Thursday, April 30, 2026
On the Job
This employee pays it forward
A postage due technician in Memphis, TN, goes the extra mile for customers
My name is Adrian Sherrod and I’m the postage due technician at the Memphis, TN, Processing and Distribution Center.
I handle Business Reply Mail. I sort, weigh and bill the mail to the different companies, and then bring it to the main office window.
Our biggest customer is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which treats patients up to age 21 and does not charge them for care. It does a lot of fundraising using Business Reply Mail.
It gets anywhere from 10,000 to more than 50,000 replies a day. During the hospital’s annual marathon, it can receive up to 65,000 a day.
Regardless of the volume, I get it all out in one day.
It brings me joy knowing that by doing my job properly, I help St. Jude’s receive the donations that are needed to ensure that no family receives a bill for their child’s care.
I work from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. I raised my children on this shift — it was easier to find someone to watch them when they were asleep! My work with USPS helped give them a good lifestyle. They’re all grown now.
I’ve been with the Postal Service for 28 years and have taken pride in each job I have performed, but this position is really fulfilling.
What we do is very important to the world. We’re making people happy by delivering their products. That’s why I work as hard as I do. I do it for the customers. I’m a customer as well.
“On the Job,” a column on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.
You might be able to accept an offer to attend an event for free
There are exceptions that allow USPS employees to take this kind of gift
The Postal Service is reminding employees that federal ethics regulations generally prohibit them from accepting gifts from anyone outside the organization, but there are exceptions regarding free attendance at certain events.
A Postal Service employee may attend an event for free if the gift of free attendance is offered by the event’s sponsor — and the employee has been assigned to present information on behalf of USPS or is accompanying another employee making a presentation.
If the event takes place over multiple days, an employee may accept free attendance only on the date when officially speaking at the event. The Postal Service may use its agency gift acceptance authority to accept free attendance on the days that an employee is not speaking on its behalf at an event, but a vice president or officer must provide a statement to the Ethics Office stating that attendance is necessary or convenient for USPS business.
If an employee receives an invitation to attend a conference, training, summit, forum, symposium, panel discussion or other networking event free of charge, and if the event is beneficial to the employee and to the Postal Service, then USPS can accept the gift of free attendance — including meals or materials offered to all attendees — and send the employee on its behalf. A vice president or officer must provide a statement to the Ethics Office stating that attendance is necessary or convenient for USPS business.
The Ethics Office ultimately will decide if accepting the gift complies with the regulations.
Seated meals at stand-alone events, such as roundtable luncheons and award dinners, cannot be accepted — unless the Postal Service or an individual employee is receiving an award.
Employees who have been offered free attendance at an event should email the ethics team or call 202-268-6340 to see if the regulations permit them to attend.
Mail
Moving an industry forward
Reader praises logistics vice president’s discipline and vision
Email us your feedback. Your comments could be included in our “Mail” column.
May 5, 2026
Datebook
‘Eat Well at Work’
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar to learn how to eat better by preparing healthier meals for work.
“Eat Well at Work” will be held Tuesday, May 5, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from Kaiser Permanente, a provider of health insurance plans for federal employees, will lead the webinar.
Participation is voluntary, but participants must register before the event. Nonexempt employees must be off the clock or on authorized breaks.
Employees with questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.
May 5, 2026
Datebook
‘Exercise Nutrition’
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar to learn how certain foods and drinks may affect exercise performance.
“Exercise Nutrition” will be held Tuesday, May 5, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from United Healthcare, a provider of health insurance plans for federal employees, will lead the webinar.
Participation is voluntary, but participants must register before the event. Nonexempt employees must be off the clock or on authorized breaks.
Employees with questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.
May 6, 2026
Datebook
‘Ergonomics and Time Management’
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar to discover how to effectively set up their workspace and learn stress-relieving ways to better manage their time.
“Optimize Your Work Environment — Ergonomics and Time Management Webinar” will be held Wednesday, May 6, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from Kaiser Permanente, a provider of health insurance plans for federal employees, will lead the webinar.
Participation is voluntary, but participants must register before the event. Nonexempt employees must be off the clock or on authorized breaks.
Employees with questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.
May 6, 2026
Datebook
‘Living With Asthma’
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar to learn how to prevent, manage and treat asthma.
“Living With Asthma” will be held Wednesday, May 6, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from United Healthcare, a provider of health insurance plans for federal employees, will lead the webinar.
Participation is voluntary, but participants must register before the event. Nonexempt employees must be off the clock or on authorized breaks.
Employees with questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.
WestPac Area, Massachusetts-Rhode Island District lead in scanning
A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 97.26 percent during the week ending April 24, down 0.33 percent from one week earlier.
The data was collected April 29.
WestPac led the four areas with a rating of 97.36 percent, while Atlantic ranked last with a 97.08 percent rating.
Among the 50 districts, Massachusetts-Rhode Island, part of Atlantic Area, ranked first with a 98.45 percent rating, while Virginia, also part of Atlantic Area, ranked last with a 94.21 percent rating.
Scanning data allows customers to track their mail and packages, which helps USPS deliver excellent service, boost loyalty and drive revenue.
To see the latest data, go to the Informed Visibility website and select “Customer Experience,” followed by “DES 2 Scan Performance.” Postal Service employees must request Informed Visibility access through eAccess.
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What's included
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On the Job
This employee pays it forward
A postage due technician in Memphis, TN, goes the extra mile for customers
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You might be able to accept an offer to attend an event for free
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Mail
Featured reader quote
“Transforming a system as massive as the Postal Service takes discipline, vision and consistency over decades. Robert Cintron, the logistics vice president recently honored with a...”
— Kavita Lakhani, Washington, DC
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May5Datebook
‘Eat Well at Work’
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May5Datebook
‘Exercise Nutrition’
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May6Datebook
‘Ergonomics and Time Management’
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May6Datebook
‘Living With Asthma’
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Brief
WestPac Area, Massachusetts-Rhode Island District lead in scanning