USPS invests in part-time employees
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe has announced the United States Postal Service is currently expecting to shed a significant portion of its workforce without layoffs by 2017. However, the agency also broke news that it intends to convert a large number of part-time employees to full-time.
Included in the agreement reached between the USPS and the National Association of Letter Carriers, a number of currently part-time and non-career full-time employees are to be converted to full-time career status. Between 1,500 and 2,000 part-time employees have already benefited from the switch.
The memorandum defines a hierarchy determining which employees can be converted and when. For instance, all full-time letter carriers who are presently without an official duty assignment - usually instead working as city carrier assistants - will be offered the earliest opportunities to apply for new job postings. If no such employee makes an attempt to convert into a career position, part-time employees will then be offered the chance. The NALC hopes to convert a majority of the 35,000 workers they represent by the end of 2016.
Similarly, the American Postal Workers Union has also reached an agreement with the USPS to convert a number of its part-time workers to full-time employees. The union ratified its current contract in 2011, and since then, 1,000 employees have made the transition.
As the postal agency is attempting to streamline its workforce, a recent article from the Houston Chronicle revealed certain benefits to investing in full-time staff, rather than part-time employees. The article claims full-time workers tend to be more committed than their part-time counterparts, who may also add to absenteeism.
To maximize postal outputs, businesses can invest in mailing software and adopt the many benefits that come with it. By including the software in operations, companies can automate a number of the more labor-intensive aspects of organizing and sending promotional materials.