Monday, January 22, 2024
This program encourages employees to share Postal Service info on social media
USPS Zone is the first initiative of its kind in the federal government
Postal Service employees across the nation are sharing news and information about the organization on social media through a first-of-its-kind program in the federal government.
USPS Zone, which began in 2021, allows Executive and Administrative Schedule employees to post approved content on their personal social media accounts.
“Employee advocacy is one of the most effective ways to improve online presence, build a great brand reputation and reach exponentially more customers than you can with your company’s social profiles alone,” said Melissa Lomax, acting social media strategist and USPS Zone community manager.
Participants can pick and choose what they share, as well as suggest content of their own. All content is preapproved so participants can share with confidence.
Since the voluntary program began, USPS Zone users have shared approximately 200,000 posts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X, drawing almost 134 million impressions.
The posts have also resulted in more than 168,700 clicks to usps.com, driving traffic to the Postal Service’s main website.
Ashly Purcell, a Coppell, TX, customer relations coordinator who signed up for USPS Zone last year, said posts about hiring fairs usually get a lot of traction.
Purcell, who had fallen on hard times before joining the Postal Service in 2018, said she’s mindful that “hitting the share button on a post could end up changing someone’s life for the better.”
In addition to job fair information, some of the program’s all-time top-performing posts have been about the Great American Mail Race board game, the Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp and the USPS collectible bobblehead set.
Although employee social media advocacy programs are common in the private sector, USPS Zone is unique in the federal government.
Last year, the program received an honorable mention in the employee relations category at the PR News Platinum Awards, an annual competition for communications professionals.
In touting the program, the award organizers praised USPS for taking a “promote, don’t punish” approach to engaging employees online.
Mary Beth Levin, the Postal Service’s social media strategy and analytics manager, said the program benefits the organization and employees alike.
“Our intention here is not only to promote the brand, but also to develop social media literacy, helping our colleagues to develop their personal brand and be seen as leaders and subject matter experts in their fields,” Levin said.
EAS employees interested in joining USPS Zone, learning more about the program or scheduling a presentation for their team should send an email to uspszone@usps.gov.
Two new stamps show the final frontier
The awe-inspiring images come from the James Webb Space Telescope
The Postal Service will celebrate NASA’s continued exploration of deep space by releasing two new stamps featuring stunning images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
The $9.85 Priority Mail stamp shows the Pillars of Creation, a trillions-of-miles-tall formation that lies 6,500 light-years away from Earth within the vast Eagle Nebula.
Flush with gas and dust, the Pillars enshroud stars that are forming over many millennia. The Webb Telescope snapped the eerie image in 2022, revealing a new view of a vast stellar landscape.
The $30.45 Priority Mail Express stamp shows the Cosmic Cliffs of the Carina Nebula, a stellar nursery.
Within the enormous swirl of the Cosmic Cliffs, radiation and solar winds emitted by newly formed stars blow gases and dust into a frenzy of creation and destruction. These particles are the active building blocks of new stars and planets.
Both stamps, sold in panes of four, will be available at usps.com and some Post Offices, beginning Monday, Jan. 22.
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Jan. 14-20
The week brought mixes — both wintry and musical — and much more
Let’s talk about the weather, shall we?
Last week, Link covered the snow, ice and cold temperatures that affected many states, including Oregon and Texas, where tens of thousands of customers lost power.
We also talked to some USPS employees who drive delivery vehicles and heard their advice for colleagues who are braving the slick and icy conditions on the nation’s roads.
“The one tip I live by is leave enough room between vehicles,” said James Chicano, a USPS tractor-trailer driver based in Waterbury, CT. “Don’t tailgate. You can make decisions if you have the time. Leave yourself enough room to react.”
Shifting gears, other employees offered their advice on keeping New Year’s resolutions.
Esi Efseaff, a Terra Bella, CA, retail associate who took up running last year, said he found it helpful to “do your research before making a change and experiment to find what works.”
Elsewhere, Link went “On the Job” with Rachael Kneisly, a Postal Inspection Service team leader, and “Off the Clock” with Jacob Howley, a USPS attorney who is also the front man for Corned Beef Hash, a band that plays an eclectic mix of music.
We also reminded you of the postal price changes that take effect Sunday, Jan. 21, and we gave you a history lesson on the Love stamps. Additionally, we introduced you to Amy Weinland Daughters, a Tomball, TX, customer who mailed handwritten letters to all 580 of her Facebook friends.
“The Postal Service is made up of unsung heroes who deliver mail and a greater connection,” she said.
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
January 29, 2024
Datebook
‘Food for Thought’
Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar on how nutrition and lifestyle choices can positively affect emotional and physical well-being.
The session, “Food for Thought: Boosting Mood Through Nutrition,” will be held Monday, Jan. 29, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from GEHA, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will lead the discussion.
Participants must register before the event on the webinar website.
Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees must be off the clock or on authorized breaks.
Employees with questions can email the Benefits and Wellness team.
Heroes
An unexpected path
A carrier helped free a customer pinned by a scooter
Rural Carrier Matthew Sizemore was recently delivering mail in Evarts, KY, when he saw a customer on an electric mobility scooter lose control of it.
The scooter veered off a road and went over an embankment, landing on the man and pinning him face down.
Sizemore rushed to help the customer. Unable to lift the scooter, he managed to reposition it so the man could breathe more easily.
The customer declined Sizemore’s offer to call 911, so the Postal Service employee contacted members of the man’s family who lived nearby.
Sizemore and the relatives freed the man and got him to a safe spot. A neighbor then used a tractor to pull the scooter back to the road.
The customer sustained minor injuries.
“Given the remote location where the incident occurred, no one would have found him until it was too late if our carrier had not been there,” said local Postmaster Terry Ramsey.
View past printouts
Printout details
What's included
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This program encourages employees to share Postal Service info on social media
-
Two new stamps show the final frontier
The awe-inspiring images come from the James Webb Space Telescope
-
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Jan. 14-20
The week brought mixes — both wintry and musical — and much more
-
January29Datebook
‘Food for Thought’
-
Heroes
An unexpected path
A carrier helped free a customer pinned by a scooter