La Poste Addresses Workplace Incivility Through Inter-Company Conference
La Poste organizes 'Total Respect' week amidst rising concerns over agent safety and public interactions.
La Poste, the French postal service, is actively seeking to eliminate acts of incivility faced by its agents on a daily basis.
This ongoing concern has been prevalent within the postal institution for years, prompting the implementation of a 'Zero Tolerance' action plan in 2022 within its public and digital branch.
As part of efforts to foster a respectful work environment, La Poste is hosting its second annual 'Total Respect' week from May 12 to May 17, featuring multiple initiatives including an inter-company conference aimed at addressing workplace incivility.
This event is being held at the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Laetitia Lopez, Human Resources Director for the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region of La Poste, emphasized the importance of community mobilization in tackling this issue.
The conference has drawn participants from a variety of sectors, including Transdev, Lignes d’Azur, Veolia, Enedis, Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis, and Nice Airport.
According to Lopez, exchanging practices among various organizations is critical to creating a continuous network that confronts this societal issue effectively.
Incidents of aggression towards postal workers can manifest in various forms, from simple discourtesy, such as failing to greet staff, to more severe actions including physical assaults, insults, and threats.
Lopez noted that there is no typical profile for aggressors; they come from diverse backgrounds, demographics, and age groups.
The types of services provided by La Poste, especially sensitive ones like legal correspondences and financial transactions, can contribute to heightened tensions.
Difficult procedures and regulations may lead to misunderstandings among customers, fueling frustration.
While there are approximately 3,000 employees in the PACA region, the postal service reports an average of two serious incidents of incivility per day.
Despite this, the majority of daily interactions are positive, with tens of thousands of satisfied customers.
Despite these challenges, La Poste has not reported significant increases in severe incidents; however, Lopez acknowledges that any act of incivility is one too many, especially as these behaviors can escalate into physical aggression.
Staff are trained year-round to manage early signs of aggression and to enact strategies for de-escalation, with a network involving occupational health professionals, social workers, and HR managers ready to provide support to affected employees.
In response to more extreme incidents, a consistent approach to reporting, including the systematic filing of complaints by both employees and the organization, is in place.
In 2024, La Poste in the PACA region filed 110 complaints, an increase from the previous year.
The company stresses the importance of legal action as a recognition of the trauma experienced by employees, which can result in legal penalties for aggressors, including fines and potential imprisonment.
The upcoming conference is anticipated to facilitate the sharing of experiences, focusing on diagnostic measures, preventive strategies to avoid recurrences of incivility, and the mobilization of expertise to support victims of such incidents.
This ongoing concern has been prevalent within the postal institution for years, prompting the implementation of a 'Zero Tolerance' action plan in 2022 within its public and digital branch.
As part of efforts to foster a respectful work environment, La Poste is hosting its second annual 'Total Respect' week from May 12 to May 17, featuring multiple initiatives including an inter-company conference aimed at addressing workplace incivility.
This event is being held at the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Laetitia Lopez, Human Resources Director for the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region of La Poste, emphasized the importance of community mobilization in tackling this issue.
The conference has drawn participants from a variety of sectors, including Transdev, Lignes d’Azur, Veolia, Enedis, Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis, and Nice Airport.
According to Lopez, exchanging practices among various organizations is critical to creating a continuous network that confronts this societal issue effectively.
Incidents of aggression towards postal workers can manifest in various forms, from simple discourtesy, such as failing to greet staff, to more severe actions including physical assaults, insults, and threats.
Lopez noted that there is no typical profile for aggressors; they come from diverse backgrounds, demographics, and age groups.
The types of services provided by La Poste, especially sensitive ones like legal correspondences and financial transactions, can contribute to heightened tensions.
Difficult procedures and regulations may lead to misunderstandings among customers, fueling frustration.
While there are approximately 3,000 employees in the PACA region, the postal service reports an average of two serious incidents of incivility per day.
Despite this, the majority of daily interactions are positive, with tens of thousands of satisfied customers.
Despite these challenges, La Poste has not reported significant increases in severe incidents; however, Lopez acknowledges that any act of incivility is one too many, especially as these behaviors can escalate into physical aggression.
Staff are trained year-round to manage early signs of aggression and to enact strategies for de-escalation, with a network involving occupational health professionals, social workers, and HR managers ready to provide support to affected employees.
In response to more extreme incidents, a consistent approach to reporting, including the systematic filing of complaints by both employees and the organization, is in place.
In 2024, La Poste in the PACA region filed 110 complaints, an increase from the previous year.
The company stresses the importance of legal action as a recognition of the trauma experienced by employees, which can result in legal penalties for aggressors, including fines and potential imprisonment.
The upcoming conference is anticipated to facilitate the sharing of experiences, focusing on diagnostic measures, preventive strategies to avoid recurrences of incivility, and the mobilization of expertise to support victims of such incidents.
