I have a lot of exposure to this company and their employees, and you present something here that is quite far from reality.
The decline of physical mail is undeniable, but it's also La Poste that delivers the vast majority of the packages coming from e-sellers (and we all know that's just been increasing over and over). Also, the "high job security" you talk about does not exist in this company as pretty much nobody is hired as a "fonctionnaire" (a state worker) anymore, and it's been years now. The workers in La Poste suffer from a very high pressure from middle management who cuts jobs and readjust "tournées" (a mailman perimeter) incessantly, with the same "there's less work than before" excuse. The reality is that these people work more and more (significantly), work conditions are worsening drastically, and La Poste employees have one of the highest depression and suicide rates in the country (more than 40 last year declared in their farewell letter they committed suicide at least partly because of the job, I let you imagine how many more were not counted).
This new product (while I think it would be really great if workers had enough time and an appropriate training) is unfortunately just another way for the company - and it'd be fine if it were not, again, to the expense of the workers - to make more money. Implying the main reason is that workers just don't have enough to do anymore is just not fair.
I feel like the (very valid) points you are making, are not contradicting OP
He did not say the workers had less to do, he said the company had to find new revenue streams... Like you I support this initiative if it also includes employees wellbeing
La Poste is like France Telecom 10 years ago. The landscape is changing, it needs to evolve with the new world, provide new services, find a new place & role, hopefully keeping the values of public services. We know that the France Telecom => Orange turnaround was a business success at the expense of the health of many employees. I am afraid it will be the same with la Poste because of the same rigid management practices
> The landscape is changing, it needs to evolve with the new world
To be fair, this is not much the natural evolution of the landscape but the political decisions from the European Commission pushing on its “pro-competition”[1] agenda.
[1] you may want to call it “neoliberal”, and you'll be right.
I disagree : Internet and emails are a structural change that challenge the fundamental raison d'être, the role of the postal service.
Same as Internet challenge the role of France Telecom as a communication provider
La Poste transformation is required, otherwise they'll quickly become obsolete. And "in theory" they approach it the right way ? What are the values and strengths of la Poste ? It's commitment to public service, its network of offices around the country, the relationship and trust between the agents and the public... Then based on that you can rebuild a new set of services offered by la Poste
But of course the difference between theory and practice is that they may do these changes in a brutal, top-down fashion that leaves employees burnt-out :-(
And also, blaming the European Union for everything is a bad reflex that halps nationalist and Brexit-like parties
There was no explicit mention of "there's less work for them", but making the point of "workers with a very high job security" had (imo) no other purpose but to imply that those people are here to stay and that one has to find a way to make them useful (otherwise why bother mentioning that?). It was my reading of it.
Anyway, in case, I just wanted to expose those facts :)
