“Undercover Boss,” a CBS show that began airing in February, follows Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) as they go undercover to work primarily in lower-level positions in their own companies.
Beyond its entertainment value, the episodes have exposed a significant disconnect between senior management and employees.
While featured CEO’s have not recently, if ever, worked in entry-level positions in their companies; in contrast, the Postal Service has a proud history of promoting from within. Many of its current officers have carried mail, sold stamps, or worked in mail processing plants. Yet, based on the comments posted on Pushing the Envelope, there is a “suggested” disconnect between postal management and its employees. Postal employees often say their managers fail to communicate various corporate policies to them, fail to listen to their comments and suggestions, and fail to understand how corporate policies ultimately affect field operations.
Loading ... Loading ...If you think there is a disconnect between managers and employees at the Postal Service, what is the root cause? Can it be fixed?
Do you have any other thoughts or suggestions? We’d like to hear from you.
This topic is hosted by the OIG’s Risk Analysis Research Center (RARC).
63 Comments
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Isn’t this basically what a 204b working in their own office is already?
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Most top postal officals came from operations, but few were postmasters and don’t really understand how the post office and their communities interact.
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I am currently working on an instructional video featuring upper-level postal management. The video will show proper use of the sculch tray on a Segway over bumpy terrain. (It’s a dramatization.)
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I think it would be an eye-opener for them. They can see how AOs manipulate letter and flat volumes to beef-up DOIS projections so they can make their daily goal. They will also learn that by shifting letter volumes into the flat column you can increase your DPS % so they can make that goal too.
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I think the OIG should visit your office!
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Too many management position that should be eliminated because if crrier have undertime supervisor should have too. Some management needs to step down to eliminate overtime of the carriers. Anyway most them used to be a carrier.
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you mean when the other carriers wanted to teach me how to fool the supervisor into thinking I was behind when I was delivering my route? I’m sure some supervisors, managers, and postmasters would love to learn that one. They do it regularly here and they are none the wiser.
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Oig should visit San quentin west,Okc,ok main po.
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The huge disconnect has developed as the USPS bureaucracy grows and the root cause is ‘greed’ and the quest for a bigger stake in the revenue pie. The team has been divided, the mission is in jeopardy, too many people making decisions that have little or no common sense and are quite frankly ‘selfish’. The craft has ideas and is engaged in the mission, but nobody listens. The craft is not corporate, not operational, not analytical, just servants trying to please the customer while being hammered into time constraints, foolish data collections, system analyses, and lame programs. Can it be fixed? Yes, lets just focus on the mission 90% of the time and do the accounting the other 10%. I’m sure Postmasters would love to Biz connect or Team build rather than satisfy headquarters with a proliferation of redundant forms and reports, those hourly, daily,weekly, monthly, quarterly,biannual, and fiscal, whatever reports.
In our area mail theft is at an all time high and it literally seems like there is no controlling authority. The integrity of our service is at stake and we are loosing customer loyalty, resulting in a further shift to the internet…
RARC,Help!
Let’s hang some of these thieves and pursue them with gusto publicly displaying their heads on national TV, and educating the public on identity theft via the mail.
Thanks, let’s show the USA we care.
footnote:
Sometimes my carrier peers and I sincerely think there are Fed EX and UPS moles in our national headquarters policy making department. Anybody at the OIG checking on unusual or inappropriate Golfing flights with Fred Smith?
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Or maybe investments in said Fedex and UPS?
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I think the USPS need to focus on how to be competitive in the market place and to be more efficient; nonetheless, going under cover wouldn’t even have to be necessary. In retrospect, it’s a waste of time and resources.
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I tell you my story. I went to the post office to send two priority packages. I used your boxes but I needed a piece of tape to close the boxes so I asked the lady taking care of me for priority mail tape. She said I HAD TO BUY THE TAPE. I dont know if people working for you know math but here it is. The big box is the 14.50 and the middle was the 10.50 so between both boxes it was about 25 dollars and your telling me you dont have two pieces of priority tape to close the boxes. WHAT DO YOU THINK I DID? I took my packages out of the boxes and went to Fedex. I didnt even care it took longer. I saved seventh dollars and they taped it for me. If the post office is willing to lose 25 dollars because they dont want to offer some good old fashion custumer service at the cost of a few cents for tape, then, no matter what you cut and what you do your not going to fix the problem. And for me because i have a car and can affort other means and I am mad at the same time I wont be using the post office any time soon.
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The Fallacy in your story is that the Postal service does not sell Priority Tape. Nice try though :/
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I’m pretty sure Fedex and UPS charge for tape, by the inch.
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Yes USPC need to focus on competitive market and try to build products and shows according to market interest.
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This is really nice stuff..thanxs for posting…
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nice, thanks for sharing.
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Too many management position that should be eliminated because if crrier have undertime supervisor should have too.
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Thanks, let’s show the USA we care.
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I think it would be an eye-opener for them.
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I thought everybody at the Post Office was undercover?
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I think all mail routes should be evaluated routes like the rural carriers have. That would get rid of half of management. Having managers crunch numbers all day is the most ridiculous thing I have ever witnessed. If management spent half as much time concentrating on customer service as they do on preparing worthless reports the USPS would be much better off.
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USPS need to focus on competitive market and try to build products and shows according to market interest
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