Anybody else feel sorry for post-office workers?

jetsonx

I was in my local post office this morning. Honesty, the amount of time-consuming sh@t they had to deal with. Credit cards, passport applications, dog licenses and now third-party bank accounts. All while a massive queue built up.

Do you think that post office workers are being exploited?

While their management probably take credit for being "efficient", I just think its gross exploitation.

They are now meant to be experts:

Customs

Track and Trace

Foreign Exchange

Household Utility Bills

Car Insurance

House Insurance

Garda fines

Passports

Foreign Exchange

An Post Credit Cards

TV Licenses

Pet Licenses

Home Improvement Loans

Electric Car Loans

Property Tax

Customs Clearance

Ulster Bank accounts

Bank of Ireland accounts

An Post Money

Ger Roe

I agree, wont be long before industrial disputes arise, or it all falls apart under pressure. An Post management are rushing to fill the gaps left by the banks reducing their personal service offering, but do they have the person power, facilities and infrastructure to take up the slack?

El Tarangu

I guess when you put it like that, yes, a little, but not enough that I would be prepared to pay for the provision of separate local Customs, FX, TV licence, etc., offices.

Princess Calla

Well being busy makes your day go faster!

There's times when I go past the post office and there's no one there, so someone is earning a decent salary with not a whole lot to do.

There are other days where there's a queue out the door. So one day will balance out the other.

Alot of the stuff listed there can be done online or by direct debit etc. So if someone wants to stand in a queue for 20 mins that's their business.

There have been alot of post office closures in recent years so clearly these additional services are still not enough to keep some post offices open and viable.

B.A._Baracus

The job certainly covers a lot. It's basically retail in the sense you are dealing with the public all day. But speaking of retail it can be viewed similar to the likes of Aldi or Lidl (minus the physical labor part) having to stock the shelves, use the electric pallot truck, jump on the till, give refunds, rearrange stock room, take out the bins etc. Like all the other stuff.

But to be honest most people don't care. Sure you're being alright op in your post saying it's not as easy as it looks but your average person would sooner moan that someone on the till is slow than opening their eyes.

Sure I knew someone working in aldi and one morning they said they were on the till and had to close the till to take their break (staggered breaks in aldi, so when you are told to take your break you do so asap as the next person will be waiting on you to get back) so one customer starts moaning saying scan their items before going on break. Employee says working hard all morning, manager told me to go on break and till 1 is open to scan your items - customer said "I don't care that's the job you went for" - response to that was "as you can see till 1 is open"

That's life. That's what you're up against. Gonna be the same in the post office... why aren't you faster, why aren't aren't opening up your till, why are you closing your till. Etc etc. People don't care.

SnuggyBear

How hard can it be? They are sitting on their hole most of the time.

Allinall

What does time consuming" mean?

What else would they be doing in their working time?

All my work- every single bit of it- is time consuming.

Jequ0n

Why would you feel sorry for them?

nobody forced them into a mundane job

StupidLikeAFox

Post office workers always seem fairly happy to me. The postmen are always in good form in particular!

There should be a separate line for wellfare people. They are doing no thing else anyway, and other customers have jobs to get back to

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118085758#Comment_118085758

Are you watching too much 'Postman Pat'? Was he a favourite character of yours?

Ljmscooter

No. Shes an unhelpful miserable woman

Mister Vain

No. I feel sorry for the one armed brick layers with itchy arses.

jetsonx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118085744#Comment_118085744

Well. If somebody came to your workplace tomorrow and said

"Hey, Jequ0n we're now going to outsource the work of 30 other organisations to you. Its all part of an efficiency drive which basically means they're giving you all their dirty work. "

"You know all those cranky customers that can't reach these unreachable companies over the phone. Well they're now coming in person to your Post Office and you can deal with them"

I don't know about you. But I'd be feckin livid.

My guess is that these workers are being exploited because they are a very dispersed workforce that don't actually meet each other. Because if they did, they could probably organise a very valid protest.

They don't have to be experts on An Post Money, you can lodge/withdraw with your card there, that's it. Staff can't assist with anything else, it's otherwise a virtual bank.

Geuze

Note that the vast majority of post offices are agents of An Post, so the staff are NOT employees of An Post.

An Post does have company post offices, mainly in the cities, i.e. GPO in Cork, Galway city, etc., and these staff are An Post staff.

In most smaller post offices, the postmaster is self-employed, and gets paid per transaction.

Larbre34

They're paid handsomely to franchise those services.

Its no different to any retail person needing to know about dozens of product types.

Padraig Mor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118085775#Comment_118085775

In my experience as someone regularly conducting actual postal business in the post office (a rarity from what I can see), the majority of people queueing are there to pick up free cash of some description or other. I always seem to be the only one handing money over to the other side of the counter!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118085684#Comment_118085684

Definitely? Despite the list in the opening post?

No worse than any job but saying they're sitting around most of the time doesn't tally.

Jequ0n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118087887#Comment_118087887

Then I’d find another job and leave this one to someone who wanted it.

Lets be realistic. They don’t need to be subject exerts on most things. The vast majority of their time is spent with the old crusty part of the population who uses their post office trip as a social event. They spend so much time there that the places even smell like old people.

Why anyone would want to work in a place like that is beyond me, but I guess that can be said about any job.

Potential-Monke

I would have at one point. But then I became a Garda. Can you imagine the list of everything I was supposed to be able to do/know?! Everything. Literally everything. Most government jobs are the same though. The grunts are expected to know and do everything while management pull each other off.

Same with private sector. The workplace really can be the most toxic kip.

jack of all

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118088124#Comment_118088124

Thanks for your post, I thought I was alone in my thinking! I too occasionally visit the local post office for postal services (in connection with my job) and I am always amazed at the number of people getting money handed to them. They are all well known to the workers there.

markpb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118087887#Comment_118087887

It's not so long ago that An Post were losing money hand over fist and closing (or threatening to close) post offices all over the country because they were to quiet. With all the extra business they're bringing in, those post offices are less likely to close and the employees less likely to be made redundant. If that's exploiting them, do you think they'd be happier on the dole collecting money from the other side of the window?

jetsonx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118090138#Comment_118090138

You've got a point!

Part of the reason for posting here is to better understand this perceived problem. I am now much more informed.

However, it does seem like excessive responsibility. And because it's a face-to-face, it will probably attract the most difficult customers and difficult problems.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118090267#Comment_118090267

Spend an hour watching people in your local post office, and get back to us on how difficult it looked.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118086572#Comment_118086572

This post receives The Donald's stamp of approval

Wanderer2010

Well if they dont like it they can always find another job. Ive always got a whiff of the snob or self importance off the post office staff. Not all of them, but there are still a fair few dinosaurs out there, particularly in rural post offices,who exude an air of pompousness, harking back to a time, like bank staff, when working in a post office meant you were someone of merit in the community, the first port of call providing services to the elderly, the unemployed and everyone in between.

Thankfully this perception is fading away, as essentially they are just workers no more no less, but they have a ways to go to completely change that image.

whisky_galore

Not really, they're free to quit and try for other jobs like the rest of us. No ones putting a gun to their heads.

Dempo1

In one sense its all these additional services that make rural post offices viable in particular . But its a fair point when you consider smaller, rural Post offices essentially run on a franchise basis and presumably the staff get nowhere near the pay rates of direct employees at main post offices which are always well staffed.

My own local PO, in a small village copes well in fairness, most transactions electronic, Q's definitely form on Pension, Allowance days but that's to be expected.

All in all, I'd say rural Post office Franchisees happy with increased volumes of business, are the staff 🤔, hard to know but I've definitely not seen an increase in staff so certainly their work load has increased.

freshpopcorn

When my father used go the post office he used weck their heads.

Firstly he'd have to find his pesnion card.

Then he'd put everything away into various different pockets.

Then realies he has pay a bill.

Then put everything away again.

Then he decided he want to pay another bill.

Then put everything away.

Then decided he wants to get phone credit.

This was a weekly accourance as he was only paying about €10 off each bill.

It could take him at least 20 minutes so they do have my sympathy for that.

mickdw

In smaller PO they should limit some transactions to times when 2 windows are guaranteed to be operating.

There is nothing worst than being behind someone who is sending off passport renewal for the entire family.

PO worker has to ensure everything is in the envelope and form is suitably filled. If only 1 window operating, the queue quickly extends down the street.

BrianD3

I've never encountered a rude, impatient or clueless staff member in a post office. I'd say the staff are treated well and well trained. Staff turnover seems very low. I'm referring to the big post offices here as they are the ones I use. Also, I have money in NTMA State Savings (administered by An Post in the GPO) and have no complaints. In general, customer service is far ahead of what I've experienced from banks, public and private healthcare providers, GPs, County Councils etc.

Richard tea

Post offices should thank their lucky stars this extra work is coming along. Otherwise the vast majority of them would not exist anymore. Private delivery companies and much quicker and efficient.

markpb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118093438#Comment_118093438

Wouldn’t exist? Do postal workers spontaneously combust if there’s no work for them? 😀

jetsonx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118093278#Comment_118093278

God bless him but this is the sort of messing I see every time I go into a post office.

mickdw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118093719#Comment_118093719

No but post offices do close where business is slow. Maybe you didn't read the post correctly

jetsonx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118093306#Comment_118093306

And this is crux of the issue.

Everybody detests form filling. It's time consuming. It's detail oriented. Yet, these workers are now expected to know about the intricacies about dozens of different forms from dozens of third-party organisations, who have conveniently off-loaded the work to post office workers. Yet, I continually here people complaint they have to do a lot of form filling in their work - forms from their own organisation.

Oh, and I'm glad you mentioned about the passports. Among filling out forms for Ulster Bank, Social Welfare and registering letters. Those employees better not lose that passport because Mrs O'Brien urgently needs it for her holiday in Lanzarote in 2 weeks times.

Calahonda52

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058215260/anybody-else-feel-sorry-for-post-office-workers

many of these do not need any expertise.

All the fines/ licenses etc are just pay the damn thing.

The loans they just process the paperwork, there is no expertise required.

Lodging and withdrawing money is jut a card, the number of bank options is irrelevant

The work keeps them open

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118088136#Comment_118088136

I think the point was that most of that work can be done while sitting down.

ongarboy

From what I see, the post offices welcome IT illiterate customers to frequently attend daily or weekly with the most frivolous or inefficient requirements as they get a commission every time a customer conducts business. My local PO had a sign (hand written of course) on its counter asking customers not to do their business online or receive their welfare payments electronically but instead make the frequent visits to the PO to do them the old fashioned inefficient way such as pay off their TV license by a fiver a week at the counter, pension collection etc etc as this was the only way the PO would survive.

It's unfortunate that you are then stuck behind a dozen customers doing such transactions that could be performed in seconds online when all you want to do is send a parcel. I try to limit my visits to POs as seldom as I do my bank...once every few years if I can help it.

I have to say the staff in POs the rare time I visit, are always friendly though.

PS, don't get me started on POs squeezed in to the back of an aisle of a SPAR etc next to the milk or sausages. Trying to get the food you need while a welfare day queue blocks the entire chilled foods area is annoying! I'm not a fan of such co-location. Now that they offer banking services, imagine trying to apply for a loan giving your financial details while a neighbour is next to you ear wigging while selecting a tin of beans!!