safety and labor protection requirements, are a huge problem not only for postmen delivering correspondence “with a thick shoulder bag”. Due to the lack of a loader, and just male workers, postal workers are forced to pick up and drag heavy mail packages. “Russian Post” in connection with this fact is very often not recommended for work by young girls and women of reproductive age.
The situation in the sorting shops and in the warehouses of this organization is not much better, although here the loading process is facilitated and partially automated. Those working "on sorting" talk about frequently breaking, not working most of the time forklifts, complain about the lack of qualified drivers for this category of equipment. As a result, even in the warehouse, a large amount of the shipped is shipped manually, with violations of the current lifting standards.
Stationery and supplies
The fact that the leaders of FSUE Russian Post often “forget” to supply the branches with consumables and necessary trifles, such as office supplies, is described by employees 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 who are not spoiled by high earnings themselves create the conditions for customer service by purchasing paper, stationery and refilling printer cartridges for their money.
A uniform
A hot topic for discussion on online forums is uniform for employees. And the point is not even in numerous jokes about the appearance of the new uniform of FSUE Russian Post. Employee reviews relate more to the convenience and quality of the materials that were used to sew the uniform. Most employees who managed to get corporate clothes agree that they saved on quality - the fabric is completely synthetic.
Another problem is the size range of clothes for postal employees. Getting the form 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 of this is that the uniform of the Russian Post is issued to employees free of charge.
Working time
An irregular working day with constant, often unpaid, processing is a common complaint in reviews of FSUE Russian Post employees. Opening hours at post offices, usually from 8:00 to 20:00 hours, with a break for lunch and rest. But this, as recognized by postal workers, is only official. In practice, employees start a business day half an hour or an hour earlier. The reason for this is the large amount of work and the lack of staff in post offices. In addition to the main responsibilities, employees are required to fill out accounting documentation, an electronic database, prepare all shipments for further transportation, and much more. Work at the post office may end at 22:00 or at 23:00.
Another problem is that there is no time for a break during a twelve-hour working day. With a large number of customers in the hall of the post office, the operator not only does not have a technical break when 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.
Abnormal working hours are not only for operators. Due to the lack of employees, postmen take over the maintenance of two or three sites and often end up delivering mail late in the evening. 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 delivering pensions to your 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 days, is very convenient for women with children or students.
However, the choice of the schedule is far from always possible, but only on the condition that the staff of 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 process over the norm.
Outdated computers and equipment
The post office is equipped with obsolete computers, for this reason there are a number of problems in work:
- Constant malfunctions in the operation 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 FSUE Russian Post: addresses, data in payment documents and receipts, the name of print media, 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 long ridiculous jokes about the “leisurely” work of Russian Post.
- Worn-out monitors, as well as the absence of technical interruptions, lead to visual impairment for mail operators.
- Tracking letters by Russian Post is much more difficult.
The situation is complicated by the fact that a special program installed on this equipment was created for computers of a new generation. This often causes problems with installation and updating.
Plan, deprivation of premium for non-fulfillment of the plan
Surely, those who have visited the Russian post offices may notice that the traditional “goods” sold by the Russian Post — envelopes, stamps, special company boxes — are far from a complete list of what can be purchased from a telecom operator today. On the windows are items that are often not related either to mail or communication: household chemicals, textiles, dishes, children's toys and much more.
A monthly plan has been set for sales at each post office, for the failure of which all employees may lose all or part of the bonus. Therefore, stories about how, in pursuit of a plan, postal workers are forced to redeem part of the goods they do not need, unfortunately, are quite common.
EMS: express delivery terms
We should also consider such an innovative postal service format as EMS or Express Russian Post. Express Mail Service - delivery of mail to the addressee by road, appeared relatively recently. The protagonist of this service is the company car driver, who also performs the functions of a cashier, courier, and, if necessary, a loader. Despite the short term, Express Mail of Russia managed to get a lot of feedback not only from customers, but also from its employees. What are employees most often dissatisfied with?
- Old or quickly breaking transport on which the driver is forced to work. Russian Post, while repairing and servicing branded vehicles, is updating the fleet rather reluctantly.
- Not always fair distribution of workload between employees. There are many complaints that simpler, shorter or financially profitable routes go only to “experienced” drivers who have worked for several years.
- Irregular working hours, processing that are not too readily paid by management.
- Salary is 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 overspending of fuel and lubricants.
It is worth adding that other reviews often say that a month manages to earn much more than the amount that was negotiated during employment. The driver’s job is called difficult, but very profitable. In addition, drivers are regularly paid bonuses. Other advantages of working at EMS include the possibility of training and career growth.
Negative attitude of mail clients
The rules of work related to 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. Often, employees working directly with clients receive a barrage of reproaches and insulting remarks from visitors to the post office. Of course, most conflict situations are the result of previously voiced problems: slow-running equipment and a lack of operators in the mail slow down the speed of customer service and create a long queue at the windows of the post office. It is logical that a long wait can provoke conflict situations both in relation to the operator and between customers.
But employees, telling about cases of aggressive behavior towards them, also single out such a category of clients who are convinced that “they are all rude to them at the post office and in Sberbank.” With experience, employees learn to ignore a negatively-minded visitor and respond calmly and with a smile in response to overt or covert aggression.
Benefits of working in the mail
The importance of the work of all mail employees is difficult to overestimate. Despite the problems existing 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 departments of the Post of Russia cannot be called easy. So why are the workers in no hurry to change the post of a postal employee to another occupation? The answer is given by the employees of the Post of Russia, who often write in their reviews that the work at the post office is not only interesting, but also beloved for them. Are there any significant advantages for the employees of FSUE Russian Post? Employee reviews allow you to highlight several advantages of working in the post office:
- Full social package, paid sick leave, annual, study and maternity leave.
- Stable payroll.
- Interesting work, the opportunity to learn a lot.
- "White salary" and official employment.
- Union support, vouchers for preferential union prices for postal employees and their children.
- Quarterly bonus.
- For employment, work experience and a university diploma are not required.
- , .
- The ability to regularly upgrade qualifications, free courses.
- Career.
- Convenient work schedule.