opening mail at work - bit of a rant

[threebikesmcginty]

It was a promotional box of RNLI teabags...

When he saw it was tea did he ask for it back - I would have.

 

[Bromptonaut]

Interesting one. I’ve worked most of my career in government offices that handle cash, either fees or client’s money. All post has to be opened centrally with only exceptions being stuff for the management board & departmental etc mail such as HR or locally sensitive content bearing a recognised confidentiality marking. Everything else has to go through the post room where cash is accounted for and banked. If staff are allowed to get mail direct there’s a loophole for fraud; mail delivered by courier or hand is locked away until the next day’s post opening.

Under no circumstances should staff use the office address for their personal stuff.

In practice it’s accepted that the odd thing will be delivered, for example I got a replacement mobile sent to the office & was called to the front desk to sign for it.

Where I am now in an advisory body it’s a bit more relaxed but if personal stuff for staff was appearing regularly I’d be ‘having a word’.

 

[Arch]

When he saw it was tea did he ask for it back - I would have.

He's more a c***ee man at work...

The teabags can go into the general office stock - I work my way through them on my one day a week in, at about 3 bags a day.

 

[ChrisKH]

Just trying to play Devil's Advocate here, but it's at a work address so why shouldn't they open it? If there is that much personal mail going to work it just creates extra work for those who have to administer it.

We get personal packages and letters here at work but for reasons of confidentiality and security we are duty bound to let the admin. staff know what we are expecting (and when, if known). They open all post unless it is something that has been brought to their attention in advance. Seems reasonable.

 

[Norm]

Doesn't it constitute "interferring with the Royal Mail" to open a letter addressed to an individual, whether or not it is sent to a business address?

 

[gaz]

We open our own mail

 

[marinyork]

Oh, I know that it's a work address so they can do what they like. But this is a small team (about 10), and our mail has already been through the post room unopened.

Does seem nosey needlessly adding in an extra layer.

 

[Pandaboy]

We have all sorts of stuff delivered here, none of it is ever opened.

However last year a small packet turned up which was mis-addressed and the intended recipient could not be identified. After a couple of days of no-one claiming it it got opened to see if the recipient could be identified from the contents.

It turned out to be a big bag of coke (not cola). I guess someones weekend plans were scuppered!

 

[Headgardener]

A lot of parcels come addressed to just the site address where I work and it falls to me as the porter to try and find out exactly which deparment has ordered the parcel and then deliver it. All because non-stock ordering can't be bothered to send the supplier the full details of the contact and department who placed the original order. Realy gets me annoyed.

 

[nmcgann]

I open ALL mail addressed to the company irrespective of the person's name on the envelope - if they have an issue with someone else opening it, they don't get it sent to work. (There's only 11 of us, so it's not a huge volume of mail.)

I don't bother with things like amazon packages though, I just pass them on as it's obviously non-work.