‘A memorable day’

CEO Stuart Simpson visited Gatwick Mail Centre to catch up with colleagues and hear how they have been affected by the pandemic. He also discussed the future direction of Royal Mail.

Performance improvement manager, Brad Molyneux (pictured) directed the tour and updated Stuart on how colleagues in Gatwick have been faring during this unprecedented time.

‘The team at Gatwick Mail Centre have shown their dedication and commitment throughout the lockdown despite strong Government messaging telling everyone but key workers to remain at home,’ said Brad.

‘It has been and remains an anxious time for many, but the early days were particularly difficult when there was so much uncertainty. Together with our CWU colleagues, we immediately risk-assessed all our work areas and introduced a number of recommended practices such as the two-metre social distancing protocols and one-way systems. These actions, plus the prompt arrival of gloves, masks and sanitisers, helped address colleagues’ concerns about contagion and gave everyone the confidence they needed to work safely.

‘I’m enormously proud that every day the team not only came into work, but processed record levels of parcels when so many customers moved to buying goods online. There’s been a great team spirit here and a real sense that our work has been helping others. This has been helped by the numerous notably kind gestures we’ve received from our fantastic customers, including gifts of 2,500 Easter eggs, 2,500 cans of coffee, pizzas and even a thank you note with a £5 gift that we donated to charity.

‘Stuart’s personal thanks was greatly appreciated by all those he spoke with. Many colleagues also took the opportunity to share their thoughts with Stuart about the challenges we face and how we can provide a better service to our customers. There was even a queue at one point! Unfortunately, after a couple of hours, we had to end the visit, but for those Stuart met, it was a memorable day and we hope we can arrange another visit in the future.’

In what continues to be a challenging time, the business is incredibly proud of the workforce and the tremendous work that colleagues across the UK have been doing delivering for the country.