Post Offices are adopting creative measures to keep holiday customers safe during the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to hobble everyday life across the nation.
In Indianapolis, six Post Offices are offering curbside service. Customers who receive a notice that a package is available for pickup can park in reserved spaces at the office, call a special number and have a USPS employee bring the parcel to them.
“It cuts down on the number of customers standing in line during the holiday rush and makes it easier for them to safely maintain social distancing,” said Indianapolis Postmaster Dale Sparks.
Post Offices in California have adopted the drive-thru concept for seasonal hiring events.
In San Francisco, some facilities set up hiring booths that allowed job hopefuls to drive up and apply for positions, all while maintaining social distancing.
Applicants, who had opportunities to ask questions, received packets of hiring information, including salary and job descriptions.
“Hiring has been a challenge since COVID-19, and we needed to figure out a different approach,” said San Francisco District Manager Raj Sanghera. “With people already comfortable using drive-thru for fast food, why not use drive-thru as a fast way to apply for a job? This is just one of the many ways we used creativity to overcome adversity.”
In Eureka, CA, managers dressed up as collection boxes to attract prospective applicants to their drive-thru hiring booths.
The attention-grabbing effort spurred at least 30 people to apply for seasonal positions.
“This was a great way to reach out to potential employees,” said Eureka Postmaster Heather McTigue. “The drive-thru event attracted a lot of attention because it was not a normal hiring event. Potential employees appreciated the safety measures we took to ensure we could answer their questions and concerns about their future employment.”
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