Academy vs. The Real Deal
- Thread starter Morty
- Start date
One other thing we provide new hires == a several page list of PO acronyms! We put three letter abbreviations for EVERYTHING and we include some of the most common form numbers as well. A supe will ask about the MDD, and the new guy has no clue what he's talking about until he checks his acronym list and find out it's the damn scanner.
Totally. We start with respect and interest. Pull as a team. The good managers we get understand and support. The crapheads pretty much ignore us because we have a little talk when they first arrive -- do you want to stay off telecons and the lists from district, then just leave us alone and go harass the city carriers, because you've got two full time jobs trying to get them to do 5 hours work in 8 hours. We all know rural far beyond what Mr Craphead does, so very quickly he gets it. We're lucky, no weak links, all pull together as a team.In other words a little humanity and consideration would go a long way.
I'm not going to lie. There are a lot of burned out academy trainers, probably for the same reasons stewards get burned out - overuse. Not everyone is capable of training. Whether that be at an academy or on a route. It takes patience and the ability to stand back and let a student make mistakes. We are wired to learn from the screwups. Rca's can be instructed correctly and not understand until they get hands on and screw it up. I learned more from my mistakes than I ever did from verbal instructions. But, I'm hard headed that way. Listening, it turns out, is a skill of the aged not the young. The young just want to keep reinventing that wheel.
Old Fart et al -- " One other thing we provide new hires == a several page list of PO acronyms! "
-- There is Publication 32 -- Glossary of Postal Terms.
-- A Mail Count Guide for Column 13 entries -- Mark-Up Mail Pieces deals with the 3-letter abbreviations.
-- Per "Hardearned Tan's" " a little humanity and consideration would go a long way". Make that a LOT MORE humanity and consideration!
-- There is Publication 32 -- Glossary of Postal Terms.
-- A Mail Count Guide for Column 13 entries -- Mark-Up Mail Pieces deals with the 3-letter abbreviations.
-- Per "Hardearned Tan's" " a little humanity and consideration would go a long way". Make that a LOT MORE humanity and consideration!
The burnout point is likely true often. Our District doesn't have that issue really, it's the curriculum, the force of city bred HR managers harassing rural trainers to teach the city way as the gospel, and the typical political crap the PO is rife with in the District environment. That's what blew out our trainers. They want 50 minutes of safety and 10 minutes "by the way" of real training. They focus on stuff we rarely actually do, and do little that's practical and useful. Yeah, they've "revised" the curriculum, but you know the deal -- District had their hand heavy on the fix, so it's not really from the practical and useful side.
I've got the education and experience in prior life to do it right (maybe), but I'd likely take death before I tackled this mess. The politics don't fit with my personality. They already know what they want to ram down the newbie's throat, so the really don't want any interference from we stupid and useless carriers.
Lastly, the trainers were given this position as VOLUNTARY, which means same pay (no 10% boost like a true detail position) and it was worse than pulling molars to get paid for mileage, since our trainers were LLV carriers. District felt this was reward and recognition, and the trainer should be kissing every boot in the building. Wrong. Nope. Not. Never.
Altoonaflyer
Well-known member
On another note, there is a packet that accompanies a new RCA to the office that details the on-the-job training procedures. It involves the regular showing then observing the RCA perform those tasks and provides for auxiliary assistance to the regular training to compensate for the additional time required. Anyone else seen this? Never seen it done yet?
Yeah, I've seen it, handed it to my regular who's my OJI trainer, and that's the last I saw of it. District even directed (which I did) to make sure that both the OJI trainer and the rural sup know that these are to be filled out and use the pre-addressed envelope to ensure that the completed forms make it back to district. Got a copy myself. All those great things that would be wonderful to be shown, especially a couple days in a row to make sure I've got it..
For each new hire, we provide three days on the job training with the regular carrier for the route they're going to be the relief. First day, mostly observation and minor help, second day does part of casing and part of delivery, third day does all of both with regular observing and tutoring.
When as RCA is going to be asked to work a different route, we offer the same training for that route. Usually the RCA catches on in one day and wants to take it from there. When we invest time and training in them, they feel part of the team, and willing to try to do their best. The new hires that don't fit usually bale early -- too much work, etc -- the good ones stay.
When as RCA is going to be asked to work a different route, we offer the same training for that route. Usually the RCA catches on in one day and wants to take it from there. When we invest time and training in them, they feel part of the team, and willing to try to do their best. The new hires that don't fit usually bale early -- too much work, etc -- the good ones stay.
That's what the OJI manual says to do, that's what the checklist that's never been touched in a folder District handed me to give to my supervisor who gave it to my OJI trainer, and sitting lonely in there is the pre-addressed envelope to send the filled out forms verifying OJI happened back to district.
My OJI training was coming in for a week of casing every day, carrying 3rds of the route, carrying both halfs of the route, then carrying the full route. Oh, and following in a POV as she delivered on my shadow day, getting out at every NBU. I still feel incompetent for end of day office tasks. And of course, now into my 6th pay period.
Reason at the time was COVID. Thankfully there's forums like this one where I can learn a lot of what I should have been trained to do, in my free time instead of on the clock.
The training you get in your own office, and the support you receive (or don't) from management, and of course your own natural aptitude for the job - are what really matters. The academy is what I'd call fluff - a needless formality that really just scrapes the surface of what the job entails. Something out of touch management came up with. A huge waste of time and money for the USPS, and the new RCA.
I pretty much agree the way it's done now. However, it could be a good launch for a new RCA if done properly, with the right curriculum, the right amount of time spent on each subject. My training, a bazillion years ago, was helpful, informative, practical. That being said, with the power junkies, city mindset of today there's about a zero chance of making it worth the time. Too bad, it could be a great launch.
Crzyruralgrl
Member
I got to academy tomorrow. I just finished orientation, shadow day and driver training and so far absolutely nothing other than the shadow day has pertained to the role of RCA.
The driver’s doing the training basically said it’s awful, they wouldn’t do it again or they’re quitting.
I showed up to shadow and was immediately told the RCA hired before me had been there about 5 months and cried almost everyday the first 3 months. I kinda feel like I jumped on some insane ride, I have on the job training next week for 3 days and have already been told that I should be prepared to not get training and run the route on my own.
I’m pretty determined to make this work and J am definitely a self-starter and problem solver and one of the most stubborn people on the planet, I can’t imagine someone without a very strong personality and determination making it past 90 days with what I’ve seen so far ?
flash
Well-known member
View attachment 1605
Welcome to the circus!
Some of us do still love what we do, even though it’s currently very difficult. I try to remember there are a LOT of people who lost their jobs recently.......
Driver training-
Sorry you got a disgruntled person! It happens. Please ask about the blind spot created when driving RHD (mostly for right turns) and how you need to physically move the nose of the vehicle leftwards to “uncreate” the blind spot. Most other things can be learned in time By asking us old uns ...
no one will teach you this but go in to case and create yourself a cheat sheet. I’ll work up a quick one and post below.. essentially you write down all road names and the place they have in case, then alphabetize. Piece of cake! Cuts down on hunting and pecking...
do your best, “speed” only comes w time and efficiency so give yourself a LOT of grace .... I would say takes minimum 3 months to learn first route and a year to learn the job and then it’s continually a learning process that’s up to you.... the USPS only bangs rollaway runaway in your brain and not much else ?
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Just a wild guess, but from what you've shared here and how you've said it, my guess is you won't fall into the trap of believing everything negative you hear, and that this is a good job for the most part. Ask lots of questions, short ones with direct answers possible, both of management, your "trainer" and the workers on both sides of your case. You'll figure out which ones you can go to with questions and which don't give a shit.
Ask us here also. Thousands of years of experience. Good luck, congratulations, and go for it!!
Morty
Well-known member
OK, so I gather it's a waste of time (I never went)
Would it be better if instead of sitting in a classroom, you sat at a case? And went over all the components?
Instead of "learning" the practice case, would it be better if you were taught techniques? Like leaving mail out a little so it's easier to pull down? And teaching you one method instead of showing you 20 and then say do whatever your carrier tells you? Marking parcels using the abc method?
How about showing you how to sit in a pov? How to load it?
And other practical stuff like someone mentioned...make sure to be pointing slightly left to reduce blind spots.
Would it be better if instead of sitting in a classroom, you sat at a case? And went over all the components?
Instead of "learning" the practice case, would it be better if you were taught techniques? Like leaving mail out a little so it's easier to pull down? And teaching you one method instead of showing you 20 and then say do whatever your carrier tells you? Marking parcels using the abc method?
How about showing you how to sit in a pov? How to load it?
And other practical stuff like someone mentioned...make sure to be pointing slightly left to reduce blind spots.
Flash gives some great advice! In addition to the cheat sheet he's set out here, also on a second sheet, write from top to bottom, against the left margin, all your streets in the order of delivery. This will also serve as a parcel cheat sheet which you can list the larger pieces etc. You won't need that sheet forever but a good crutch for starters.
Ask us for help here. We've done it all and screwed up almost everything that can be screwed up. Welcome to the asylum.
