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A Crisis in Leadership Retention

A Crisis in Leadership Retention
By Ivan D. Butts
NAPS National President

There were 908 crew members on board the Titanic. The crew comprised one able officer, two medical doctors and 29 able seamen.

The able officer, also known as a bosun or boatswain, had seniority over all the unlicensed deck crew. The two medical doctors were titled surgeon and assistant surgeon, respectively. The 29 able seamen had completed additional training and usually had seniority over other crew members. Only four officers survived this disastrous event.

You may have seen dramatic recreations of how officers and crew members of this ill-fated voyage faced an inevitable end by ensuring others made it to safety. These men chose not to desert the ship.

I recently had a conversation with a concerned USPS leader who brought to my attention a pressing issue—a significant number of EAS employees are leaving the USPS for other federal agencies, enticed by better pay and less-demanding working conditions. This exodus not only is affecting our workforce, but also hampering our ability to address internal USPS operations. It’s a matter that requires our immediate attention.

We at NAPS Headquarters have heard about and known these types of departures from the USPS were occurring, but have been thwarted in our attempts to validate this trend. The most recent attempt was a request for a summary review of the required exit forms submitted by departing EAS employees, whether by termination of employment or departure to another federal agency. The Postal Service’s response has been the now-standard process of ignoring it if telling the truth makes the agency look bad.

Ignorance of harmful conditions often ends in disastrous consequences, whether in corporate or personal circumstances. Just as we, at times, ignore the signs our bodies are telling us about our physical health, corporations can do the same when facing obvious signs of trouble. Leadership of this agency loves to refer to Ma Bell and Blockbuster for not recognizing the changing times as the reasons for their demise, while using it as the reason for their own actions.

However, while doing this, are they also failing to recognize the bigger issue concerning the agency’s EAS leaders? Because this agency refuses to share data on EAS retention, we may never know.

Here is what we do know. The Postal Service is promoting newly hired employees to EAS roles with little to no knowledge of USPS operations (time in service). The USPS training mechanism for EAS employees, which was taken over at the USPS Headquarters level, continues to be broken.

We also are seeing EAS employees rapidly promoted into mid-level and senior leadership positions with this same lack of operational and leadership knowledge. There is an increased use of the leadership tool of psychological aggression, hostile work environment and threats that is creating dangerous work situations that are absent of real development of USPS leaders who can lead.

Now, this certainly does not apply to every situation or every EAS employee who is attempting to be a leader in this agency. However, we do see a rise in some behaviors that are not in the best interests of a healthy working environment. This could be a factor in why we are hearing of so many EAS employees choosing to continue serving America in other federal agencies.

Also, I certainly do not want you to believe that America’s Postal Service is akin to the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic. We have a long history that is woven into the very fabric of our great nation. We should be proud of how we continue to bind this country together through post roads as mandated by the Constitution and believe that the oversight is sufficient to react to all dangers to the sustainability of America’s Postal Service.

I want to close by letting you know NAPS Headquarters recently received announcements of the retirements of postal officers Jacqueline Krage Strako, chief Commerce & Business Solutions officer and executive vice president, and Eric Henry, vice president, Retail and Delivery Operations, Central Area.