The work of postal service workers is to sort, process, and deliver packages and mails, and provide supplies in post offices and customer services. Some of the postal service workers are mail carriers, clerks, mail sorters, processing machine operators, and processors.
Job Prospect
The job of mail carriers is to deliver mail to rural and urban businesses and residences throughout the United States. Postal service clerks are called window clerks. Their work is to sell postal stationery, money orders, stamps, mail boxes and envelopes in post offices across the country.
These mail workers evaluate packages to determine postage and check packages are in proper condition for mailing. The work of these clerks is to certify, register, and make sure mails, answer questions about post office boxes, mailing restrictions, postage rates, and other postal matters. Customer can take help of window clerks to file claims for damaged packages.
Processors, processing machine operators, and postal service mail sorters prepare outgoing and incoming mail for allocation at mail processing centers and post offices. These workers are also known as distribution clerks, mail handlers, mail processing clerks, and mail processors. Their work is to unload and load postal trucks and route mail around the mail processing center with small electric tractors, forklifts, and hand-pushed carts. These workers also operate and load sorting, mail processing, and canceling machinery.
The job of postal service mail carriers is to deliver mails. These mail carriers are classified by route types. Carriers working in rural and urban areas carry out similar duties. Mail carriers start their work at the post office early in the morning. They organize the mail in the proper sequence. The emergence of automated equipments has minimized the time carriers require to sort out the mail.
Mail carriers reach their destination by vehicle, on foot, or a bicycle. When going on foot, carriers carry a load of mail in a bag. In rural and urban areas, they use a small truck or car. The postal service equips city carriers with vehicles to perform their everyday tasks. Mail carriers deliver items to roadside mailboxes, house-to-house, and to buildings such as apartments or offices that usually have their tenants' mailboxes at one place.
Apart from collecting and delivering mail, carriers take money for postage due and cash on delivery (COD) fees. They attain signed receipts for certified, registered, and insured mail. When a customer is not at home, it is carrier's responsibility to leave a notice, which addresses where the specified mail is held. Upon finishing their routes, carriers get back to the post office with mail collected from businesses, homes, street collection boxes, and turn in the receipts, mail, and money collected throughout the day.
Some carriers who are working in city may have specialized responsibilities such as collecting mail from mail collection boxes and delivering parcels. Carriers who are who are working in rural areas provide an extensive range of postal services besides, picking up and delivering mail. For instance, rural carriers may sell money orders, stamps, and certify and register, and make sure letters and parcels.
All types of carriers are accountable to answer customers' queries, complaints, and questions pertaining to postal services and regulations and equip customer with all kinds of postal forms when requested.
Work Environment
Usually, window clerks perform work in the public post offices. They carry out a number of responsibilities. They have to interact with the people. These clerks hardly ever work at night. However, window clerks may have to cope with disturb customers and stand for long hours to perform their tasks. Their responsibilities may vary depending upon the size of the post office and nature of work. They also sort out mail.
The arrival of automated equipment has minimized the workload of these clerks. However, the work of processing machine operators, processors, and mail sorters may be physically demanding. Sometimes, these workers may need to lift and carry heavy mail sacks to the mail processing centers. Sometimes, processing mail may be tedious and tiring. Many processors, machine operators, and sorters work on weekends or at night because various major post offices route mail around the clock. An utmost amount of mail is sorted during the night and evening shifts.
Workers may experience stress as they have to process mail following quotas and deadlines. Some of the carriers start work early in the morning. Carriers who are working in urban areas need to work overtime. They spend much time outdoors delivering mail in kinds of weather. While executing tasks, carriers may have to face many natural difficulties such as icy and wet roads, extreme temperatures, icy sidewalks, and even dog bite.
These workers may face serious injuries due to the nature of work that requires constant bending, lifting, and repetitive movements. These types of injuries may occur to muscles, joints, and carpal tunnel syndrome. This is one of the good job options for those who are interested in interacting with people.