2010 Comprehensive Statement on Postal Operations - USPS.com

Chapter 5: Workforce
VOLUNTARY PROTECTION PROGRAMS
The Postal Service maintains 165 worksites in OSHA’s Voluntary
Protection Program (VPP), which recognizes facilities that have
implemented the best safety programs and practices. Four additional
sites were recommended for Star, the most prestigious level, and
12 were reevaluated and approved for continued participation. On
average, VPP sites post OSHA injury and illness reductions that are
50 percent better than the industry average.
ERGONOMIC RISK REDUCTION PROCESS
The Ergonomic Risk Reduction Process (ERRP) reduces both
the number and severity of musculoskeletal disorders, builds
labor/management teams with ergonomic skills, and cultivates
partnerships to identify and control ergonomic risk. These
partnerships include OSHA, and the NPMHU and APWU. Since its
inception in 2003, 176 plants and 9 districts have implemented
ERRP. Approximately 159,454 employees have received training,
and 11,560 have submitted solutions to reduce risk that were
implemented. ERRP sites involved in the process for at least
12 months experienced a 19.3 percent reduction in musculoskeletal
disorders in <strong>2010</strong>.
Equal Employment Opportunity
In May, the Postal Service reissued its Equal Employment
Opportunity (EEO) Policy <strong>Statement</strong>, reaffirming its commitment to
equality of opportunity in every aspect of employment. The statement
is posted in all postal facilities, EEO offices, and on usps.com.
To improve working relationships with deaf and hard of hearing
employees, the training course, Supervising Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Employees, was developed and completed by 3,606
employees. It gives supervisors a basic awareness of communication
barriers, strategies for effective communication, actions to avoid, and
best practices for use of interpreters. It also includes an overview of
common phrases associated with work tasks, safety, and general
conversation using American Sign Language.
The Postal Service provides high quality and timely complaint
processing in accordance with EEOC regulations. This year
16,125 EEO informal complaints were filed, 99.2 percent of which
were processed within regulatory timeframes. Letters of Acceptance
or Dismissal met regulatory timeframes 97 percent of the time,
Investigations of accepted formal complaints 99 percent of the time,
Final Agency Decisions 97 percent of the time, and Notice of Final
Actions 99 percent of the time. Contract investigators and final
agency decision writers are used to help maintain the neutrality of
the investigative and decision process. The Postal Service also has
16 interagency agreements to process EEO cases on a fee-forservice
basis.
National Workplace Harassment Prevention
The Postal Service is committed to providing a safe, productive, and
inclusive workplace; it will not tolerate harassment of any type and
holds managers responsible for preventing it. Awareness is the key
to ensure a workplace free of unlawful and inappropriate conduct.
In March, Publication 552, Manager’s Guide to Understanding,
Investigating, and Preventing Harassment, was revised to be
consistent with the policy to maintain a work environment free from
all forms of harassment and to comply with case law and updated
EEOC guidance. A one-page Quick Step Guide was added to give
managers the basic information needed to quickly and effectively
address a complaint.
Employee Assistance Program
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides employees and
family members with free, voluntary, and confidential counseling
from licensed professionals. Counselors are available 24 hours
a day, seven days a week in convenient locations to help with
challenges that affect employees’ lives at home and at work.
Employees and eligible family members receive assistance that
helps them to cope with a wide range of emotional, financial, legal,
chemical dependency, marital, and family related issues. More than
24,957 employees and family members received counseling.
The EAP responded to 333 critical incidents that impacted employee
work engagement to some degree. A critical incident is an event
which causes disruption to the organization or creates significant
danger or risk which may traumatically affect employees. Incidents
may include the sudden death of a co-worker, a vehicle accident,
suicide, homicide, or natural disaster. From these incidents, 22,220
employees received services in the form of individual sessions
or grief groups. EAP also provides consultation to managers and
supervisors on issues involving individual workers and the work
environment. The EAP engaged 20,345 managers, supervisors, or
union officials in individual consultations.
The EAP Internet site has experienced growing demand for
information on financial planning and coping with stress,
relationships, and anxiety. This year saw usage double for three
months during the holiday season.
Violence Prevention and Crisis Management
Created in September 1998, the office of Workplace Environment
Improvement (WEI) is committed to improving the work environment
and bringing focus to “people issues.” WEI performs violence
prevention activities, identifies and measures trends of concern,
and implements initiatives to improve the workplace environment.
WEI assists field offices by ensuring that local threat assessment
teams are trained and staffed. These teams respond to potential
and actual threat situations to bring swift resolution and ensure
employee safety.
The Workplace Environment Advisory Committee, composed of
representatives of Human Resources, unions, and management
associations, works closely with WEI and the Inspection Service.
Using a standard protocol, the committee identifies and addresses
undesirable behavior that results from both individual and systemic
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