Royal Mail Courier Summer 2022

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NET ZERO HEROES

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Stepping up on our emissions mission

SUMMER 2022 Big Trust Survey

Ukraine mission

The Big Interview

Sharing results and revealing what’s next

I evacuated families from the frontline

COO Grant on securing our future

WIN! Two years of National Trust membership

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THE ROYAL MAIL MYDRIVE SCHEME

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Terms and conditions apply. Early termination fees are payable. Full details about the scheme can be found at mybundleplus.myroyalmail.com. The benefit is available to current, permanent Royal Mail Group employees only, subject to eligibility and availability. National Trust family membership worth £133.80 Prize Draw: terms and conditions apply, please visit zenith.co.uk/prizedraw for more details. **With salary sacrifice, you can save on BiK tax if you choose an EV. Average saving over the length of the vehicle term when comparing the salary sacrifice car scheme to personal contract hire using the same car and the same vehicle term, annual mileage and driver age and postcode.

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SUMMER 2022 COVER Cambridge postwoman Charlotte Rickett photographed charging her new electric van on Friday 20 May 2022.

GET IN TOUCH Share your feedback and stories.

CALL 0800 183 0569 EMAIL courier@linney.com WRITE Courier, Linney Create, Adamsway, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG18 4FW TEAM Paul Smith – Editor at Royal Mail Damon Parkin – Editor at Linney Create PRINTING PCP, Haldane, Halesfield 1, Telford, Shropshire TF7 4QQ MAILING MAMS, 4 Middleton Grove, Leeds LS11 5BX DISTRIBUTION To notify HR of a change of address, employees should email HRSC.Personal.Data@royalmail.com or write to The HR Service Centre, Pond Street, Sheffield S98 6HR Pensioners should write to: Pensions Services Centre, PO Box 5863, HRSC, Pond Street, Sheffield S98 6AB

We can only win if we change now Team ­– unlike many businesses, we have coped very well with Covid over the last two years. We coped with larger parcel volumes than expected and coped because the bigger the challenge the harder you all tried. I am very grateful for that.

But the world is now normalising, Covid is behind us, and we have a lot of economic uncertainty ahead of us. Who would have imagined that inflation would be at this level, only six months ago?

The online retail market is cooling, we no longer have the benefit of delivering test kits and it is clear our customers’ behaviour has changed. More than half of our revenue is parcels. Our future is now as a parcels business that also delivers letters.

Over the last 12 months, we have learnt many things we can turn into action. The experience has made us better. But in this new market, it is critical we now change how we work to seize the opportunity that £900 million of investment in new infrastructure can power.

WE’VE LEARNT MANY THINGS WE CAN TURN INTO ACTION Our parcel automation is at 54.3%, up from 30% only 12 months ago. Our North West Parcel Hub is up and running, and the Midlands Parcel Hub will open on time next summer. Over the next couple of years, we will have the same automation capability for parcels that we’ve enjoyed for years with letters.

This means we can compete on quality and cost in the parcels market. But change is hard. It is hard for everyone. I find it hard.

But having delivered our transformation and completed our pay deal, we will be able to offer you all the job security you deserve for tomorrow and not just today.

So, it will be worth it.

We can win, I am certain of that. But only if we change. And, I am sorry to say, change now.

SIMON THOMPSON CEO Royal Mail

ADVERTISING To advertise in the next edition of Courier, email royalmailadvertising@linney.com for details of availability, suitability and rates. Courier is delivered to c.145,000 homes four times a year.

Workplace.com

3

GOOD TO KNOW

ROUND-UP

IS IT YOU?

IN IT TO WIN IT

DIGITAL P60

Three Golden Tickets worth £500 in shopping vouchers are still to be claimed. Check your Workplace codes to discover if you’ve won.

Operations IT Director Pooja Bagga won ‘IT Team of the Year led by a Woman’ at the Women in IT Awards.

You can now access your P60 for the tax year 2021/2022 in digital format through the People App.

Results highlight need for change

First Class app add-on First Class Support is now available on the Royal Mail People App. Digital services include instant mental health support by video or chat function, physical and financial health advice, and practical help with disability and domestic abuse. Users can access toolkits, ‘CareNow’ programmes and personal self-assessments.

The First Class Support helpline – 0345 266 5060 – remains available, along with the option to chat live through the app or website.

Royal Mail must change at pace and unlock the potential of the investments it has made. That was the message from CEO Simon Thompson as he delivered our fullyear results for 2021/22.

Revenue – that’s the money we make, not profit – reduced slightly, down 1.6% compared to last year, to just over £8.5 billion.

Through commercial, pricing and cost-saving initiatives, we managed to deliver increased profitability of £416 million in the year.

We saw an addressed letters (excluding elections) decline of 18% and a domestic parcel (excluding international) increase of 31% versus 2019/20.

Nowhere is the need to change more evident than in Delivery. More than 1,200

Something in the air Remote Royal Mail customers will benefit from more than 50 new postal drone delivery routes if ambitious plans are cleared for take-off.

FIND OUT MORE Scan the QR code for further details or to sign up.

In this issue 4

Summer 2022

revisions were delivered but the 1,000 that went well were cancelled out by the 200 that didn’t. This contributed to productivity for the year falling 0.2% year-on-year. We only delivered £59 million of our expected £100 million-plus of benefits from the Pathway to Change Agreement.

Simon said: “Thanks to our new hubs and the progress we have made on automation we can compete on parcels quality and price.

But we need to urgently change our ways of working in Delivery to reflect the needs of our customers and ensure we can respond more flexibly to the peaks and troughs in volumes.

“Our working practices in delivery are still optimised for letters and not for parcels.”

14

We’ve teamed up with air logistics experts Windracers to establish routes to deliver mail to our postal teams serving residents across the Isles of Scilly, Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands and the Hebrides. If the plans are approved by the Civil Aviation Authority, our ‘air mail’ operation could take flight within three years.

The long-term ambition is to deploy a fleet of more than 500 drones across the UK to improve current island mail services which can be affected by bad weather. Royal Mail has been trialling drone deliveries for the past 18 months.

31

SASKIA’S STORY

CROWNING GLORY

Meet the Croydon Mail Centre engineer thriving in a maledominated role.

Celebrating the Crown Award winner who rescued an elderly customer in danger.

GOOD TO KNOW

ROUND-UP EXAM PACKAGES

Parcelforce team passing the test As hundreds of thousands of students complete last-minute revision for GCSE and A-level exams, Parcelforce is delivering and collecting up to a million exam packages at schools and colleges across the UK. With the full schedule of summer exams running for the first time since 2019, exam boards across Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England, together with the Department for Education, are trusting Parcelforce to securely deliver around 30 million papers and then collect them for marking.

“The role is a big responsibility as it affects our children’s futures,” says Parcelforce contracts manager Ryan Benn. “We’re critical to the successful administration of this year’s summer exams.”

Parcelforce began the programme in March, with more than 22,000 Key Stage 1 live exam parcels successfully delivered to schools and other education centres.

WATCH NOW Scan the QR code to find out more about the process.

United in our support for Ukrainian refugees Colleagues across the country have stepped up to support the people of Ukraine with donations and fundraising events being match-funded by Royal Mail.

Our business has also been working with the Ukrainian Embassy to transport care packages of essential food items to Poland to aid refugees. A total of 74 trucks, weighing 22.6 tonnes each, left Fareham during April and May. And we provided a truck to CWU’s Humanitarian Aid charity in the North West region, which is working with the charity Caritas to support refugees.

Individual donations and events such as ‘Blue and Yellow’ days have already raised more than £80,000 for the British Red Cross Ukraine crisis appeal, with Royal Mail match-funding taking the total to £160,000 at the time of going to print.

Follow #unitedwithukraine on Workplace for updates about our support. And turn to page 22 to learn about Newton Abbot delivery line manager Steve Witts’ own mission to evacuate refugees.

DONATE NOW Scan the QR code to see how much we have raised for the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis appeal.

32 DOG AWARENESS When our customers’ canine companions put posties in peril.

COURIER CATCH-UP Browse previous issues at myroyalmail.com/ courier or by scanning the QR code.

This edition will appear online around three weeks after it’s been delivered.

USING QR CODES Use your smart device’s camera to scan codes throughout this edition of Courier for more features and interviews.

Workplace.com

5

OUR FUTURE

STEPS TO ZERO

Striding towards a net zero future Steps to Zero is our mission to put the environment at the heart of our operation and play a role in tackling the climate emergency. Here’s how we’re doing – and what’s to come.

We all need to act now and play our part in reaching net zero by 2040 and delivering a 50g CO2e parcel target for our business. That’s why we’ve launched our ambitious new environmental plan – Steps to Zero.

For the Royal Mail business our average CO2e emission per parcel is 205g – that’s around 50% less than our competitors. We’ve set a target to significantly reduce our average carbon emission per parcel to 50g CO2e.

We’ve also brought forward our net zero target by 10 years to 2040 – including Parcelforce. With our unique ‘feet on the street’ network – posties walking more than a billion steps a day, delivering to 31 million addresses – Royal Mail is the UK’s greenest option for delivering letters and parcels (based on competitors’ reported emissions per parcel).

But there’s much more we can do.

13%

of our overall emissions are from our final-mile deliveries

49%

of our emissions are from our transport network and buildings 6

Summer 2022

£12.5m

investment in electric vans charging infrastructure

How will we get there?

Our four-pillar Steps to Zero plan recognises the urgency of addressing climate change. Each pillar features new and ambitious commitments.

NET ZERO DELIVERIES

Rolling out more electric vans for final-mile deliveries, with 5,500 vans by April 2023.

NET ZERO OPERATIONS

100% renewable electricity across the business, reducing reliance on domestic flights and increasing the use of rail.

MAKING CIRCULAR HAPPEN Transforming operations to embrace the circular economy.

COLLABORATING FOR ACTION

Calling for standardised industry-wide reporting on CO2e per parcel so customers can make an informed decision.

KEEP IN TOUCH Scan the QR code to check out a film and stories sharing our Steps to Zero ambitions.

More than

5,500

electric vans by spring 2023

Working towards a reduction in waste by 2030 of

A step change on our journey to net zero is how we’ll beat our rivals, writes CEO Simon Thompson.

25% Driving change

Growing our electric fleet is just one of the significant changes we’re making. Since Bristol East Central Delivery Office became our first all-electric fleet in May last year, we now have around 1,600 electric vehicles at 46 sites, including Cambridge. Here, the team’s clear that the switch from diesel is a vital change.

“This is a massive move with the way of the world and how things are going,” says postman Alan Potter. “Whatever we can do to help the environment and cut our carbon footprint can only be a good thing.”

Postwoman Wanda Ryan agrees. “The electric vans are very different to our old diesel vehicles,” she adds. “They’re so smooth.”

WATCH NOW Scan to watch Cambridge colleagues getting familiar with their new electric vehicles in an episode of RMtv.

I truly believe environment is the next battleground – and we are determined to lead.

Our CO2e per parcel is around half the competition, thanks to our ‘feet on the street’ model. Our posties make a huge contribution; taking over a billion steps a day, delivering to 31 million addresses.

This helps make Royal Mail the UK’s greenest option for delivering letters and parcels, compared to the reported per parcel emissions of our competitors.

We now show the emissions per parcel for every delivery in the Royal Mail App, so customers understand the impact of their order on the planet.

Over the last six months, our first fully electric delivery office in Bristol has shown operational fleet cost savings of 37% for maintenance and 73% for fuel.

We’re now looking at how we can accelerate our electric final mile rollout – it’s good for the planet, good for colleagues, good for our customers and good for cost.

We want a step change increase in how we use rail – our Midlands Parcel Hub development includes a rail facility. And we want to review our operational timings so we can have fewer flights.

We now buy all our electricity from renewable sources. Our next per parcel target is 50g CO2e, or the equivalent of a cup of tea with milk. And all of this means we can pull forward our net zero target by 10 years to 2040.

Achieving these targets will require us all working together and learning how to do things differently. But it’s the way we will win and I firmly believe now is the time for action in our business and across the communities we serve every day.

We’re moving to

GREEN FOR GO Cambridge postwoman Jessica Livesey on her first round with a new electric van.

100% RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY

ION:

OPE

EST

FI

EMPOWERING PEOPLE

VAL 8

Summer 2022

SU

THE BIG INTERVIEW

ERATION:

GRANT McPHERSON

URVIVAL

ITTEST OF THE

STRONGER FASTER

ON his first day as Jaguar Land Rover’s director of operations, Grant McPherson drove through the factory gates, pulled into a parking bay bearing his name, took some photos of his shiny new company car, said ‘Good morning’ to his new PA, walked into his smart new office and soaked up his surroundings.

Our new chief operating officer Grant McPherson on his mission to rattle our rivals and how his decades in the car industry have driven a desire to tackle the challenges we must overcome to secure Royal Mail for future generations.

Workplace.com

9

THE BIG INTERVIEW

GRANT McPHERSON

“The big oak desk, the green leather furniture, my own bathroom and boardroom – these were luxuries afforded to the leader of a prestige brand,” Grant recalls.

But here was a workplace operating 30-40 years behind its competitors. All the trappings of a successful business – his personalised parking space, plush office with his name on the door and that private loo – couldn’t disguise the truth. Failure to modernise had put its future in jeopardy. Grant had a stark choice: fix it or close it.

“My new leadership team had gathered in the boardroom to greet me,” he recalls. “I showed them the 60 photos I’d taken of paint faults, trim scuffs and finger marks on my car.

I told them that they were either testing that I was awake or that every car rolling off our production line was in that condition.”

STEPPING UP Grant has been checking in on the progress at our Midlands Hub, which will play a key role in a successful future.

Kamil Sterniczuk Courier Editorial Panel member and Stafford postman KAMIL: Why is Royal Mail not focusing on sealing revenue protection? We’re often exploited by customers posting 10kg parcels as 1kg, for example.

GRANT: I’m learning a lot about the dark art of mail, about SMEs telling us the package will be one size, weight and shape and it’s actually different. We’ve invested in technology that can measure parcels. But accuracy is an issue as items can change shape in transit. We need to be ruthless but we also need developments in technology to help us.

Transformation mission Chris Robbins Courier Editorial Panel member and Bradford postman CHRIS: Frontline colleagues have sustained our business for centuries. But delivery office morale is low. So, how do you intend to reinvigorate this absolutely vital piece of Royal Mail culture?

GRANT: We need to address the ‘us and them’ culture.

We have to break down the barriers between us because all they do is feed the competition. We must talk more and celebrate success and make Royal Mail a great place to work – while accepting that change is vital and inevitable.

10

Summer 2022

Grant never held another meeting in that boardroom. All future gatherings would be on the car plant floor, at the heart of the action, where Grant would regularly remind his team that the operation would need to modernise to survive.

“If we didn’t start to compete, we were in danger of being shut down, with the production moved abroad. We all knew it and the unions knew it. So we identified and dealt with poor working practices, cut costs and waste, and drove up efficiency and quality.”

Within six months, Grant had helped transform the operation from the business’s worst to best-performing site.

Eleven years later, as Royal Mail’s new chief operating officer, Grant’s drawing parallels with Jaguar Land Rover. Here are two beloved British brands combatting the threat of innovative, agile rivals.

“We’re on a burning platform,” he insists.

“And we must adapt to survive. Here, the challenge is greater. We have more people, it’s a more diverse operation – but the mission is the same. If we don’t transform through new technology, products and services, our competitors will eat us.

“Royal Mail’s role has changed,” says Grant.

“When I was young, we’d post a catalogue order and wouldn’t expect the parcel for at least a fortnight. Now, we demand it on our doorstep tomorrow. Soon, 24 hours will be too long to wait.

“That means a seven-days-a-week operation, same-day deliveries, parcel collection and the introduction of even more services that meet the needs of modern consumers. It’s about securing the survival of a 500-year old business. And we can do it. We’re a unique company with a dedicated, recognised and respected workforce.”

Destination: I’ve travelled the world and yet there’s nowhere better than the UK on a summer’s day Music: Anything from the 1980s – the best decade for music Film: Master and Commander – because I love boats – and Invictus Meal: Japanese food Hobby: I enjoy painting and have created artwork for friends and family members – mainly pet portraits because I love dogs

If we don’t transform through new technology, products and services, our competition will eat us.

Laura Cornish Courier Editorial Panel member and Mossley Hill postwoman LAURA: The restructuring of frontline management seems to be significantly reducing the number of roles above the new COM grade. Is this stifling colleagues’ chances of progression beyond COM? GRANT: It’s essential that companies change – and that involves restructuring. I’ve never seen so much bureaucracy in an organisation.

We need to empower managers, but they need to earn it. Equally, we have to draw a clear path for anybody to build a rewarding career. We all have ambitions to progress and I’d love to see a system that gives everyone a chance to flourish.

First-day reflections Nowhere is the friendly, familiar face of the local postie more valued than in remote rural locations. On Grant’s first day with Royal Mail, he made a 600-mile journey to the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Here, he joined colleagues on their rounds in Stornoway.

“It’s an amazing, beautiful place where our people almost take on the role of a fourth emergency service – checking on elderly residents, even if they have no mail, picking up prescriptions, popping to the shops.”

However, Grant’s delight turns to frustration as he recalls “the stuff we can’t do” – the inability to swiftly resolve often simple issues.

“When a car reversed into the postbox outside a village Post Office in Stornoway two years ago, it was left on the floor inside the branch. It was still there when I visited. Health and safety issues and even the need for new planning permission were offered as excuses.”

A couple of calls and a few days later, Grant had arranged for the postbox to be restored to its rightful spot. “It was such a cause for celebration that I suggested we invite the Lewis Pipe Band to march past as crowds waved and cheered,” he smiles.

Nick Park Courier Editorial Panel member and Epping postman

CENTRE OF ATTENTION Grant visits Daventry to check on progress at our Midlands Hub.

NICK: What’s your vision for Royal Mail over the coming years?

Grant’s no-nonsense, can-do character was forged on Fleetwood Docks, in Japanese car plants and during life within an Aboriginal community in the Australian outback.

He left home at 16 when his parents relocated from Lancashire to King’s Lynn. He chose to remain in Fleetwood to pursue a marine engineering apprenticeship.

“From that moment on, I was independent,” he says. He applied for Operation Raleigh, the volunteering programme that encourages young people to take on leadership roles in challenging environments around the world.

“I spent time in Australia, white-water rafting, caving and diving in the Great Barrier Reef. I returned to Fleetwood and knew my life could never be the same again.”

He quit his job and took a 75% pay cut for a permanent role with Operation Raleigh.

“I handled boats and repaired outboard engines in Papua New Guinea, spent time in Panama and

GRANT: The world of digitisation has changed everything. I just read that Morrisons is now picking up parcels for more than 100 different companies. Their drivers deliver groceries and their vans return empty – so it makes sense. If we’re not delivering the services our customers want and need, and if we don’t keep up, we’ll be overtaken. We have the trusted postie, the routes and the locations – we’ve had them for centuries. We need to leverage this advantage.

BOXING CLEVER Grant quickly restored this Stornoway postbox to its rightful spot.

12

Summer 2022

From Raleigh to Royal Mail

THE BIG INTERVIEW

GRANT McPHERSON Paul Stewart Courier Editorial Panel member and Hedge End postman PAUL: With lots of older colleagues retiring, I’m not seeing many 18-30 year olds coming through the door. How will Royal Mail address this, as it will be a problem in the future?

GRANT: We need to do more to highlight the benefits of a role with Royal Mail for young people. Being a postie might suit their lifestyle because they’re getting paid to walk in the fresh air and keep fit. But we’re not good at recruiting and retaining younger colleagues. We have the apprentice programme. But we need to make sure that, when they arrive at their delivery office, they have a positive experience. Too often, we don’t deliver an effective induction and training programme – and sometimes they’re given the more challenging rounds, which isn’t a great introduction to Royal Mail life. We’re not always an easy company to join.

Guyana, and lived with an indigenous community in Australia for five months.

“Then I met my wife-to-be on a diving expedition in the Bahamas and decided to stop running around the world. I was fed up of living on rations and I wasn’t earning any money.”

The couple moved to the Gloucestershire town of Cirencester where Grant took a job with Japanese car giant Honda.

“Honda didn’t care that I hadn’t been to university,” says Grant. “Qualifications and experience weren’t important – they cared about attitude.”

Within months of taking on an engine factory maintenance role, Grant was a team leader. By the age of 27, he’d become Honda’s youngest department manager, before moving into a managing director role with responsibility for car plants in the UK and Turkey, along with the engine factory he’d joined as a young engineer.

Two decades with Honda instilled the ROUND TRIP Grant hits the streets of Banbury with postwoman Ayla Land.

values that remain with him – beliefs that he’s determined to bring to his Royal Mail career.

“Honda’s Japanese leaders were focused on efficiency and problem solving,” he recalls.

“They valued mistakes, too – because if you’re not making errors, you’re not doing enough.

“So, I’m a believer in making new mistakes – but not making the same mistake twice.”

It’s a philosophy he’s shared with his new colleagues – and maybe one he’ll pass on to his own postie.

“His name’s Michael and he’s out there in his shorts in all weathers,” says Grant. “We wave to each other, often chat and I leave a bottle of wine at the door for him at Christmas.

“Our people have personal connections with the communities they serve. I couldn’t imagine having the same kind of relationship with a white van courier.”

Grant knows that’s a powerful differentiator.

He also knows that it’s not enough.

OUR PEOPLE

WHY I’M HERE

How Saskia fixed her future Ahead of International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June, former law student Saskia Navaratnam reflects on life as the only female member of the Croydon Mail Centre maintenance team.

As a youngster growing up in London, Saskia Navaratnam had a fierce curiosity about how things worked.

She was in her element when a fuse needed replacing or the disc drive on a PC needed fixing. When her grandmother’s 40-yearold sewing machine stopped working, Saskia rolled up her sleeves and took it apart piece by piece, eager to investigate.

She’s always been a natural engineer. But when it came to making decisions about the future, she found herself taking the route her family wanted for her.

“I have a great family and value their opinion,” she says. “Education is incredibly

International Women in Engineering Day International Women in Engineering Day is held on 23 June. It was launched in 2014 by the Women’s Engineering Society, which was founded in 1919 when women who thrived in technical fields during the First World War were expected to return to the home. Today, the society promotes inclusivity and equality in engineering and plays a vital role in encouraging more young women and girls to pursue careers in this field.

14

Summer 2022

important to them and, at the time, was seen as the only route to take.”

Saskia went to university to study criminology and law. But despite a promising start, serious doubts started to creep in.

“I knew pretty quickly that the degree wasn’t for me,” Saskia remembers. “I love taking things apart and fixing them – it was my childhood passion. Making the decision not to continue with law was scary. My grandparents were particularly worried. But I needed to rip off the plaster and find a way to get back to what I loved.”

Saskia decided a paid apprenticeship was the way to go and a scheme at Royal Mail caught her eye. She applied in 2019, completing the interview process the day before the UK’s first lockdown.

Today, Saskia is one of two apprentices working with a team of 13 engineers – all men, all over 40. When she joined Croydon Mail Centre, Saskia had no qualms about being the youngest and only female member of the team, but soon felt its challenges.

“It’s one thing being OK around men, but very different being the only female in a workplace like this. I thought it would be easy, but it wasn’t. It was strange at first. It feels like a space that’s not yours.”

The team do their best to make Saskia feel comfortable and supported and make it

I LOVE TAKING THINGS APART AND FIXING THEM — IT WAS MY CHILDHOOD PASSION.

A forum for change A new Royal Mail forum giving a voice to female colleagues working in maledominated spaces is already having a positive impact.

The Women in Fleet and Engineering networking group is not only connecting women like Saskia across the UK, but improving the way women are represented in the latest apprenticeship recruitment campaign and helping build more inclusive work environments.

“The women within these functions are spread across mail centres and workshops all over the country,” explains head of HR Laila Farooq-Marziano.

“A group like this helps them come together, share experiences, support one another through challenges faced in the workplace and celebrate successes.

“Members want to make a difference, particularly for the women who join our technical departments in the future.

We’ve been able to showcase and celebrate some great work. I’m grateful to all these fantastic women for their continued contribution and for demonstrating that females can flourish in engineering roles.”

clear that if she ever needed to, she should always speak up. Saskia took her time, observing how her colleagues worked and figuring out where she could fit in.

“I asked a lot of questions. I was trying to find out about my colleagues and find some common ground. It was probably annoying for them, but it was helpful for me!”

Saskia’s day begins with inspections and testing of equipment, to make sure it’s running at its best.

The new parcel sorting machine (PSM) has been a source of excitement since its arrival in the spring.

It sorts higher volumes of parcels with increased speed and efficiency. It’s a fair bit bigger than her grandma’s old sewing machine but, for someone like Saskia, that’s part of the appeal.

“It’s a great feeling when the whole team is getting to grips with something completely new, all at the same time.”

Now, two years into a three-year apprenticeship, Saskia is firmly on track towards a rewarding career in engineering. She’s an active member of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and is helping to drive change as part of Royal Mail’s Women in Fleet and Engineering group.

“It’s given me a connection to so many other female engineers and technicians within Royal Mail. It’s a place for us talk about any issues or worries, and to identify areas for change. For example, we’re looking at the overalls we wear to work on the PSMs, which are made for men’s bodies and don’t really work for us.

“I’m so glad I applied for an apprenticeship at Royal Mail. I honestly love my job.”

Her grandparents are delighted, too. “It’s been hard, but they see I’ve got prospects here, that I’m happy and doing something I genuinely enjoy.

I’m proud I’ve been able to pave my own way and really hope I can inspire other women to see the value and opportunity in engineering.”

Workplace.com

15

PARCELFORCE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE TEAM

TRUST ON THE DOORSTEP

A force for good

Parcelforce customer operations manager and Courier Editorial Panellist Dan Smithson shares tales of extraordinary service delivered by a dedicated and passionate team.

When a dying musician’s most cherished guitar vanished on its voyage from Ireland to England, Vicky Hare played an instrumental role in tracking it down and making sure it reached safe hands. Commitment like this is commonplace among Parcelforce Customer Experience colleagues.

Vicky’s part of our Executive Complaints team in Wakefield. Whether they’re chasing the progress of parcels and invoices, or dealing with more unconventional dilemmas, Vicky and the team are dedicated to delivering quality service.

Parcelforce Customer Experience in stats

5

Contact centres

1.47m

calls handled a year

30

Parcelforce depots across the UK

260 SPECIALISTS

handling payment enquiries, tracking queries and providing worldclass service

88%

of customer queries resolved first time

“I’m completely honest and transparent, which customers appreciate,” says Vicky.

“And I’m proud to be part of a team that works hard to turn negative experiences into positive ones.

“In the case of the guitar, a film was made with a number of celebrities playing the instrument and I was named in the closing credits for helping it reach its destination.”

Vicky and her team take pride in solving an issue before it escalates into a crisis.

They value the opportunity to make a difference. And this sense of being in a rewarding role is reflected in healthy Big Trust Survey results.

THE LEVEL OF TRUST WE HOLD IN OUR COLLEAGUES LETS THEM GO THE EXTRA MILE. Hard-earned trust

STAMP OF APPROVAL Parcelforce customer operations manager Dan Smithson.

We place a tremendous emphasis on the results of the survey – they’re used to shape how the Parcelforce Customer Experience team operates and, where required, adapts.

Across all parts of the Royal Mail Group, colleague feedback can have a positive impact on our working lives.

In our most recent Check-In survey, in September 2021, 90% of our people declared that they felt proud to work for Royal Mail Group and 94% said they felt supported by their colleagues.

Feeling valued

All hands on deck The 99 advanced customer advisors based at Rotherham’s Dearne House are exceeding expectations in terms of service quality, response times and product knowledge.

Across the rest of our contact centres, there are 161 experts working hard to deliver worldclass service to our customers – from billing and payment to tracking and processing. Our five contact centres take care of a staggering 1.47 million calls and 850,000 emails a year – with 85% of customer queries answered within the first 20 seconds and a first-time resolution rate of 88%.

Grow with the flow We believe in being people-centric at Parcelforce – it’s the level of trust we hold in our colleagues that lets them work together to go the extra mile.

“From colleagues who deal with delicate situations to those who pull out the stops to make something extraordinary happen for a customer, our team boasts some truly special people,” says national Customer Experience manager Lee Willett.

“The investment in technology means we’re now able to track every parcel and driver in real time, contacting them en route across the UK to deliver a level of customer service that we believe is unrivalled in our sector.”

A recent example of stunning service involved a wedding dress delivery delayed by the illness of a tailor making last-minute alterations. To rescue the situation, our colleagues prioritised the delivery by working together to get the dress fast-tracked to the right service for the morning of the wedding. The bride was certainly singing our praises after we saved her big day.

DREAM TEAM Dearne House reflects the superb work ethic shared across Parcelforce Worldwide.

The opening of Dearne House in October 2021 was a labour of love for customer service manager Jack Mercer.

“From recruiting and planning, to fitting out the offices ready for day one, it’s been a real whirlwind. Since we went live last October, we’ve hit the ground running with our service offering. We’re way ahead of our training KPIs too. I’d say we’re almost a year ahead in terms of delivering support on our international service.”

Michelle Masella, who joined us in October, believes Parcelforce sets the standard for other customer service centres.

Big Trust Survey in numbers Results of the September 2021 Check-in survey:

90%

of Parcelforce Customer Experience colleagues are proud to be part of Royal Mail Group

94%

of colleagues feel supported by their team members

92%

feel their working relationships have flourished at Parcelforce Worldwide

86%

recommend Royal Mail Group careers to family and friends

88%

overall Big Trust Survey score, September 2021

“My experience of working in customer service had been broadly negative. I never felt supported, I struggled to remain focused and felt unfairly treated.

“Here, our terms are excellent, our breaks and pay rates are generous and I feel valued.

I actively go out of my way to tell friends and family about how good it is to work here.

“We’re valued by our customers, too. Soon after I started, I helped redirect a number of parcels heading to Italy after an innocent mistake by a customer. He was so grateful for the service that I received a bouquet of flowers. It’s something largely unheard of from my previous experience.”

Hand in hand Our Big Trust Survey results are proof that it pays to look after our most vital resource – our people. What’s good for our colleagues is good for our business, which, in turn, is good for the customer.

Workplace.com

17

SUMMER 2022

THE BIG PICTURE NORTH WEST HUB, WARRINGTON, MONDAY 11 APRIL 2022 Royal Mail’s first automated parcel centre is the size of four-and-a-half football pitches and is capable of processing 40,000-plus parcels an hour – that’s one every 0.09 seconds.

Opening in June, it’s our network’s largest site – at 32,000m2 – and marks the start of a revolution that will power us into the future.

“It’s been great to play a small part in this big moment for Royal Mail,” said the hub’s head of operations Paul Latham. “It’s a huge step forward and allows us to compete on a level playing field with our competitors.

“We’re the nation’s number-one parcels company and this site is a massive investment in that. It will increase our speed, enhance confidence in what we can deliver for our customers and give us the competitive pricing we need for the future.”

Warrington OPG Anna Posvic added: “It’s exciting to be moving into this world-class facility after spending the last three years watching it take shape.

This is great for Warrington and really important for the future of Royal Mail.”

Our new Midlands Hub will be double the size of our North West operation when it opens next year. These state-of-the-art sites will help transform our capability.

The machinery can sort both large and small parcels together, sending them to separate output yorks. And around 50% of the volume will be sorted to a delivery office level to increase our pipeline efficiency.

“The launch of our North West Hub is a transformational step for the business,” said planning manager Ryan Wellstead. “We’ve been building towards this moment for a couple of years and it’s great to see all the hard work and anticipation becoming a reality.”

SCAN TO WATCH In the run-up to June’s first day of operation, follow the story so far on Workplace.

Number cruncher

800,000+

5 70 parcels a day

YORK TIPPERS

tipping around 400 yorks an hour

of parcel processing to be automated

%

158 km distance each tracker covers every night

3

SORTATION 860 TRACKERS LONG

m

4/1 2

The size of

football pitches Workplace.com

19

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OUR PEOPLE

BIG TRUST SURVEY

Questions of Trust Head of engagement Rachel Blackett shares the results of the Big Trust Survey – and reveals what happens next.

Thank you to the 97,228 of you who took part in the Big Trust Survey 2022 – we heard from more than 30,000 additional colleagues this year.

You’ll have already received a home mailing covering our high-level results in more detail. Local results are now available and will be being shared where you work.

It’s now absolutely critical that we focus on turning results into action.

At Group level, work has already started on creating our Corporate Action Plan for the next year. This is our action plan for the entire organisation and we’re involving colleagues from across the business to help develop it. We’re exploring what you said in the survey, and will use these insights to take action on what matters most to you – in particular, the things that aren’t easy to tackle locally. More will be shared on how that’s shaping up later in the year, and we’ll provide regular updates on the progress.

Every team across the business should have started talking about its local plan, too. Once you’ve had the conversation about your team or unit results, it’s really important that everyone is involved in helping shape your action plan. Whether you took part in the Big Trust Survey or not, this is another opportunity to have your voice heard and influence change where you work.

We know from the survey that there’s a really strong link between those who agree action has been taken where they work and increased levels of trust. But fewer than half of you said that you’ve seen action taken where you work as a result of the previous Trust Survey. We want everyone to see that action’s been taken and will be putting even more focus on that this year.

We’ve seen over the last year that small changes locally can make a big difference.

FIND OUT MORE Check out Workplace for more about how putting local plans into action is making a difference.

Workplace.com

21

OUR PEOPLE

MY STORY

Steve’s Ukraine mercy mission Newton Abbot delivery line manager Steve Witts on evacuating citizens from war-torn cities to the Polish border.

The eight-year-old boy wandering among the wreckage of Western Ukraine’s largest city had a phone number scrawled in permanent marker down his arm.

In his 14-year-old sister’s rucksack was a note from their parents, both soldiers, explaining that they’d remained in Kyiv to serve their country. They were hoping that their children, who’d made the treacherous journey from Ukraine’s capital to the bombscarred streets of Lviv by train, bus and foot would secure safe passage to Poland. Steve Witts bundled them aboard a coach bound for the Polish border, where they were met by the International Red Cross.

These lost and lonely siblings were among almost 900 refugees Steve helped evacuate from Ukraine during a month-long mercy mission. The Newton Abbot delivery line manager witnessed emotional reunions, endured missile strikes and encountered shell-shocked citizens desperate to flee – but fearful for those they were leaving behind.

“I’d felt helpless watching news coverage of the war,” recalls Steve, who marks 30 years with Royal Mail this year. “So, when my Polish friends secured two coaches and a minibus to take supplies into Ukraine and take people out, I knew I had to be involved.”

EMOTIONAL FAREWELL A soldier says goodbye to his daughter, Roman, whom Steve would reunite with her sister and mother in Poland.

22

Summer 2022

After working with friends to raise £6,000 – including more than £1,300 from his Newton Abbot colleagues – Steve flew from Bristol to Szczecin, 40 miles from the Ukraine border, in April to team up with his friends.

“We bought supplies at local supermarkets and travelled to the border town of Medyka,” adds 47-year-old Steve.

“We crossed into Ukraine and made our way to Lviv railway station.”

Here, they sought out vulnerable locals in long queues for packed trains, offering them coach travel to the Polish border.

Soon they’d venture 1,000 miles further into the country, to the devastated cities of Ternopil and Kharkiv. They delivered sleeping bags, food and medication – and rescued pale, hungry children who’d spent weeks sheltering in cold, wet cellars.

“On one trip, we saw a missile strike an apartment block a quarter of a mile ahead of us. I’d assumed that you’d hear a missile flying over. But there was silence until we heard the explosion. When the black smoke cleared, all that was left was a pile of rubble.”

Steve and the team were always on the move, sleeping in people’s houses, on town hall floors and in coaches. The night curfew made the journeys longer because they’d have to park up and wait until dawn.

One day, as the coaches left Kharkiv, Steve spotted a figure at the side of the road.

PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES Steve browses the images he captured during his time in Ukraine.

The Ukraine postal service Ukrposhta, Ukraine’s postal operator, claimed it was the victim of a cyber attack days after it released a special stamp depicting a Ukrainian soldier making a crude gesture to a Russian warship. Thousands queued to purchase the stamp at Ukrposhta branches in Ukraine.

The movement of mail across the country has been severely affected by the war.

“The Ukrainian mail service is struggling to get into major towns and cities and, if it does make it, it’s often down to the goodwill of local people to pass on the items,” says Steve.

“It was an 80-yearold woman with her belongings in two bags. Her home had been bombed and she’d been waiting there for two days. It’s hard to believe that this could be happening in Europe in 2022.

“It’s a two-hour flight from the UK to Poland, and less than an hour’s drive across the border into Ukraine – but it feels like another world.”

Steve’s attempting to adjust to life back in Devon. He smiles as he recalls the Royal Mail logo on his hi-vis jacket being recognised by UK NHS aid workers and even those he was rescuing. And he recounts an encounter that will always remain with him.

were the result of a collective effort that included his Royal Mail colleagues.

“The office has been incredible,” he says. “As well as raising funds, the team donated medical supplies.”

From helping a young mother and her newborn baby over the border and reuniting an elderly blind woman with her daughter, to rescuing frightened children and their grandparents from underground shelters – Steve’s had first-hand experience of what he calls ‘the true cost of war’.

“It’s changed me,” he declares. “And it’s difficult to come to terms with the difference between life in Newton Abbot and Ukraine. I have a roof over my head, food on the table and nobody trying to kill me.

“It makes me appreciate my life so much more.”

WHEN THE BLACK SMOKE CLEARED, ONLY A PILE OF RUBBLE REMAINED. “A father had his young daughter in his arms, saying goodbye to her. He handed her to me – a complete stranger – and passed me her passport. He asked me to take her to Poland. She clung to me, crying. I took her across the border and reunited her with her mother and sister.

“I’d never ask the names of those I was helping as I feared I’d form an attachment to them. So, I didn’t ask the father the name of his daughter. But I spotted it in her passport. Her name was Roman.”

Steve used a month’s annual leave for his Ukraine assignment. He insists he’s no hero and that the lives he changed, even saved,

WELCOME TO UKRAINE Steve at the Polish border.

Workplace.com

23

DESTINATION:

LONDON

LIFE THROUGH A LONDON EYE 24

Summer 2022

ART OF THE CITY Bow postwoman Amanda O’Neill on her Fish Island Village round.

Courier hits the streets of our capital with four delivery office teams transforming operations to meet the demands of a modern, bustling big business hub.

Ayo Adetayo’s a West End girl who loves the London buzz – despite the daily challenges delivered for our capital’s posties by what she calls a ‘fast and furious’ pace of life.

Home to almost nine million people and more than a million businesses, London’s the economic heartbeat of the UK and a vital hub for Royal Mail.

Each day, Ayo and her colleagues across 115 delivery offices serve 2.25 million addresses on 3,800 routes. For a city the size and scale of

London, it’s an enterprise of epic proportions.

“This is an important part of our operation and we generate so much revenue,” says Ayo, whose nickname ‘AY Sport’ is a nod to her days as a semipro football player with Arsenal and Millwall.

“But it can be demanding. I encounter traffic and roadworks every day and we have to find alternative routes to get where we need to be. We probably know the roads around here just as well as the taxi drivers.”

Workplace.com

25

T

DESTINATION:

CENTRE STAGE Ayo Adetayo’s West End route takes in London’s vibrant theatre district.

Show-stopping performers Ayo joined Royal Mail 23 years ago and is based at Mount Pleasant Mail Centre’s West End Delivery Office. The team here delivers to some of the most vibrant tourist spots in the city, including 38 theatres. Its work has been recognised with an award for the Best Large Delivery Office for Quality in London in quarters one, two and three.

“Because we’re in a high-profile, iconic location, we’re dedicated to delivering a best-in-class service,” says delivery office manager John Kenyon.

A demonstration of this commitment to customer excellence is the revamped publicfacing part of the office. It’s part of an office upgrade that includes new LED lighting, new flooring and a reconfiguration of the back-of-house areas for more efficient parcel storage. On average, the office holds 600 undelivered items each day, rising to around 1,000 at Peak.

How we deal with visitors leaves a lasting impression, say colleagues Steve Stock and Abi Odunukon.

“The new look is enhancing the customer experience,” says Steve.

And Abi believes the office is setting new standards for the rest of Royal Mail.

“It’s such a welcoming space and so many customers have commented about the huge improvement,” she adds.

26

Summer 2022

DES

LONDON

: LOND N O I T ON I NA

Pillar of the community

Growing with Bow

Belgravia’s a four-mile, 35-minute Tube ride from Mount Pleasant. It’s home to elegant townhouses, upmarket hotels, international embassies and independent shops. It’s also been Dennis Myrie’s Royal Mail round for more than three decades.

“It’s a very exclusive area,” says Dennis.

“Some of the houses I deliver to cover six storeys.”

Dennis recently landed a local community award, voted for by readers of Belgravia Magazine. He was nominated in the ‘At Your Service’ category after drawing on his local knowledge and years of experience to deliver post to a customer even though it was incorrectly addressed.

“I was thrilled to win, but I felt I was representing my colleagues and the Royal Mail brand,” adds Dennis. “I enjoy my job and just try to do it as diligently as possible. What I have in the back of my van every day is important to people and I challenge myself to go the extra mile to make sure it arrives safely.”

From Belgravia, take a stroll through Knightsbridge and you can hop on an Underground train and head to east London. Here, the building of the O2 Arena in Greenwich to mark the turn of the millennium was the trigger point for regeneration in and around the Docklands – including the construction of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the 2012

ALL-ROUND GOOD GUY Belgravia postie Dennis Myrie was nominated for an award by his customers.

COU

RIER SUM MER

IT WILL TAKE TIME TO GET USED TO THE CHANGES, BUT WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

Games. It’s a transformation mirrored by large-scale changes at two local delivery offices embarking on a drive towards greater operational efficiency.

2 20

2

SCAN TO WATCH Check out our Workplace film to meet the Greenwich team and discover how the new colleagues are coming together.

Bow Delivery Office is in the midst of an overhaul to help its team keep pace with an expansion of the local postcode. From 18,000 delivery points in 2009, the figure has swelled to 30,000 – and is projected to keep rising at the same rate.

Colleagues are now working solely on shared van rounds. Delivery routes are larger but in more compact areas. In response to this phenomenal growth, larger frames have been installed with additional wings and the IPS (inward primary sorting) has been moved to the centre of the office floor to reduce the distance to all the frames.

The changes are leading to upgrades from part-time to full-time roles for colleagues, including postwoman Maria Knight.

“I’ve wanted this ever since I joined six years ago,” says Maria. “But I had to rely on topping up with overtime. Naturally, it will take time to get used to the changes but we’re looking forward to it.”

For postman Ken Howard, these are among the biggest changes he’s experienced in his 37 years with the office.

“The new office layout is perfect,” he says. “Covid has probably delayed the transformation but this had to happen. We now have a good working environment and space to do the job.”

Postwoman Amanda O’Neill delivers to the emerging Fish Island Village, which is being redeveloped from its industrial heritage to a luxury canalside community.

It will eventually add another 8,000 delivery points. Amanda’s an ardent West Ham United fan and loves delivering against the backdrop of the buzz of a Hammers home game.

“This area used to be really rundown but it has changed beyond recognition,” she says. “As more and more people move to the area, our workload keeps growing. But the team at Bow is brilliant and we take it in our stride.”

“I’ve been working at Blackheath since 1965 and remember when it when it was a village with a traditional blacksmith,” says Don. He’s moving from a rundown workplace to more comfortable surroundings – a fully refurbished office with rest areas on a new mezzanine level, more sorting space and dedicated parcel areas.

“The Blackheath office was in a very old building and was becoming dilapidated,” says postie Keith Tidman, who’s made the three-mile move to Greenwich.

“This has been talked about ever since I joined the business, so it’s a much-needed change. We’re looking forward to working together as a new team.”

Changing times in Greenwich

EXPLORE MORE Scan the QR code for a Gallery of images from Courier’s London tour.

It’s a short ride on the Docklands Light Railway to nearby Greenwich, where a growing delivery office is on its own journey. The team is welcoming colleagues from Blackheath Delivery Office, which was deemed no longer fit for purpose and has been closed. Following a similar merger with Charlton a decade ago, this new super‑office now accommodates around 130 colleagues and more than 80 duties.

It marks a period of adjustment for the likes of long-serving postie Don Handley.

WATCH Maria Knight (above) is a member of the Bow team, which features in an RMtv film coming soon on Workplace.

Workplace.com

27

BREAK TIME

SOMETHING FOR YOU

Win!

Two-year National Trust Membership Discover stunning sites of historic interest and natural beauty with two years of National Trust membership.

You’ll enjoy free entry to more than 500 locations – from houses and buildings to coastlines and countryside. With free parking, a National Trust handbook and magazine subscription, you’ll be inspired to explore our nation’s most breathtaking destinations. Our winner will also receive a £50 voucher to spend on tea, coffee and cake.

For the chance to win two years of National Trust membership, worth around £400, just tell us in fewer than 30 words which story you’ve most enjoyed in this issue of Courier – and why.

Stamps marking 150 years of classic FA Cup clashes

Email couriercomp@linney.com using ‘Trust’ in the subject line. Or post your entry to Courier Competition, Linney Create, Adamsway, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG18 4FW. Include your name and address – along with your job role and location. Entries must reach us by Friday 29 July and may be published in a future edition.

WIN! One of 10 £10 One4all Gift Cards

CROSSWORD 1

2

3

4

5

6

7 8 9

10 11

12

13

14

15

16 17

SPRING 2022 ANSWERS: ACROSS 6. Eurovision 7. Quad 8. Cuckoo 9. Stark

10. Index 12. Durham 13. Area 16. Aliens 17. Odd

DOWN 1. Augusta 2. Good Friday 3. Disco 4. Cincinnati

5. Snooker 11. Break 14. Red 15. DNA

Post your entry to Courier Crossword, Linney Create, Adamsway, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG18 4FW or take a photo and email it to couriercomp@ linney.com by Friday 29 July 2022.

ACROSS 6. Reflect on shiny dancefloor orb (10) 7. Body of information needed as proof in legal investigation (8) 8. July Awareness Week for four-legged friend (3) 9. Great results from Parcelforce Customer Experience team in this South Yorkshire town (9) 12. Scottish course Opens up for tournament’s 150th birthday (2,7) 16. Mail assisted by letters and numbers (8) 17. Flat-topped conical red hat with a black tassel on top (3) DOWN 1. Shiny rock hosts car race in Britain (11) 2. Receives public acknowledgement of borrowed money (6) 3. Overhanging hair at Edinburgh festival (6) 4. Crumbs! A slice or two is nice (4) 5. All mixed up and some partially lost in winding ski race (6) 8. M, T, W, T, F, S, S (4) 10. Bitterly regret shortening marsupial? (3) 11. One hump or two for desert dweller (5) 13. Flips pan before afternoon slumber (3) 14. Pass the cue support to aid recovery break (4) 15. Action hero, John, is getting on my nerves (4)

Name Postcode Home address 28

Summer 2022

WIN! Football fans will get a kick out of Special Stamps and souvenirs celebrating 150 years of the FA Cup. Six new stamps capture key moments from classic clashes that have lit up the world’s oldest and most famous domestic football competition. The FA Cup issue also features limited edition coin covers, framed artwork and a fact-filled Presentation Pack.

We have 10 sets of stamps to give away.

Email couriercomp@linney.com with your name, address and contact number – and use ‘FA Cup’ in the subject line. Or post your entry to Courier Competition, Linney Create, Adamsway, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG18 4FW. Entries must reach us by Friday 29 July.

Discover more stamps, souvenirs and gifts by visiting royalmail.com/shop or scanning the QR code.

CONGRATULATIONS to Belinda Oatway, a revenue protection officer at Bristol Mail Centre, the spring 2022 edition winner of a two-night stay in Windermere.

BREAK TIME

MAILBAG Readers share tales of Royal Mail life and reflect on stories from the spring edition of Courier.

I’m proof that we don’t need to suffer in silence Rachel’s journey really touched my heart.

She will instil hope in others going through similar emotions and I’m happy Rachel can now be herself.

Nicola Clarke CE Communications Team, Sunderland

The postie who sailed the world

When you walk through a storm We couldn’t wait to open the spring edition of Courier here at Grange to read the great write-up on the team’s efforts during the recent storms. I’m proud of our little office.

Helen Fenton Postwoman, Grange-overSands Delivery Office

More to explore Workplace is a great resource, but I still value the slower read of my Courier magazine. In the spring edition, I enjoyed New for 2022’s overview of the investments being made and the feature about the Houses of Parliament postie – because I like learning about the different jobs in our business. And I always enjoy The Postal Museum’s archive articles. Courier isn’t just Workplace in paper form.

Carol Walthew Postwoman, Cupar Delivery Office

WIN!

PICTURE PERFECT

I’m inspired by tales of adventure from other outdoor enthusiasts who can appreciate the benefits of being a postie, such as good exercise, being outdoors and a work-life balance.

Rebecca Sharp Postwoman, Derwentside Delivery Office

Parliamentary privilege Trevor Browning’s tales of life as a Houses of Parliament postman evoke memories of my time at Postal HQ, in St Paul’s. I recall walking past the Old Bailey Courthouse an hour before a car bomb was detonated in March 1973. There were only a few of us in the office that day – due to Underground and train strikes – and when the bomb exploded, we all thought it was collapsing scaffolding. Royal Mail was in the thick of the IRA letter bomb campaign and the 1975 annual report references mail delays caused by delivery office evacuations.

One applauds Trevor for his vigilance.

Steven Cann (Retired) Postal HQ

George Finlayson, of Garve Delivery Office, was the March winner of our Workplace photo competition for his shot of Calum the stag taken at Glen Torridon in the Northwest Highlands. Share images from your working day for the chance to win an iPad or £350 shopping vouchers. Head to Team Royal Mail on Workplace and use #PicturePerfect with your image and a short description. Check each month’s theme before you post.

SHARE YOUR STORY There’s a £20 Amazon gift card for the writer of every letter we publish. Email courier@linney.com or write to us at Courier Letters, Linney Create, Adamsway, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG18 4FW. Also share your own news and views on the Courier Workplace page.

Workplace.com

29

OUR HISTORY

THE POSTAL MUSEUM

Sorting Britain They’re the letters and numbers that changed the face of Britain forever. The Postal Museum’s head of collections Chris Taft explores the origins and power of the postcode.

Postcodes are a part of everyday life. They were trialled in Norwich in 1959, but their story dates back to the early postal districts of London, Liverpool and Manchester in the 1850s and 1860s.

Today, they influence everything from communications and identity to house prices and care.

And, of course, they’re at the heart of Royal Mail’s operation.

From wartime tech pioneers to Poco the Postcode Elephant, the surprising story of the postcode is uncovered in Sorting Britain, a new exhibition at The Postal Museum in London. It delves into the innovation that revolutionised how post was processed, sorted and delivered – and its unintended outcomes for life in Britain.

Innovation for the nation

More than mail

Tech pioneers Tommy Flowers, Dame Stephanie Shirley CH and Sir Gordon Radley were among the brilliant minds working at the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill from the 1930s through to the 1960s. The exhibition explores how their work had an impact beyond postal mechanisation and postcodes, through inventions like Colossus, the world’s first programmable electronic computer. It was deployed by Bletchley Park codebreakers to decipher intercepted messages between German High Command and its army during World War II. Original 1950s Electronic Letter Sorting Indicating Equipment, known as ELSIE, is on display for the first time in 20 years. And visitors can find out about the importance of Poco the Postcode Elephant – and the array of incredible memorabilia created for it – which helped change the nation’s habits in the 1980s through a decade-long advertising campaign.

Sorting Britain also asks ‘What does my postcode say about me?’, by revealing how postcodes are now used to sort people, as well as post.

Contemporary British artist Alison Turnbull has been commissioned to create a response to the exhibition’s themes. Alison is known for transforming and reimagining readymade information, such as plans, diagrams, blueprints and charts, into vivid abstract paintings.

Today, new technology continues to change how we communicate with each other at astonishing speed. Sorting Britain is a fascinating look into this little-known history, told through the wonderful collections at The Postal Museum.

Sorting Britain: The Power of Postcodes runs until 1 January 2023. Royal Mail colleagues are entitled to a free ticket to The Postal Museum – including a ride on Mail Rail.

For current opening hours, visit postalmuseum.org

POSTAL PAST (Clockwise from top) Poco the Postcode Elephant memorabilia from the 1980s, a London poster and Norwich leaflet, a letter sorting machine from 1961 and (inset) postal pioneer Tommy Flowers.

Images courtesy of The Postal Museum

OUR PEOPLE

CROWN AWARDS

EXCLUSIVELY ON WORKPLACE

Heartbreak and hope Stoke postwoman Debs Poyser shares the story that landed her a Crown Award.

A caring postwoman’s response to a distressed customer’s cry for help has earned the praise of fellow colleagues – and Crown Awards recognition.

Stoke Delivery Office’s Debs Poyser heard an elderly woman’s desperate appeal for assistance from behind a locked front door during her round on Monday 14 March.

“I put my ear to the door and asked if she was ok,” Debs recalls. “Her reply was very weak. She told me that she was on the floor, unable to move.”

Debs knocked on neighbours’ doors, but nobody had a key. Debs then discovered that the woman, Marion, had a son.

“He couldn’t be located, so I called an ambulance,” adds Debs. “I was told it could take up to five hours for one to reach us. Marion’s almost 90 and, when I learned she’d been on the floor for over 24 hours, I contacted the police.

“They broke into the house through the back door and we found her at the bottom of the stairs.

She’d missed the bottom step and tumbled.”

Debs was heartbroken to learn that Marion fell while rushing to call an ambulance after discovering her son had taken his life in an upstairs room.

“Marion is now home and recovering well after surgery on a broken hip,” says Debs.

“She’s also very slowly coming to terms with the loss of her son.

“I saw her recently and she looks really well – full of smiles – although I know she still has to process all she has been through with her son.”

That’s something Debs herself has faced, having lost her partner to suicide nearly two years ago.

She’s now a Royal Mail Mental Health Ambassador and runs a Facebook support group for others with shared experience of family suicide.

“Even having just one person to relate to can help with the grieving and healing process. I hope that, when the time is right for Marion, we can sit together and talk over a cup of tea.”

GET INVOLVED Scan the QR code to discover more Crown Awards stories, nominate a colleague or team and vote.

FIRST CLASS SUPPORT is the free, confidential 24/7 support service. For access to trained professionals, visit rmgfirstclasssupport.co.uk or call 0345 266 5060.

Crowning glory Deborah’s quick actions earned her a Crown Awards nomination, with colleagues on Workplace overwhelmingly voting for her as April’s winner. Each month, Royal Mail colleagues on Workplace submit individuals or teams for a Crown Award. The most popular nominee wins an iPad or, if a team tops the poll, £350 worth of vouchers.

April’s runner up was Royal Mail’s PFSL cleaning community, which kept colleagues safe throughout the pandemic and completed more than 7,000 responsive cleans – many out of hours – after positive cases were reported in workplaces.

Each monthly winner, plus a wildcard entry, will go forward to a poll in December and is in with a chance of winning the overall prize of a postbox full of cash – £40,000!

Workplace.com

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SUMMER 2022

DOG AWARENESS WEEK

Who let the dogs out?

Stafford postie and Courier Editorial Panel member Kamil Sterniczuk on the threat and consequences of dog attacks – and the legal duty of customers to control their canine companions.

Posties in peril In December 2007, a Sheffield postie was mauled by two bulldog terriers. After undergoing skin grafts and plastic surgery, he returned to non-delivery duties. A postwoman from Wrexham was emptying a postbox when she was attacked by a large dog which had escaped from a nearby property. It caused severe injuries to an arm and both legs – deep puncture wounds and torn flesh.

She was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment and surgery.

There are now an estimated 12 million dogs in the UK. As ownership soared during the pandemic, so did the number of incidents. The Metropolitan

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Summer 2022

Nick Park Epping postman I was recently bitten during a dog attack – which has made me far more cautious. It’s important to look and listen out for our canine friends. I won’t enter a delivery point if a dog’s visible and the owner’s not in sight for me to alert. My health is more valuable than any letter or parcel. Vigilance is key at the doorstep and while we move from house to house.

EDITORIAL PANELLIST

A dog chasing a postie may be a laugh for onlookers, but it’s no joke for those worried about their health – or even fearing for their life.

A dog’s anger isn’t reserved purely for posties.

It affects others who regularly visit a property – such as tradespeople, couriers and leaflet distributors. No one expects to be ambushed by a dog and the legal responsibility to make sure that it isn’t dangerously out of control lies with the owner, even on a private property.

Thanks to the CWU’s campaigning efforts, an amended Dangerous Dogs Act came into force in May 2014. Now, any dog – irrespective of size and breed – can be deemed dangerous even if it doesn’t bite and merely puts someone in fear of being injured.

Police experienced a 14% increase in recorded dog attacks for 2020-21 to 2,140 cases. Although attacks on posties fell by 31% during this period, five of us were attacked each day on average.

The aftermath Canine teeth can puncture, shear and tear tissues such as skin, tendons and muscle. A dog’s jaws can also exert enough pressure to crush an aorta or bone, causing internal bleeding, deep bruising and nerve damage. Then there’s the risk of infection from the transfer of bacteria from the dog’s mouth to the wound.

There’s a psychological dimension, too.

Post-traumatic stress disorder results from a harrowing event or experience. Symptoms include nightmares and flashbacks or feelings of isolation and guilt. Dog bites can also cause phobias – the obvious one being a morbid and debilitating fear of dogs. These can make people completely change their lives. They may avoid places where dogs may appear or refuse to visit relatives with them. There are also body image issues – missing fingers, visible scars, permanent disfigurement – which make them embarrassed or feel much less attractive.

Canine conundrum There’s no straightforward explanation for why dogs attack. A dog uses aggression when it feels threatened, disturbed or overexcited. Some breeds are territorial and defend something they value highly. A postie will be perceived as an

intruder who invades their personal space and has various scents on them picked up along the way. It’s not uncommon, though, for dogs to turn on their owners and bite without warning.

Fighting back Dog attacks are the most common hazards and causes of injury in Royal Mail, with the most serious cases being life changing.

If an incident involving a dog happens, colleagues can be supported by our safety, legal and security team, which can facilitate

Avoid dog attacks Always have a posting peg – never put your fingers through a letterbox Never accept a customer’s assurance that a dog won’t bite Step well back from the doorstep Beware of customers opening the door if you return to retrieve uncollected parcels Don’t enter a property if a dog is loose – ask the customer to secure it Report significant dog hazards to your manager and pass on details of risks no longer there

prosecution against irresponsible owners.

Importantly, Royal Mail’s solicitors can take civil action against the dog owner if the police or Crown Prosecution Service decide not to proceed with prosecution.

Finally, there’s the Royal Mail Dog Attack Compensation Scheme, which pays benefits to those injured or on sick leave due to a dog attack. Benefits are paid out irrespective of any compensation from personal injury litigation.

Preventable ordeals The bottom line is that dogs are unpredictable: they may bite and, in extreme cases, kill. However, research by scientists at the University of Liverpool reveals that dog attacks are almost always preventable and result from irresponsible ownership. Examples include not keeping a dog on a lead, failure to tackle first signs of aggression or not attending training classes to learn how to have command of the dog.

Most of our dog-owning customers are responsible. But there are others who fail to secure their property to prevent dogs from straying or simply stint on a dog sign or letterbox.

FIND OUT MORE Dog Awareness Week 2022 runs from 4 to 10 July. Check out updates on Workplace.

I’ve been bitten, chased, nipped and scratched.

I’ve been spotted fleeing from a snarling Chihuahua. And I’ve hurled myself over a gate to avoid a hungry Doberman.

So, why do dogs hate posties? I have a handful of theories – some are credible; others are probably shaggy dog stories.

We wear red It’s certainly a popular view among our customers. I’m not so sure.

It’s our bags I’m not convinced about this either.

Perhaps the theory derives from the fact that we use our bags to stop the dogs from eating us whole.

It’s the mail we carry I can kind of understand this one.

A bundled wedge of mail could, perhaps, to an uneducated dog, look like a big, fat sandwich.

It’s just being protective “He’s soft, really; he won’t hurt you,” I’m told. Still, I’d rather keep my fingers, if it’s all the same.

It’s because we invade their space This is my theory. Every day, Fido’s watching us from the window, wondering who we are, what we’re doing, why we’re in his garden, knocking at his door, talking to his mistress.

Perhaps he’s jealous? In all honesty, I have no idea. It’s a shame because I really am a dog person.

EDITORIAL PANELLIST

Chris Robbins Bradford postman

THE POSTAL MUSEUM

BACKSTORY

NORFOLK, SUMMER 1937 A postman delivers mail to Hemsby holiday camp in Great Yarmouth. Photograph courtesy of The Postal Museum. Royal Mail colleagues are entitled to a free ticket to The Postal Museum – including a ride on Mail Rail. For current opening hours, visit postalmuseum.org

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Summer 2022

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