The Orientation Problem

Question 1: Describe the nature and causes of the orientation problem in this case:

a) The number of hours, which new letter carriers has taken to case and deliver routes maybe were long because they did no help and support of any kind has been offered.

b) The new letter carriers has been shifted from route to route because of lack of written materials about route’s particular order and the time which to took.

c) Little knowing about various areas covered by various routes because of only helped a little from supervisors.

d) The letter carriers were all stressed-out and workings overtime themselves because of no written materials.

Question 2: What types of orientation for new employees should direct supervisors provide at the work site? I think there are two types of orientation for new employees:

a) Work unit orientation: Before the arrival of the new employees, the supervisor should inform the work group that a new worker is joining the unit. After that, the supervisor familiarizes the employees with their jobs, and their work units. In this case, the direct supervisor provide all the necessary information about the particular facility, the personnel at the facility, the area covered by the route or routes and the additional written information such as the employee handbook and union contract.

b) Organization orientation: The supervisor should inform to the new employees about the organization’s objectives, history, philosophy, procedures, and rules.

Question 3: What training methods should be used to train the supervisors, assuming approval of the proposal? Because the supervisors belong to the management, therefore in my opinion, the training methods should be used to train the supervisors contains:

a) On-the-job Experiences: The supervisors can be trained by actual practice and experience. From that, they can learn from their mistakes and their experiences will be higher and higher. It also helps supervisors for higher positions and provides valuable experiences for those who are being groomed for supervisors. It includes: coaching, understudy assignment, job rotation, lateral transfer, project and committee assignments and staff meetings.

b) Off-the- job experiences: include analysis of case studies, management games, role playing and behavior modeling. All of these methods can make a contribution to the training effort with relatively little cost vis-à-vis the number of trainees who can be accommodated.

Question 4: What written materials should the supervisor provide for new letter carriers in light of what Ms. Burgess already provides? The written materials that the supervisor should provide for new letter carriers:

a) Map with specific notes about route or routes and experiences handbooks from former letter carriers.

b) Information about shortest and most appropriate stretch of road of delivery letter.

c) Information about wages, working insurance, email addresses and telephone numbers of managers, offices.

d) Information about interests of the new letter carriers when they can be overcome probationary.

d) The timetable for jobs. If the employees work overtime, how much they could be receiving more from the company.

e) Information about each route had to be delivered in a particular order and
it took time to learn the sequence.

f) The supervisors should provide regulation documents of the U.S Postal Services to new letter carriers. Therefore, they would not be breaking these regulations.

Question 5: In additional to the written materials discussed in the previous question, what else should the supervisors do to orient new letter carriers? The supervisors should give to the checklist to orient new letter carriers:

a) An introduction to other employees: help to learn experiences from old former employees

b) Expectations for attendance, conduct, and appearance: require the new letter carriers attend on time to deliver letters.

c) An outline of training: determined which training methods suit to them

d) The conditions of employment: help the new letter carriers to know about hours, pay periods…From that, they would be work more efficient.

e) An explanation of job duties, standards and appraisal criteria: E.g. The responsibilities of the letter carriers when they lost the letters.

f) A list of the chain of command

g) An explanation of the US Postal Service’s purpose and strategic plans: help the new letter carriers to know their jobs and organizations.