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Friday Message – October 22, 2021

NPA – The Fiscal Year 2022 Goals should be finalized by the end of October at the latest.   They are still being developed by the team at Headquarters and then they will need to be presented to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) at Headquarters and once the ELT has reviewed them and given their input, they should then be presented to the USPS Board of Governors at the end of October for the final approval.   It is looking very much we will see Functional Effectiveness as one of the components and I know that when this was first introduced last year as a new component (that was not included as part of the final scorecard this past year) there were a lot of questions in the field as to what this meant and where the numbers are coming from.   With each functional area having different goals in this component and so each area having different items they will be measured on, I have requested that when the scorecard is finalized and we know what the components are that Headquarters should roll out training for all EAS members to help them understand what the entire scorecard is, with special emphasis on what the Functional Effectiveness component is since it looks like it will constitute 30% of the goals for FY 22.     When I know what that training component is supposed to look like I will share that with you so that we can monitor if that training is being done, or not, and work with the Postal Service to make sure that everyone is receiving the same message and the same information.

 National Executive Board Meeting – A reminder that the National Executive Board will be holding their first meeting of the new year in Arlington, Virginia on Monday and Tuesday, November 8^th, and 9^th.    If you have items that you would like to see discussed, I encourage you to get those items to a member of the Executive Board so that they can bring those issues forward.

 PEAK Season – From the information I am hearing from the field we are already into PEAK season, but we all know that the biggest challenges are still in front of us.    Be sure that you are taking the steps necessary (as much as you can anyway) to make sure that you have the processes in place to make this season a success.  I know that there are staffing issues that are facing many of you, but I have been assured by Postal Service Headquarters that they are working on getting as many people as possible on board to alleviate some of stress and headaches that you already have to deal with.   As always, on those days when you are just not able to get the mail delivered and everything done, be sure that you are reporting the non-deliveries and any other anomalies you might have in your office.   None of us ever likes to go home at the end of the day and not have all the mail delivered, but that is going to happen from time to time and you just need to make sure you do not beat yourself up about it, or do not let it negatively impact your health.    As I have said before, you need to take care of yourself because this is a long season, and you cannot afford to wear yourself out in the first few days and not have anything left at the end.   If you find you just need some help in your personal life do not hesitate to call 1-800-EAP-4YOU.    They are there to assist you and your family members when needed. 

 As always, take care, stay safe, and follow the guidelines as presented by the CDC and the Postal Service.    

 Have a good week!

Dan Heins, UPMA National President