You Raised Your Hand, but Not for This!

You Raised Your Hand, but Not for This!
By Dee Perez
NAPS New York Area Vice President

I understand things can’t stand still; otherwise, we become dinosaurs. The workplace needs to evolve to avoid becoming extinct. With the advent of technology and analytics data for everything imaginable in the workplace, the entirety is justifiably scrutinized.

It’s in one’s nature to be the best they can be and as efficient as possible.

The USPS is no different. However, the lack of understanding when someone is overwhelmed and pulled in so many different directions six/seven days a week is the Achilles’ heel of the Postal Service. It needs to be recognized and fixed.

The PMG often discusses changing the culture. I sure hope the following example does not represent the culture for which he is looking; I believe it to be something different. In Customer Service, you turn your computer on before 8 a.m. and find 40 to 50 emails already waiting for you. On a Monday, it could be 100 emails.

Everyone is stressed every day over the constant pressure and second-guessing. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it so bad. I’ve received feedback from many branch presidents and attended membership and Zoom meetings with my Postmaster’s Committee members. Things are spiraling out of control in Customer Service.

MPOOs’ responsibilities have become everything under the sun, with no help from Operations Program Support. Oh, wait! I forgot! Those positions were RIFed a few years ago. This, despite the fact the tasks they performed still are required and now are being done by much-higher-level employees than the previous Level-19s. What’s that all about?

MPOOs have had no choice but to delegate their tasks of compliance and monitoring programs to postmasters and managers, while also allowing them to hold Zoom meetings on their behalf because the MPOOs are on Zoom meetings all day. The result of this stellar job being done by their mini MPOOs is threatening corrective action with “paper” and being flat-out disrespectful to their peers in Zoom meetings that include yelling.

I’m hearing this from both coasts; it’s a sign of the times in the USPS. I’m often reminded these anointed leaders are a reflection of whoever appointed them to represent them in a Zoom meeting. Those leaders own their behavior.

The problem with all the MPOO helpers is they are not at any higher level. Let’s be real—to send a report or monitor a compliance task six days a week is just a small fraction of MPOOs’ responsibilities. The helpers are not doing MPOOs’ entire jobs, just a small fraction, so there is no higher-level reward allowed.

Can these voluntary favors lead to a promotion? Perhaps. This is why being an MPOO’s little helper may result in anger from your peers—and rightfully so—when they see you have been promoted by performing all these tasks.

Promotions are not supposed to work like this, but, unfortunately, they sometimes can. That’s the culture of the Postal Service. Unless MPOOs are given proper staffing, such as administrative assistants, these preconceived notions will continue to linger and eat away at the morale of front-line EAS employees, as is happening today.

I’m learning that postmasters are conducting office visits on behalf of MPOOs, which is not a new concept. But some are taking these duties much further than their Form 50 indicates they can. They need to know their place.

Form 1723 tells you who’s in charge. The ELM tells us that, from manager to postmaster of the same level, you are not each other’s new boss.

As a reminder to every active member reading this column:

• You have a voice; respectfully stand up for yourself. NAPS has your back.
• You can voice your disagreement; just be respectful. NAPS has your back.

Please sign three new members per branch per month!

MM = membership matters!