Several Postal Service craft employees recently learned what it’s like to perform other jobs within the organization.
The employees attended a Chicago District career conference last month and were selected to participate in a “shadow day” to receive hands-on experience in other USPS roles.
The initiative is part of the Postal Service’s broader efforts to offer employees professional development opportunities.
Beverly Wilson, a mail handler, spent a day working alongside in-plant support employees.
“I learned so much that I didn’t know before,” she said.
Auburn Park, IL, Letter Carrier Tausha Bradley-Smith shadowed Customer Relations Coordinator Musette Henley.
“Tausha was a natural for the job,” Henley said. “She came right in and started answering the phones and talking to the customers.”
Bradley-Smith was happy to learn something new. “I appreciate the opportunity,” she said.
Another employee, Mail Handler LaShana Coleman, shadowed the transportation team at the Cardiss Collins Processing and Distribution Center in Chicago. She helped hang placards for drivers to scan and visited the Vehicle Maintenance Facility.
“I was shown what working there consists of on a daily basis,” Coleman said.
The experience was rewarding for everyone involved, Henley said.
“They could see where they tied into the bigger picture and … the importance of the job they do,” she said. “They were overjoyed.”