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March 17 — Issue 200

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MISSION CARES ABOUT ME COMMITMENT TO QUALITY

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BEST FRIEND EXPECTATIONS RECOGNITION

I have someone at work I can talk to and trust.

INSIDE STORIES:

Engagement Challenge Champion Corner Next-Level Connection Dayton, OH, Customer Retention Team Engagement Throughout the Country

2020 Engagement Challenge

Help Me See My

Value

Challenge

Me

Know

Me

Help Me Feel

Proud

Cares About

Me Help Me

Review My Contributions

Equip

Me

Focus

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Help Me

Grow

Hear

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Help Me Build Trust

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I have someone at work I can talk to and trust.

1) Do you have one or more team members whom you consider trustworthy and dependable? 2) Can you name three team members who help you the most in your job and with your ability to be successful at our organization? 3) How do you help make our workplace positive and productive? 4) When did you have the most fun at work during the past six months? How can we make

sure we have more of these moments?

Questions to Ask Yourself and Your Team

Having someone at work that you can count on, talk to and trust can make a big difference. Relationships matter because they help us feel connected, causing us to be more productive and motivated. Here are examples of how they can make a difference: 1) A best friend at work can make it easier to get through a tough day, a difficult project or a challenging time at home. They can also be someone you look forward to seeing and sharing your personal life with at work.

2) A best friend at work is someone who understands. Many times, we just want to feel heard and no one listens as well as a friend. 3) A best friend at work can help you check yourself. While any co-worker can give feedback, your best friend at work is more likely to help you avoid making a mistake, by reviewing your job application, or sharing guidance on how to have a difficult conversation.

Who is your best friend (Q10)?

The engagement team would like to hear from you. Who is your best friend at work (Q10) and why? Send us a picture and a caption of you and your co-worker to the engagement mailbox: engagement@usps.gov.

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Employee Engagement only occurs when these 12 needs are met.

Engagement Champion Corner

Burlington, VT, plant Engagement Champion Ashley Hamilton asked her “assistant” Engagement Champion (Q10), Jackie Carroll, for ideas (Q7) using engagement with a focus on safety. They came up with a Safety Blitz contest on National Rubber Duck Day. During each tour, employees took a safety quiz and then picked a rubber duck with a number associated with it to win a prize. Plant Manager Bob Sanderson led the team with instructions for the learn and grow (Q12) contest. He was able to share an important safety message while assuring employees that leaders care about their well-being (Q5). Engagement is not just what you are focused on — whether it’s employee availability, retention, safety, customer service results or quality of product. It is how you are focused. Are you involved, committed and enthusiastic?

Jackie Carroll (left) and Engagement Champion Ashley Hamilton (right)

Plant Manager Bob

Sanderson (right)

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One-On-One Conversations are Vital to Achieve Employee Engagement

The Next-Level Connection is a tool to help prepare individual team members for success. Leaders are using it to initiate one-on-one talks with all direct reports. These talks are intended to assess the current level of engagement, open lines of communication, clarify expectations and build upon results.

TIPS TO GET STARTED:

Communicate that one-on-one conversations will be held with every team member and direct report.

Make time to have a conversation with each team member who directly reports to you. Share this expectation with your direct employees who also have employees reporting to them.

Discuss progress and next steps by focusing on elements of engagement. Use the checklist below to have meaningful conversations.

- Identify areas of strengths (needs being met)

- Address opportunities (needs not being met), work together to improve

- Be open to feedback (listen to understand, not to respond)

- Show empathy for all concerns and overall well-being

- Acknowledge contributions/achievements

Submit questions to: engagement@usps.gov.

The Employee Engagement website has a helpful video on having a Next-Level Connection, and how to assess and address your team’s needs.

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Dayton, OH, Customer Retention Team is All About Engagement

Customer Retention Agent and Safety Captain Jim Whitmore (left) keeps everyone informed through morning safety and service talks, as well as the safety bulletin board, which contains pertinent information for the team. Also pictured is Safety Specialist Dorothy “Dottie”Yusko (right).

Customer Retention Supervisor Richard Shelton (below) recognized two employees with their service awards.

Customer Retention Agent Shelly Davison received her 35-year Service Award.

Customer Retention Agent Tammy Thompson accepted her 25-year Service Award.

Customer Retention Agents Shelly Davison (left) and Stacey Barnhouse (right) created a “Say what?” and “What day is it?” bulletin board. “Say what?” features positive comments from business customers. “What day is it?” is a fun calendar that agents use to publicize engagement events and games.

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Engagement throughout the Country

The Hopkinton, MA, Post Office was recognized with a breakfast for working 600 days without an accident. They attributed this feat to continuous engagement practices, such as job huddles, peer-to-peer communications, proactive initiatives like “see something, say something,” and always putting safety first.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Supervisor, Maintenance Operations Nicole Lovett Williams (far left) engages her team of custodians “Talk It Out Tuesday,” when she provides information on safety, work expectations and other topics.

Valpraiso, IN, Customer Services Supervisor Narcedalia Machin thanks employees with a monthly “potluck” style birthday recognitions, where everyone can participate and eat together. “This is one way we can show that we care about and acknowledge one another,” Machin said.

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March 5 Fred Armstrong Human resources clerk, safety Charleston, WV March 6 Corina Parson Supervisor, customer services Flushing, NY March 7 Solange Davila Retail associate Flushing, NY March 9 Gloria Vargas Letter carrier New York March 10 Crystal Lein Postmaster Roosevelt, MN March 13 Jamie Sybert Area maintenance technician Lexington, KY March 16 Kevin Roward Lead automotive technician Erie, PA March 16 Tatiana Roy Strategic communications business partner Washington March 17 Monague Brandon Building equipment mechanic Columbus, OH March 21 Sylvie Mathieu Retail associate Morgan, VT March 21 Brian Wisniewski Lead automotive technician Erie, PA March 21 Bryant Jackson Complaints and inquiry clerk Washington March 23 Dave Sterrett Manager, health and resource management Sacramento, CA March 24 Mattie Coleman Administrative assistant Houston

Mark and Dana Fields celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this month. Mark is a customer retention agent in Dayton, OH. Magali and Rafael Rivera celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary this month. Magali is a retail associate in New York. Belinda and Joe Castanon celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary this month. Belinda is a supervisor, customer services in Mountain View, CA, and Joe is a letter carrier in Cuppertino, CA. Elizabeth Rivera and Miguel Santiago celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary this month. Elizabeth is a Postmaster in Barceloneta, PR. Mary Kay and Paul Wallace celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary this month. Mary Kay is a lead retail associate in Dayton, OH.

6 years Sadeep Satharasinghe Lead automotive technician Edison, NJ

17 years Todd Wolff Lead automotive technician Edison, NJ

20 years Bryon Barre Lead automotive technician Edison, NJ

25 years Anna White Storekeeper auto parts Erie, PA

25 years Robert Gonzalez Manager, customer services Flushing, NY

25 years Jacqueline Bryant Business mail entry technician Greenville, SC

26 years George Cancel Manager, customer services Flushing, NY

30 years Kim Guy Business mail entry technician Knoxville, TN

30 years Melody McCormack Postmaster East Barre, VT

31 years Sonia Torres Lead retail associate New York

34 years Susan Schuerman Postmaster Youngstown, PA

34 years Niela Richardson Business mail entry technician Greenville, SC

35 years Fred Armstrong Human resources clerk, safety Charleston, WV

BIRTHDAYS

WEDDINGS / ANNIVERSARIES

POSTAL ANNIVERSARIES

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Engagement Contact Information

The engagement team would love to hear from you.

We are looking for contributions, quotes and suggestions.

Send your feedback to the email above.

Celebration Submissions

Did you miss a previous engagement newsletter? Go to the Engage Weekly site on Blue or LiteBlue. Do you have a birthday, retirement, postal or wedding anniversary you would like to announce? Log on to LiteBlue and fill out the form. Or...

Go to USPS LiteBlue and log on with your employee ID and USPS self-service password. Under Hot Topics, select Employee Engagement.

In the left column, select Employee Celebration Submission, and fill in the online form.

Greenville, SC, Complaints and Inquiry Clerk Vernita Jackson was honored with her 35-year Service Award.

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HERO Empowers Employees to Promote Their Talents

• Career Conversations. This feature promotes ongoing career-oriented discussions that can be initiated by an employee or his or her direct manager. These discussions focus on helping the employee to meet his or her career goals. • Development plans. These plans can serve as a “road map” to guide future developmental activities, including helping employees identify the skills they’ll need to grow in their current role or prepare for future career opportunities. • Self-development training. HERO offers access to more than 3,200 free courses that employees can complete to enhance their personal and professional development. • Succession planning. This feature allows USPS leadership to discover qualified employees for detail assignments, projects and promotions. Employees can take advantage of these features by accessing HERO from Blue or LiteBlue.

The Postal Service is encouraging employees to leverage the HERO platform to take ownership of their career development. The most important step is creating a HERO Profile, a feature that allows employees to offer a consolidated view of their professional information. Managers, supervisors and colleagues can then view the HEROProfile to assess the employee’s skills, talents and experience. HERO’s other features include:

For a list of career conferences, go to the Human Resources Learning and Development site.

2020 Career Conferences

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