Pontardawe prepares
The small Welsh unit are preparing for Peak 2024. Customer Operations Manager (COM), Shaun Hurford, explains how.
How long have you been the COM at Pontardawe? Have you made any changes or improvements in your time there?
I have been COM at Pontardawe since July 2019. Three achievements I would say I am proud of since being here would be: successfully and safely steering the team through Covid, finishing in the top 100 units in the country last year and having a 95% trust survey score last year also. Before becoming COM of Pontardawe I was assistant COM at Port Talbot Delivery Office for six months and prior to that I was a postman in Ammanford Delivery Office for five years. Previously, I graduated from Swansea University with a 2:1 Degree in geography but paths led me to Royal Mail and I never looked back, so to speak!
What are the things about your team that make you most proud of them?
Three things my team do that makes me proudest are: their commitment to delivering to customers daily, whatever comes through the door, positive attitudes, which lead to a happy and healthy workplace environment and their ability to work as a team and help each other out to ensure a clear office every day.
How do you ensure you clear every day?
Planning is key to clearing every day. So a good robust resourcing plan with annual leave locked down the previous year and any gaps due to sick leave etc are filled well in advance by communicating with the team what overtime opportunities there are. Staffing is done a month in advance and reassessed on a weekly basis. Also, as stated the team has a strong commitment to delivering everything every day, regardless of the volumes, which is a massive positive to me and the customers of the area.
How are you feeling about Peak 2024 as a team?
Peak 2024 will no doubt be challenging due to the volume of parcels thar we are expecting, but we have been preparing for it for weeks now and have all staffing completed into 2025. We have people with the right scales in the right places e.g. good parcel drivers on parcels, good sorters in earlier for sorting etc and we have managed to secure the extra hire vans and PDAs we need to ensure we have the best possible chance of having a smooth a Christmas as possible.
How do you engage with your team?
Every day I walk around the office and say morning to every staff member and hold more in-depth chats with anyone who wants/needs them. I am rarely in my office for more than five minutes between when I start and 9am as this is the most crucial part of the day and needs me on the office floor communicating and engaging with staff to ensure the operation runs smoothly. We also hold a weekly WTLL where not just business communications are given out but also any local ones including birthdays etc. Each week I also go around every staff member who was in the week before and we have a reflection on their total week’s performance ranging from driver safety to Tracked performance.
Do you have a message for your team as they head into Peak?
My message for the team is that I am very lucky to have such a committed and driven team and I love the fact they still take pride in delivering to the community and representing the Royal Mail brand. I enjoy coming to work and enjoy my job, which can be a rare thing these days. Pontaradwe Delivery Office is a good place to work.
