Packages are stolen, letters don’t arrive on time and trust in Postnord drops. What is actually happening with the post office in Sweden?
In a series of articles reviews News24 why Postnord is getting worse and unable to deliver the letters on time.
Here you can read the first part: Harsh criticism of Postnord: “More expensive and much worse”
In the second part about Postnord, the postmen’s turn has come. A profession which, in several surveys over the past 20 years, has been shown to be the worst in terms of the combination of stress and physical strain.
Klara was burnt out from working at Postnord
Done started working at Postnord in Dalarna at the beginning of summer 2022. For fear that her former employer will understand who she is, she does not want to go out with her real name.
She was then 20 years old and had previously worked in home care. Postman was her second job and at first everything seemed fine, but quickly she began to feel that something was wrong.
– The first thing I thought of, which was a bit strange, was that you didn’t get that many training days. It would go quickly, she tells Nyheter24.
After two or three days, Klara would be fully learned and then became responsible for her own round and was completely without help.
– There was a lot of stress. You would finish in time and preferably not take a break, she says.
A working day began at 8, with a meeting followed by mail sorting. The workload varied depending on the loop and the amount of mail. Klara had many apartments on her round, which meant a lot of mail and running up stairs.
In addition to delivering mail, the postmen must also empty the yellow boxes before 3 p.m. and pick up packages and letters in shops. Some breaks were not scheduled, but Klara had to take them when she had time, if she had time. Usually sometime between one and three in the afternoon.
– It was just stress, stress, stress, and when you were done with the loop, you would go back and send back the mail that was wrong, says Klara.
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According to Stefan Fougtwho has been the chief protection officer for Posntord Sweden for nearly 15 years, the work as a postman is just as stressful today as it was 20 years ago, but the workload has become different.
The efficiency with machines that sort the mail means that postmen spend more time of their work shift delivering mail. The number of letters sent in Sweden has decreased, but instead more small packages are sent, which has also changed the work.
The fact that mail began to be delivered every other day in 2022 would make work more efficient and make it easier for postmen, but opinions differ on how it turned out in practice. The change has meant that there will be less distance for the postmen to move and fewer stairs to climb, but more to carry on each round.
– If the mail is only delivered every other day, there will be twice as much mail, but it means that it will be a shorter trip. It simply means that there will be more to carry on fewer stairs, which means a different load, Fougt tells Nyheter24 and continues:
– Those who think it’s hard to carry have had it worse, while those who are not so fit think it’s nice. It thus becomes individual how it affects the individual in the event of such a change.
There are no rules for exactly how much a postman can lift, but on the other hand, the equipment such as carrying vests, boxes and sacks are adapted so that they do not weigh too much.
– But of course there is an upper limit if you need to enter a farm with many gates, then you must have the right equipment, vehicle or go several times, says Stefan Fougt.
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Stefan Fougt, chief security officer for Posntord Sweden. Photo: Private”Didn’t know where I was”
According to Klara, the managers showed no understanding of the stressful work situation and questioned when she and her colleagues registered overtime when they did not have time to take a break.
On some days, twelve postmen could be on sick leave, because people couldn’t cope with the workload. This in turn led to more work for those on site, and delays when not all mail could be distributed.
When Postnord started delivering letters every other day, the stress got worse. Klara got another round that was even more difficult, and in the end it was too much.
– I was stressed before, but it got worse. In the end, it collapsed. I started forgetting things, didn’t know where I was or what I was doing, it was really scary.
A year after the 20-year-old started at Postnord, she was burnt out and on sick leave. Two years have passed since then, and Klara is still on sick leave.
– It has been difficult. In the beginning they were very understanding and would care, but then my contract expired and they haven’t heard from me since.
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More and more small packages are sent with Postnord. Photo: Tomas Oneberg/TT
Klara still has friends who work in the same office as she did, and according to the former colleagues, nothing has changed.
What do you think is required for there to be a change?
– First of all, more people, and we can’t give out every other day.
Sick leave within Postnord has increased
According to Stefan Fougt, sick leave has increased somewhat in recent years, but he does not know why.
– The number of cases went up during the pandemic and has not really gone down to the same level as before it. Whether this is due to the fact that it is easier to stay at home when you feel sick or whether it is due to something else, we have not found out, he says.
Fougt points out that the postman job is physically demanding.
– We have many people who have pain in their arms and knees, he says.
Here, Postnord refuses to deliver letters
Do you know more?
Are you a postman or do you have a story about Postnord that you want to share?
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