Southern Area VP Shaun E. Mossman
“Each of us is working hard to secure the future of the Postal Service. Implementing strategies to fully engage the workforce will pay huge dividends for our employees and … customers for years to come.” […]
Mike Milligan
Posts by Mike Milligan
Phishing
Phishing scams — attempts to steal IDs, passwords and other sensitive information from an employee or consumer — are prevalent online. The CyberSafe at USPS site on Blue has tips to identify and avoid phishing. […]
Taking action
Are you engaging your employees on a daily basis? If not, then Postal Service leaders have another question: What are you waiting for? Last month, all USPS managers should have completed a review of the results of the latest Postal Pulse survey, conducted a “state of the team” conversation with employees and submitted plans to […]
Stronger link
Hackers recently revealed information from millions of LinkedIn accounts — including 8,000 accounts associated with USPS email addresses. The information, which the hackers posted online, was stolen during a security breach on the business-oriented social media site in 2012. Many of the passwords associated with Postal Service email addresses were easily guessable since they contained […]
Ready and set
USPS reminds employees to prepare for hurricane season, which began this month and continues through Nov. 30. Most coastal areas, including the Caribbean and Pacific, are subject to hurricanes. The storms can cause high winds, heavy rain, flooding and other dangerous conditions. Take these steps to prepare: Complete a personal preparedness plan that includes a […]
New deal
AARP is offering discounted memberships to all Postal Service employees, regardless of age. Employees can now receive 15 percent off all AARP membership terms (1, 3 and 5 years). Current members will also be able to use this offer to extend their current membership at the discounted rate. AARP membership benefits include travel and dining […]
Fatherly finds
Consumers will spend an average $125.92 on Father’s Day gifts this year, up more than $10 from 2015, according to new projections from the National Retail Federation. Total spending is expected to reach $14.3 billion, the highest in the survey’s 13-year history. However, moms still outrank dads: Consumers were expected to spend an average $172.22 on […]
Baltimore District Manager Angela Curtis
“We want employees to think like customers. We want them to ask themselves how they would feel if the package they were expecting was never delivered because someone didn’t scan it properly. That’s not the experience we want to provide to our customers.” […]
Higinio Martinez, Lubbock, TX
Lubbock, TX, Letter Carrier Higinio Martinez was delivering mail recently when he heard cries from a woman who had fallen in her driveway. Martinez helped the woman inside her home and called 911. The woman is now recovering from a slipped disc. […]
Tutor Portal help
The Learning Management System’s Instructor/Tutor Portal allows instructors to perform administrative tasks related to traditional classroom and virtual learning activities. The LMS Instructional Materials site has resources and job aids. […]
Cynthia Salas, San Antonio
I loved “Paw patrol.” Kudos to Toms River, NJ, Letter Carrier Al Font for reuniting the puppy with his owner. […]
Right spot
The Postal Service has asked customers to place stamps in the upper-right corner of envelopes and other mailings for years. Do you know why? When postage stamps were first introduced in 1847, they were hand-cancelled individually by Postmasters and postal clerks. The introduction of high-speed cancelling machines in the 1890s changed things. “[T]he placement of […]
Scanning scorecard
The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.48 percent during the week ending June 3, down from the previous week. Forty-three districts and three areas exceeded the national average. Hawkeye (98.51 percent) led the districts, while Western (97.81 percent) topped the areas. Scanning allows customers to track their packages and other mail. It also helps […]
Parks and acclamation
The new National Parks stamps are receiving widespread praise from the news media and customers. Condé Nast Traveler declared the stamps “capture the beauty of the national parks,” while The Spokesman-Review newspaper in Washington state credited USPS with giving the parks “first-class treatment.” A post about the new stamps was liked by more than 400 […]
Now open
Now through June 30, the Postal Service is offering some non-career employees the opportunity to enroll in the USPS Health Benefits Plan. Employees who have become eligible for the plan since last year’s open season are able to enroll during this special period. This group includes non-career rural carriers (excluding assistant rural carriers), postal support […]
Judy Buffalo Head, Ponca City, OK
Detroit Letter Carrier Marlon Williams is awesome. […]
Pamela Arledge, Greer, SC
Greer, SC, Rural Carrier Pamela Arledge was in her vehicle recently when a retired police officer tapped on her window and asked for help. The man was experiencing neurological problems. He couldn’t see and had difficulty speaking. Arledge called 911. She also contacted the retiree’s son. Arledge brought the man to his house, where emergency […]
Chicago Letter Carrier Robert McGhee
“The Postal Service is a team. Everything that affects one, affects all. If you think about that every day, you’ll be in good shape.” […]
Handle with care
Never toss packages out of a vehicle, over a fence, into a yard or onto a porch. Customers pay the Postal Service to deliver with care. Treat every parcel as if it is your own. […]
Touch of color
The Postal Service has released Colorful Celebrations, a set of 20 stamps that showcase geometric shapes, flowers and birds. The designs are based on a Mexican art form known as “papel picado,” which is Spanish for “pierced paper.” Although the designs suggest cut paper, they actually were created digitally. Pricing and Costing VP Sharon Owens praised […]
Box scores
Nathan Rueckert sees beauty in old baseballs. The Sioux Falls, SD, resident gives the balls new life by meticulously slicing them apart and reworking them into patriotic works of art. “Baseball, when people think of it, it’s a lot more than just a game,” Rueckert tells the latest edition of “Your Postal Podcast.” “It reminds […]
Paw patrol
Remy the pit bull puppy has a Postal Service employee to thank for reuniting him with his owner after the dog swam away from home. Remy later became stuck in a muddy marsh where he stayed for hours until kayakers discovered him. Toms River, NJ, Letter Carrier Al Font, a 16-year USPS veteran, came upon the […]
Home sweet home
Buying a home can be exciting, especially if it’s your first one. The process, however, can become overwhelming if you’re not prepared. Here are some tips to ease your purchase: Assess your financial situation by determining how much money you’ve saved and budgeted. This will help determine how much you can afford to spend on […]
Telephone courtesy
Answer the phone within three rings, offer a friendly greeting, provide assistance and always end calls by thanking customers for using the Postal Service. Remember to keep reference material close to the phone to better serve customers. […]
Dayton, OH, Acting Postmaster Tim McIntyre
“One of the things that’s really fascinating to me is that Stamp Out Hunger isn’t about us. It’s about the community, and the support was just overwhelming.” […]
William Reynek, Bellevue, NE
Bellevue, NE, Retail Associate William Reynek became suspicious recently when a customer tried to mail $2,300 via Priority Mail Express Mail. When Reynek called the intended recipient and began asking questions, the individual hung up on him. Reynek explained to the customer that it was probably a scam and persuaded her to keep her money. […]
Karin Cloutier, Forest Park, IL
I’m third-generation postal proud. My grandfather was a letter carrier in uptown Chicago. My father will turn 79 this year and still works five days a week at the Chicago Network Distribution Center. […]
Far and wide
The Postal Service issued stamps May 31 that commemorate the recent completion of NASA’s 9-year, 3-billion-mile mission to explore Pluto. The Pluto — Explored! stamp sheet shows New Horizons, the spacecraft that flew by the dwarf planet last year, as well as an image taken during the probe’s approach. The stamps highlight the Postal Service’s […]
Old school
Summer is almost here, and many parents will soon send their kids off to camp. But what happens when it’s time to communicate? Since many camps don’t allow children to use digital devices, families must put pen to paper and exchange letters — which isn’t always easy for those accustomed to zipping off text messages. […]
Socially secure
The CyberSafe at USPS team reminds employees to be aware of the personal and professional implications of sharing information on social media sites. Here are some tips to protect yourself: Be careful when sharing your location. “Geotagging” features on social media sites can let others know where you are. Avoid sharing personal information — such as […]