Vote 100

Her positive and level-headed nature are reasons enough for why work area manager, Lisa Richards, from Birmingham mail centre, has been nominated for our Vote 100 campaign.

Work area manager, Louise Alabi, said: ‘Lisa has been a weekend work area manager at Birmingham mail centre for the last 18 and a half years. She always seems in control of her environment even when situations crop up that may cause others to lose their cool. She has a very professional and friendly approach with her team and treats everybody as equals.

‘I have been an acting work area manager for the last two years and Lisa has always had the time to sit down with me and give me advice when needed. She always has a bright smile for everyone and encourages me as well as everybody else to always see the positives instead of the negatives.

‘Lisa has truly made me want to aspire to become a similarly successful and level-headed manager as she is.’

Lisa joined Royal Mail in 1999 as a weekend work area manager at Birmingham mail centre. ‘It was a lovely surprise to be nominated by Louise,’ she said.

‘I enjoy the variety of people that I work with and all the different characters I see every day. Working my three days on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, has been great for my work/home life balance allowing me to be at home with my three children while they were small.

‘It was especially important with my youngest son who was born with a cleft palate and growth hormone deficiency. I was able to attend all of his various appointments throughout the years without taking time off work.

‘I have stayed on weekends except for a short stint at Worcester mail centre before it closed. I really enjoy the interaction with other shifts, production control, engineers and such like. I have worked in most areas but have settled on the Integrated Mail Processors for a couple of years now.

‘We run approximately 1.3 million letters through Saturday and Sunday ready for delivery on Monday. There is a small team of weekend staff supported by people on overtime or S/A and we all work towards the end goal of getting the work out to distribution on time. 

‘Following what was my 19th Christmas I like to think that I have seen most things at the most challenging time of year. Royal Mail has changed over the years and we have all had to adapt and learn: a good thing for our continued existence.’

Vote 100

Our Vote 100 campaign is your chance to help us showcase the enormous contribution Royal Mail women make each and every day both to colleagues and customers, ensuring we remain the UK’s most trusted postal operator.

If there is someone in your workplace who you admire for their outstanding work ethic, their drive to improve their own and others’ skills, their knack for supporting or mentoring others, showing kindness, overcoming obstacles, or influencing positive behaviour – we want to hear from you!

Please send your name and contact details plus the name of the colleague you wish to nominate and your reasons for doing so, to vote100@royalmail.com. We will then be in touch to obtain further details.