Be Prepared for Peak Season

Be Prepared for Peak Season
By Jimmy Warden
NAPS Secretary/Treasurer

Peak season is fast approaching! This is a critical time for businesses in many industries as it is defined by a surge in demand that puts pressure on operations, but also offers the greatest opportunity for revenue growth. Peak season performance also can enhance a customer’s confidence in a company.

For many companies, peak season can make or break their business. It is a season that can vary from business to business. Beginning in August through the end of October, it is peak season for international freight as retailers’ demand is high for back-to-school products, as well as stockpiling for the year-end holiday season.

For the U.S. Postal Service, our peak season used to begin early November and went through the end of December. In recent years, it gradually has moved into October. The agency faces many challenges every year during this time.

Increased shipping volumes can overwhelm transportation networks and staging as facility capacity is limited. Forecasting errors can lead to higher costs. Staffing always is an issue if volume projections are not accurate. In many areas of the country, hiring is a challenge.

Then we are confronted with return management. Higher sales lead to higher return rates. An inefficient process for handling returns can significantly erode any company’s profit margins.

With all these challenges year after year, the Postal Service has demonstrated success. We have been successful because of preplanning using historical data, forecasting the need for additional transportation, including vehicles at the delivery level and, in some cases, temporarily renting real estate as facility capacity is limited.

We need to strengthen communication among partners (Delivery, Processing, Logistics) to ensure messaging is clear and we have a flexible strategy balancing cost and speed so adjustments may be made if warranted. Bottom line: Everyone must be on the same page and communicate!

You may be wondering why I am writing about peak season. The Postal Service experiences this surge in volume every year. The high-pressure environment of peak season can lead to significant psychological strain on employees—craft and management. Some may experience burnout, stress, anxiety, depression, low morale and job satisfaction and fear of underperforming.

As management, we should preplan by implementing strategies to support our staff to minimize any negative consequences. Plan and communicate early. If it is anticipated an issue may arise, your plan should be flexible in order to respond.

Optimize your staffing. Remember the four Ps: “Pre-planning Prevents Poor Performance!” The most important thing to help alleviate stress in a high-pressure environment is work-life balance. One should set clear boundaries between work and their personal life.

Working an exorbitant number of hours is not productive. Employees need to have a break to rejuvenate themselves mentally and physically. This allows them to be more productive. Take your break when needed and, most importantly, take your lunch. People need to have that break in their workday by taking their lunch.

What I mean by having your lunch is moving away from your computer or, even better, trying to leave your work area to relax and eat. Remember, your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

Also, do not take the easy way out of situations by compromising your integrity. If an issue arises, notify your superior and ask for guidance, if needed, and address the issue. Problems do not go away on their own. Your supervisor cannot help you if they are not aware of a problem.

Notifying your superior when an issue occurs enables them to report to their superior; that is communicating. You also should document with an email. If you notify your superior of the fact a situation existed and resulted in negative impacts long after it occurred, it now becomes an excuse and puts you in a stressful situation.

Remember, work-life balance is important to one’s health—physically and, especially, mentally. You all are dedicated postal employees, but we also must remember we have a commitment to our families.

We work for our families. We are employed by the United States Postal Service!

And remember, increasing membership demonstrates leadership. Stay safe.