The Idle Postal Worker Myth

Stand-by time is a measure of the effectiveness of the Postal Service's workforce scheduling systems as well as its ability to adjust the total size of its workforce as volumes change and networks are modified.   Stand-by time has often been used to either bash management or union contracts.  The newest numbers suggests that while any stand-by time is not desirable,  standby time is only 23 minutes per postal employee per year.

The decline in stand-by hours over the past few years can be seen in this chart from the USPS-OIG report, Stand-by Time Management Advisory.  the chart showed that institutional stand-by time peaked between April and December 2009, a period that fell between fiscal years 2009 and 2010.  

Stand-by hours peaked during that period in both areas that had relatively low levels of stand-by time in previous quarters and those whose stand-by time was significantly higher than other areas.  The peak in stand-by time reflected a period of transition for the Postal Service as it made adjustments to its workforce to reflect the impact of the recession and competition from electronic communications.

The chart also shows that in most areas, the Postal Service has brought stand-by time below absolute levels at the beginning of fiscal year 2009.  As a proportion of total hours stand-by time has declined over this period as well.  It was 0.1% of total hours in 2009, 0.07% in 2010 and 0.02% of total hours in 2011.  These proportions suggest that while stand-by hours created some rather embarrassing newspaper stories, even during the highest period in late FY 2009, the measures of stand-by time do not indicate systematic mismanagement.

As the Postal Service begins to restructure its operating network, stand-by time will likely increase.   Managing a transition to a smaller processing network, or fewer Postal Service owned retail outlets will likely result in delays that put employees in a stand-by mode as they are waiting to retire, be RIF'ed, or transferred to another job or facility.  During the transition period, studies like the Inspector General may need to find other ways to measure management's effective use of its workforce than following standby time.  

One tool that the Inspector General should consider using to look at management effectiveness is the In-Office Cost System (IOCS).  While this data collection system is designed for ratemaking, it provides a wealth of information about what individuals clocked into a particular MODS operation code are actually doing.   For example, IOCS could be used to identify what individuals who stated that they were clocked in to a standby MODS code were doing while they were on standby.   It could also be used to identify how much time employees clocked into non-standby MODS code are on break or other activity not sorting or handling mail.     

As IOCS is a sampling system, developing statistically reliable information by tour, quarter or area may be limited, but work that I performed along this line some 20 years ago suggests that it could tell an awful lot about how the shifts in mail volume over the past few years have affected the ability of plant management to fully use employees clocked into an operation in a physical activity associated with that operation.  This information combined with the stand-by time information report would provide a better idea as to how volume changes and organizational transformations will affect management's ability to restructure the Postal Service's workforce quickly.