BHM – Ty

Throughout Black History Month, we’ll be celebrating our amazing black colleagues by bringing you stories from across the business.

All the colleague profiles we publish on myroyalmail.com will also appear on our dedicated Black History Month homepage. If you know someone who has inspired you as a great role model for others, someone who you think deserves recognition, please send your nomination to communications@royalmail.com with the heading ‘Black History Month’ in the subject line.

Today, we hear from Potters Bar delivery office manager, Tyrell Thomas.

‘I started my Royal Mail career in 2016, as a part-time postman in Hatfield Delivery Office, whilst studying for my law degree at university,’ said Tyrell. ‘Like many of us at Royal Mail, several members of my family work here, so the business was familiar to me. 

‘Becoming a father in 2018 meant that I had to rethink my plans to undertake the postgraduate Legal Practice Course (LPC). With a young family to support, I had to work full-time as a postman, but I was very keen to progress. I applied for a trainee manager position in Home Counties North and although I was unsuccessful, I didn’t let that put me off. I went away and contacted the hiring managers to identify areas of improvement, so for the next time around, I would be successful.

‘A few months later, there was a line manager position available at Enfield Delivery Office, which I went for and was successful in obtaining - a substantive position at the age of 25. I knew this was a massive accomplishment, not only for my age, but also because I didn’t have any prior experience as a trainee or cover manager. Enfield Delivery Office is a high-impacting unit with more than 178 employees and known to be a challenging unit. However, I believe the challenges I faced have worked in my favour and have helped to upskill me to be able to effectively deal with the most difficult situations.

‘Being the hardworking and ambitious individual that I am, I would always ask my manager for more tasks and greater responsibility. This led to me being able to cover my manager on his rest days and annual leave, which gave me a true insight into the world of being a delivery office manager (DOM). I made sure I liaised and networked with experienced DOMs and senior managers to get advice and support on the next steps of my career.

‘When an opportunity for a temporary delivery office manager promotion appeared in September 2020, I undertook the assessment process and was successful. I see this as another huge achievement for me that at aged 26, and within just 18 months of being a manager, I have secured a DOM position.

‘My advice to anyone thinking of progressing within the business is to just go for it! The opportunities are out there and if you don’t go for them, then someone else will. Everyone’s journey will take different paths and varying lengths of time, however if you put the required level of work in, everything will pay off. Put yourself out there, get a mentor and ask loads of questions. You’ll find managers are keen to help and willing to share their knowledge with you. It’s definitely not without hard work and dedication, but I genuinely believe that anyone can succeed within Royal Mail.

‘I have now set my sights on being part of the senior leadership team and I intend to contribute to the transformation that Royal Mail is going through. I would personally like to thank Barry Hares, my mentor, for all the time, support and advice he has given me.’

Supporting our BAME colleagues

Making our business a place where black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues can achieve their potential remains a priority.

Career progression is a key focus as we work towards improving the representation of colleagues from BAME backgrounds across all levels of the business. We need to build greater awareness that the network exists and is there to support our people and shine a light on all the good, positive things we are doing across the business. 

If you are thinking about holding a BAME cultural event in your unit, and need some help, please reach out to the BAME steering group, or volunteer to help out with their activities. You can contact the group by emailing bame@royalmail.com.