The U.S. Postal Service can act as a little fiefdom, with minimal oversight in the use of power. There is no school which teaches the proper use of power; power is something which is too often misused, misapplied, and abused. And, those who possess power, often exponentially apply it when the focus of such power has become vulnerable.
Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition, who are in the vulnerable position of necessarily filing for disability retirement benefits under FERS & CSRS because of the imposition of an unwanted medical condition which impacts and impedes his or her ability to perform one or more of the essential elements of one’s job, are especially in a sensitive position, precisely because they are at the complete mercy of the Supervisor.
Supervisors need to understand and appreciate the great power which he or she possesses. The powerful need not misuse such power in order to show how powerful he or she is; indeed, it is in the very act of kindness, empathy, and the ability to show sensitivity and “human-ness” which is the true showing of the powerful.
Supervisors should “bend over backwards” to show what it means to truly be a Supervisor — one who recognizes and appreciates the long years of loyal service the disabled employee has shown; empathy for the vulnerable situation the Postal employee now finds him/herself in; kindness in the treatment of the employee.
Such kind treatment will go a long way towards encouraging a sense of community and family within an agency, and will foster the other employees in the department, office, and greater agency to work that much harder, knowing that it is not “just a job” — but a career worthy of greater devotion.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
Hello, this particular post has hit a chord with me. My husband has been off work for over a year, due to severe depression which was caused and exacerbated by working 2nd shift. He has requested a transfer from the plant manager, to a letter carrier position in the town we live in. It’s a 2 day a week position, and would bring in considerably less income from a 40 hour a week job, but for his health we felt this would be perfect. The postmaster here in our community worked very hard to hire my husband. The plant manager REFUSED the transfer. One of the reasons that he gave was that he felt that my husband was deceiving the postmaster, and not telling him that he’d been off of work for 6 months. The postmaster wrote a note for my husband informing the plant manager that it simply was not true. We’ve had an EEO mediation where my husbands managers stated that they would reveal nothing from the EEO mediation. Now, not only have they revealed information, but they falsified the information to put themselves in a better light, and are using it in disciplinary fashion against him for his attendance. My husband was on the verge of taking his own life, he was self mutilating. We have sent letter after letter from his doctor requesting accommodation. All to no avail. All they would have to do is transfer him. Also we have a 6 year old daughter we support, and I’m disabled from childhood. We are having to file bankruptcy, we almost lost our home. Both my husband and I need medication, and our insurance has just lapsed from his extended absence from work. In fact I was hospitalized for 8 days in May. 1/2 of that time in critical care. I need additional medication, but we cannot afford to buy it. The abuse that this plant manager has perpetrated of his position of power is intolerable. The sad part is, now my husband is filing for Disability Retirement. Apparently the plant manager that USPS funds are better spent paying my husband disability wages, rather than his hourly wage working for the USPS, filling a position.