The United States Postal Service currently employs over 45000 mail handlers at different district and regional offices across the country. Every year, young aspirants apply for the postal service job and depending on their results in the Postal Exam 473E, their applications are assessed for the suitability of the position. This is “US Postal Office Jobs Under the Spotlight” blogging series (“US Postal Office Jobs: The Postal Service Clerks”) and we are here to explore:

The profession of US postal mail handlers

The Job Responsibilities of a US Postal Mail Handler

The job responsibilities of a US postal mail handler may vary from one postal facility to another, depending on the strength of the employed workforce and the level of operational automation. The primary duties are highlighted below:

• They are responsible for loading and unloading of packages, to and from mail delivery trucks.
• They are responsible for transporting prepared and unprepared batches of mail packages across the postal facility.
• They tend to work in unison with mail processors in the sorting and preparation of mail packages.

To summarize, US postal mail handlers are heavily involved in mail handling processes to the point the batches are handed over to mail carriers for delivery.

Educational Requirements

There are no minimum post secondary educational requirements for candidates looking to apply for the US postal service job. However, it is important that the candidate has passed the postal Exam 473E and they should have a strong command over English language.   

The Essential Skills for the Job

A US postal mail handler should possess the set of following skills in order to excel at the job:

• The candidate should be able to competitively perform physical tasks.
• The candidate should have strong communication skills to establish streamlined coordination with other employees of the postal facility.
• The candidate should be able to cope mentally with the demands of the job, without feeling the pressure.
• Candidate who can operate different logistic equipments are preferred. However, on-job training will be provided.   

The Challenges and Problems Associated With On-Job Duties

As a postal mail handler you will face different challenges and encounter various problems related with your on-job duties. Some of them are highlighted below:

Health Concerns: US postal mail handlers often have to manually load and transport heavy batches of mail packages. This raises concerns about different musculoskeletal health problems. Moreover, mail handlers stationed at mail sorting units are also exposed to other health risks like asthma and atherosclerosis.

Distorted Work Life Balance: Ask any USPS mail handler and one complaint that they often make is the irregularity in their working hours. Depending on the workload, availability of staff and working shifts, sometimes a USPS mail handler has to report for the job without any prior notification, which distorts their work-life balance.  

Mail handlers play an important role in facilitating the process of mail delivery, even if they do not directly deliver these mails to our residences and mail boxes. As such we would like to pay respect to them and applaud them for their services.