Laura Perkins, Rogers, AR
Thank goodness for employees like Laurie Ellerman and Kati Gogolka-Delude. The man who thought he won the lottery might have been left destitute if it weren’t for them. […]
Mike Milligan
Posts by Mike Milligan
Cease and desist
Retail units should not send PS Form 6401, Money Order Inquiry, to the Scanning and Imaging Center. This form is transmitted electronically into the Money Order Inquiry System. Exceptions are outlined in the Accounting site’s tips for completing a PS Form 6401 section. […]
Frederick, MD, Retail Associate Melissa Parker-Calhoun
“I treat customers the way I want to be treated. It comes naturally when you like what you’re doing.” […]
Read More… from Frederick, MD, Retail Associate Melissa Parker-Calhoun
Jeff Larosa, Parma, OH
Letter carriers can be the eyes and ears of their communities — and in the case of Jeff Larosa, the nose, too. Larosa was delivering mail in Parma, OH, recently when he smelled natural gas. He sought out a nearby homeowner to alert her to the problem. She contacted the gas company, which was able […]
‘We’re all feeling this’
People across the nation are putting pen to paper following this week’s mass shooting in Orlando, FL. Businesses and organizations are hosting events for individuals to write letters, cards and other messages for the victims’ families. At one event in Bloomington, IN, participants were provided with the mailing addresses for the gay club where the […]
Engagement update
USPS will conduct a teleconference Monday, June 20, to update employees on the latest Postal Pulse survey results and ongoing employee engagement efforts. Employee Engagement Executive Director Kelvin Williams will deliver the presentation, which will address the importance of engagement, the evolution of the survey and upcoming initiatives. The session will be held from noon-1 […]
EPA VIPs
Two Postal Service employees were recently honored for their efforts to help the organization become more sustainable. Environmental Specialist Julie Theroux and Hinsdale, NH, Postmaster Cindy Mason received a Federal Green Challenge Sustainability Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Theroux’s accomplishments include developing a series of guidebooks for 3,200 Post Offices in New England […]
Greater visibility
The Postal Service is expanding Informed Visibility, a platform that provides businesses with data and analytics that help them improve their marketing efforts. Mail tracking functionalities from IMb Tracing for Intelligent Mail barcodes and PostalOne will be added to Informed Visibility this summer, providing commercial mailers with additional insights into their mail flows. IMb Tracing […]
Lori Gaither-Gordon, Hartford, CT
Kudos to Letter Carrier James Robinson and the Chicago District team tasked with strengthening address management. Everyone has something to contribute to our organization’s success. Truly, this is employee engagement. […]
Darlene Thomas, Mechanic Falls, ME
Mechanic Falls, ME, Rural Carrier Darlene Thomas recently noticed uncollected mail in a customer’s box and knocked on the woman’s door. When no one answered, Thomas peered through a window, saw the customer lying in an unusual position, and called 911. The woman, who had suffered a heart attack and been without medication for as […]
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.” […]
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 […]