“Welcome Back Packets”
Recently management has been getting more aggressive with giving carriers a welcome back Packet after calling in sick. If you aren’t familiar with this, or haven’t ever received one, it’s a whole bunch of USPS policies and manual language printed out and handed to you on the workroom floor. The questions I always get are as follows:
Do I need to sign this? The short answer is no. The welcome back packet is a locally developed management form. We shouldn’t ever sign any forms that are outside our contractually agreed to forms. Management doesn’t give you any time to even read what you are signing. How can we sign something we haven’t read? If Management insists you sign it, you should head to the break room and start reading all the information. That should take at least 15 minutes. Probably more. You then should question management on any language you did not understand. (contract language can be confusing) After that I still would never sign anything. If they make you sign your name with the words signed under protest.
Can this replace an attendance review? Absolutely not!! Management is still required to do a full attendance review. This requires them to bring you into the office, and have a full discussion about your attendance, and their expectations going forward. You need to be told what they need you to improve on. They need to do these reviews quarterly with all employees. Even the ones who have perfect attendance. Management falsely believes that simply handing you a welcome back packet means they have given you the required review. We like it when they believe this. It helps when we need to grieve your attendance discipline.
There are many myths out there pertaining to attendance. It seems having “three” call ins in a quarter, triggers an automatic discipline letter. This is not written anywhere in any contract. This is a made-up rule from management. (big surprise) The only way you can be disciplined for attendance where it sticks, is if management has done everything, they are required to do. The reviews, the employee expectations, and a consistent office policy. If you are a steward, do not settle any attendance just because there were three occurrences in one month. We settle too much attendance like this. Make management do their homework.
