Members of the CUPW Vancouver Local:

If the words “Postal Transformation” cause you to experience feelings of apprehension and concern, rather than excitement and inspiration, you are not alone. What Postal Transformation is beginning to represent is a significant loss of jobs, the closure of mail processing facilities, and the ultimate taboo, the emergence of a practice of non-delivery, whereby, when the incumbent on a letter carrier route is absent, the sections of the route that do not have the admail delivery commitment for that day are, in some instances, not being delivered.

It is difficult to understand how this practice of non-delivery adheres to Canada Post’s values, which include a commitment to “strive to continuously improve”. There are no improvements noted here.

Canada Post likes to reference their “brand” at any available opportunity. According to their “brand character”, Canada Post provides services that are “customer-driven”, “community-oriented”, “reliable”, and “efficient”. Those customers, some of the most disadvantaged in our communities, who, as a result of Canada Post’s new less-than-efficient and unreliable practice of delaying the mail, have recently been left to wait and wonder when their financial assistance cheques and GST refunds would arrive, would question the integrity of these assertions. Incidentally, another value that Canada Post claims to abide by is to “act with integrity in all that we do”.

If this practice of non-delivery continues and becomes more widespread and Canada Post is successful in their goal to, in the words of one manager in the Pacific region, “train the public” to not expect their mail 5 days a week, what becomes of us? What does the future hold for postal workers when the service that we provide to the Canadian public is deemed less necessary?

One of the most common causes of workplace stress is a fear of job redundancy – the fear that we will no longer be needed. When you add to this the unreasonably high expectations that are often placed upon us, the low tolerance for human error, and the lack of empathy, compassion and understanding shown to us by our employer, it is not difficult to understand why the effects of workplace stress may be increasingly familiar to us. Illness and absenteeism, apathy and depression, conflict with coworkers and job dissatisfaction are just some of the signs and symptoms of workplace stress.

According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, workplace stress is “the harmful physical and emotional responses that can happen when there is a conflict between job demands on the employee and the amount of control an employee has over meeting these demands”.

Experiencing some stress in life is quite normal; however, excessive amounts of stress can affect your physical and emotional health. While Canada Post does offer an Employee Assistance Program, they very often fall short in creating a work environment that minimizes stress. An aggressive attendance management program is strictly enforced, support and positive role-modelling from our supervisors is sorely lacking, as is good communication, and the practice of treating all employees with fairness and respect.

It is important, therefore, that we learn how to manage our own stress. The better we can become at this, the more we will positively affect those around us, and the less other people’s stress will negatively impact upon us.

In order to manage our stress, we must pay attention to our physical and emotional needs. When you ensure that your needs are being met, you will be in a better position to deal with stress.

Tips for dealing with stress:

It is unlikely that we will see a reduction in those factors that create stress in our workplaces. There are big changes ahead for postal workers, and with those changes will come new challenges and the need to adjust and adapt. More than ever, it is important that we focus upon our needs and take care of ourselves in order to cope with the stress and uncertainty, and be as healthy and happy as we can be.

Take care and be well,

Wendy Lund,
Health and Safety Director
[email protected]

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