THE ANONYMO
frequently written with
crayous, is one of the more
charming sideshows of any
high-profile life.

! have been carrying one
around for a few weeks. It has

turbed me.

This one is not threatening,
rude or vulgar. It was carefully
and sensitively written. Here it is:
Dear Mr, Bannerman:

1 would like to take this oppor-
tunity to thank sou for your edi-
torials on Canada Post. 1 have
been employed there for 14 vears
and it upsets me, the constant
negative public opinion that we
receive,

| appreciate your “‘opposuig”*
viewpoint (as unbiased as t am!).
Both sides have their faults, but in
the past few years the bureaucracy
is mind boggling; the in-
competence is rampant.

Tite majority of employees do
an honest day's work, and really

the ‘littl guy." We are not the
uncaring radi that we ary por-
trayed fo be. (Well, most of us
anyway.)

Sincerely: *‘An-ashames-w-te
people-where-I-work"* Postie.

We vill spare you a repeat of
comments about the post office. I
is the only corporation | know of
that attacks its staff and its cus-
tomers ona daily basis.

Service is decimated, prices sky-
rocket, employees are humiliated
and the chairman parades around
like a demented George Pation.

The point is that the public
shoots all of its bullets at the little
people.

Relative to the cost of living,
posta! workers are paid less than
they were in 1952. Their wages
and benefits have increased
precisely sixfold during this 40-
year period. :

Postal charges have inflated at
double the rate of staff salaries.

The 40-cent stamp is only the
tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of
extra user-fees have been added
during this period, and many
beneficial deals (cheaper
Christmas card rates. for example)
have been eliminated.

Prices have soared.

What has happened to service?
Everybody knows that sad story.
The frequency of mail delivery has
been chopped by 50%. Door-to-
door service is steadily being
phased out.

Confronted by this, the posi of-
fice will argue that the volume has
exploded. In every business known
to man, costs per unit drop with
increcsed volume. Not so, in this
bastion of human stupidity.

But what mail are we talking
about here? University studies
have been done indicating that the
persona] letter is in sharp decline.

There has been a monumental

Gary
Bannerman

OPEN LINES

it card and com-
mercial mail. But all of this does
not send the volume into esoteric
numbers.

The post office sends out
salesmen encouraging business
firms to send junk mail. Postal

neenlives are offered to en-
courage bulk mailings.

Canada Post's army of pro-

nda officer mn iry to con-
us that th al wave of lit-
y pollution is actually keeping
the postal rates down.

Are you following this? High
prices result from too much val-
ume. But high volume also
reduces prices

Trust me, that's their story.

The post office has sunk for-
tunes into machines and com-
puters. Their management has
revolutionized the post office right
outof business. Do you really
think your letter carrier is to
blame?

The post office is not the only
corporation that defies modern
science by slowing down in the
face of alleged efficiency. Look at
your local newspapers.

When | started at a morning
newspaper almost 25 years ago,
ouc deadlines could be as late at
il p.m. The newspaper was on
the street at 2:30 a.m. and on the
doorsteps three hours later.

This was before offset presses,
computers, and general aufoma-
tion, Most of the morning papers
are now in the camposing room
by 6 p.m. the night before: only
the late-breaking news can squeeze
in after 9 p.m.

The Vancouver Sun and The
Province are suffering some
unique teething pains at the mo-
ment, but some of their dif-
ficulties with deadlines, publica-
tion and delivery are universal.

It is taking far longer these days
to produce fewer newspapers.
Circulation is down in most cities.
Computerization has been com-
plete.

The executive offices and
technical departments of newspa-
pers are fatter than ever. And
productivity has collapsed.

Do an inventory of your life. {s
shopping easier and more efficient

than it used to be? Do we vet as
good service froma family physt-
cian as we once received? Banking
seems to be faster. particularly the
processing of debits from your
account

Relative to population, the legal
business has soared, We have
more lawyers and judges per
capita than any place in the world
fexvept, perhay i
Are we getting more ¢

Increasingly. the business press
is demonstrating that the sue-
cesstul firms are those that pa
the greatest attention to both statf
and customers. Those who detib-
erately encourage creativity and
collegiati

irms are usually ran by
individuals who impress through
ventiveness, human rela-

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Sunday, November 17, 1991 ~- North Shore News ~ 9

z People, product and profits: Slower
| production through higher technology

Hon skills and sheer determina-
lion. They involve staff.
he era of the autocrat is dead.
Sophisticated people will not
follow mindless orders. Some, for
the money alone, will tolerate a
bad situation, but they find ways
io get even,
The era of the technoerat has
sO passed. Machines, as wonder-
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icate management than people.
ven the ‘traders."' thase who
have made fortunes in paper
transactions —~ mergers, take-
overs, consolidations — without

In che end, all business opera-
scan be reduced to three
people, product and prot-
its. People come first. Unless
you've got 4 good team, you can't
do much with the other two."
— Lee lacocea,

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