Should I just quit?

[NewbieTexas]

 OK, first question... How do you really know when you've made 90 days? I've been working since September, 6 days a week, so I find it really hard to believe that I'm not yet at 90 days, but they are telling me otherwise. Secondly, I'm being told that I'm just too slow, but our office does not get DPS yet our routes are just as long as those of a DPS office! What gives? I'm being told we can't get DPS because it's too late for that or something, yet I think management just isn't doing their job! (And as far as my being slow, I'm being compared to other subs who cheat. They are already in trouble for bringing mail back, hiding mail in their car, paying other subs under the table to help them finish on time, etc.,  so this really isn't fair).  Any advice? I'm at my wits end and about ready to quit. 

 

[HardearnedTan]

Keeping a log of your work days would help you a lot in knowing where you stand.  At least try to go back to your first day on a calendar and count your days served so you will know how many days you have on the books.  The PO DOES make mistakes, and if you can't point it out and prove your case, no one else will care about correcting those mistakes!  Let alone that mgmt. is often doing <em>as little as possible</em> to make your life any better, so don't just take whatever they say as correct or in your best interest.

As to the other subs doing weird and wrong stuff to get by, I wouldn't pick that battle just yet, when you are unsure of your time in service...but I would be keeping a log of what you are witness to (at home, without advertising it!) just in case you need to refer to it down the road.

Keeping notes on what you did, what happened each day, etc. is a great way to have documentation on your pay because the pay stubs <strong>are</strong> confusing, but also it is a great way to cope by <strong>"venting</strong>" in the safety of privacy as well as providing accurate details of weeks gone by if and when a need arises to consult those notes.   If you stick it out and keep your job with the PO, you can begin to anticipate heavy mail episodes, the approx. dates of certain mailings, periodicals and the like if you have a log or notes to look back on.

It is a very frustrating job to "get the hang of", but repetition DOES lead to improved times.  Ask your reg. or someone else you can halfway trust to give you some pointers on being efficient or trying a different approach from what you may have been taught initially on preparing your mail or loading your vehicle.  Everyone has his own style; maybe you can pick up on some things others are doing that you will find help you a great deal when you try them out.

 

[Shafted]

DONT QUIT.   If you are this close, you know that 90 is right around the corner.  If mgt is on your butt to quit, and you don't know exactly how many days you have worked I'm guessing you are either there, or going to be safe very soon and they don't want you to realize it.  Stick it out, pay no attention to what others do when you go in, and just do your best every day.  Usually when mgt is riding someone new,like this they have an agenda, that has more to do with giving someone else what they want, and less to do with your performance as a new employee. You WILL get faster, and more efficient as time goes by.  You are tougher than you think.

 

[olewhatshername]

I am with Shafted....please DO NOT QUIT.  Your Supervisor is going to have a very hard case to prove .....keeping you this long and then after Christmas you suddenly are slow.  Of course you are not as fast as a seasoned employee,  there is a learning curve to this job.  Make them fire you.  They can't just say you are not meeting job expectations,  they will need to detail exactly what you can't do. After this amount of time are you kidding me??  You DO keep a detailed journal.  

Also, don't worry what others are doing wrong or less it directly can affect you.  I have seen so many things some employees have done to cut corners,  I only speak up if my job in put on the line, and then thread lightly.

 

[btdtret]

NewbieTexas -- Don't you dare quit now,!!    The Christmas No-Overtime Period is history.   Things should settle down.   

--  You left out a very important piece of information -- what day did you start in September?

--  If you started in early September and working 6 days a week right from the start, you should be past the 90 days.

--  If you started in late September and working 6 days a week it is quite possible you have not yet reached 90 work days.  Maybe in the high 70's or low 80's.

--  How many days have you actually work on your assigned route?    As previously posted, repetition, repetition, and more repetition is the key to increasing one's speed in doing the job.

--  Quite possibly manglement doesn't know if you are over or under 90 days yet.   Best to keep your own log at home, noting the day, the route worked, when you started the day and when you went home.  Not only are you tracking work days, but your work hours to check if you are getting properly paid.

--  If you get tossed on a brand new route, you get ACTUAL time for running it.   Unfortunately that is only good for the first day, after that manglement considers you "trained" on the route.   Something to remember:   If you have not run a route in a year, you get ACTUAL time.   You will know for sure as you have been keeping track of the dates and routes you have run.

--  Best not to pester manglement about the 90 work days.   The quieter you are when reaching it the better.   As a bonus, you can be represented by a union steward should something arise between you and manglement.

--  Don't worry ( too much ) about being told you are "slow".   Right there and then ask manglement what the problem is and how to improve.   Most likely you will get the "deer in the headlight's" look from manglement and they will probably suddenly remember they have somewhere else to be!

--  If threatened with firing, you can remind manglement the the Post Master General issued an edict in late 2015 that RCA's are to be "kept at all costs".   If brave enough, ask manglement what will they tell the Post Master General.    The USPS has already spent a good deal of time and money on getting you on the employment rolls back in September, so to suddenly discover you are "slow" at the end of the busy holiday season is ...  Sorry, can't find the proper word.  Tell manglement that you are being thorough and methodical in your work.

--  A 26+ year veteran on another rural web site posted she was told that she was "slow" as the holiday period ended.   You are far from being alone.

--  Besides keeping track of your work day, keep a journal, as suggested above, of what happened each day.   I used EXCEL for years and ended up with 44,000 lines of information.   I'd sit right up front during Stand-Ups, jotting down what ever manglement said.   At first, they didn't like it but they got used to it.   Rural and city stewards would ask what was said on such and such day.   Note what ever suits your fancy.    Weather, late trucks, visits by District personnel, carrier retirement, route postings ( timely or late ), new RCA's reporting in, what ever.   

Good luck and stay with the program!

 

[NewbieTexas]

Thank you all for your feedback, it's very much appreciated! And a few things... 1, I started at the very beginning of September. 2, I've only run the route they're complaining about like once a week (& sometimes every other week). 3, even the regular was getting back at 6 during the holidays (I was getting back around 6:30), so I don't see the big deal (but when I mentioned this to the supervisor, she insisted that wasn't true). Maybe all offices are nuts, but I keep being told that no other post office is this screwed up. I just want to do my job, go regular & then possibly apply for a higher position within the system (somewhere else!!!).

 

[btdtret]

NewbieTexas --  "I started at the very beginning of September."

--  Quite possibly you have passed your 90th work day if you've been working 6 days a week.    Keep your head down and just keep working.

"even the regular was getting back at 6 during the holidays (I was getting back around 6:30), so I don't see the big deal (but when I mentioned this to the supervisor, she insisted that wasn't true)."

--  A simple look at the 4240 would be enough to settle that.  Could it be the supervisor has already gone home before the regular gets back?

"Maybe all offices are nuts, but I keep being told that no other post office is this screwed up."

--  Let's just say each office is different.  Some are good, some are bad.   Manglement personnel are usually at the center of how good or bad an office is.

" then possibly apply for a higher position within the system (somewhere else!!!)."

--  Ouch!   Making Regular is as high as it gets in the rural craft.

--  If you are looking for a higher position, that means you are considering going over to the "dark side" in management.   One step at a time!

 

[NorthernVA]

There are a lot of rca's who show up and put in a lot of time and effort and never complain about this job or want to quit, so if you are already wanting to quit after 4 months why do you think you deserve a regular spot or a management position? You've been here a very short time, if you are struggling you need to either figure out how to get better or look for something easier, but good luck with that full time/management goal.

 

[EthelAnne]

As far as I know, no one tracks the 90 day work days of new RCAs, unless the RCA does it themselves. If management says you haven't reached 90 days yet, tell them that you have, and make them prove that you haven't.

Sounds like you're committed to working for the USPS, so hang in there. Don't get too worried about any complaints about you being slow unless you start being disciplined for it. And, as always, contact your union rep if you are disciplined.

 

[junkchucker]

Can't you just go online to lite blue and look up your previous pay period info? I can pull up paychecks to last January, tells me how many days a week I worked for each pay period.

 

[NewbieTexas]

I've tried looking at my paycheck stubs, but can't seem to make sense of them as far as days go. 

 

[btdtret]

NewbieTexas --  Search for "pay stub" in the KNOWLEDGEBASE section at the top of the page.  That should help.

 

[rhunnicutt]

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">
<strong>NewbieTexas said </strong>
I've tried looking at my paycheck stubs, but can't seem to make sense of them as far as days go.   

</blockquote>
Yeah my paystubs usually lump together all the hours I worked that week into one total number! It can be tough too if some weeks had a lot of days that were only on green cards!

 

One tip I found is trying to look at the trip numbers/route ema numbers if you are trying to remember how many days you worked in an old paystub, hope that helps! Once you have at least a close guess of your days worked keep track of them day to day! 

 

Even after I hit my 90 I copy my posted schedule into my phone calender for everyday Im working and put down notes for what route, sick call, aux, route, sunday amazon etc I was doing.

 

[noluv4llv]

newbietexas-get a little "pocket" calendar and mark each day that you worked, where you worked and your hours. If you don't even know how many days you have worked you may very well have had wrong paychecks. When you work a lot or go to other offices your paycheck will at times be wrong. As far as worrying about what others are doing, don't, that's not your business and do not tell anyone what you think you are seeing because it may be wrong and you could cost someone their job, not to mention it will get you on everyone's bad side. I would focus on doing things to make you get quicker, like if your mail comes raw take pictures of your case and really get to know it better or at least try to memorize the order of your streets. Why the rush for 90 days, if it's because your office is giving you a hard time, you can always apply to another location that is hiring and either resign from your current office or speak with you post master, I have seen it done before where they have let subs transfer before 90 days because it's in everyone best interest.