Guaynabo, PR, Postmaster Ramon Rivera had a lot on his mind last September as Hurricane Maria churned its way toward the island.
Rivera and his office’s employees were focused on preparing for the storm, including stocking up on emergency supplies and fortifying their facility and vehicles, as well as their own homes.
But Rivera also had something else on his checklist: ensuring his employees completed the Postal Pulse survey.
“The Postal Pulse is how employees make their voices heard. That’s important throughout this organization, but especially for those of us who don’t live and work on the mainland,” Rivera said.
By the time the Postal Pulse deadline arrived Sept. 15, all 42 employees at the Guaynabo Post Office had completed a survey.
Maria made landfall the next day.
As USPS continues conducting the latest Postal Pulse survey — which is underway through Friday, June 22 — the organization is highlighting Guaynabo as a role model for other facilities.
More than 279,600 employees — or about 46 percent of the USPS workforce — participated in the 2017 survey. The organization wants to boost that number this year.
“Participation is crucial to the success of the Postal Pulse,” said Employee Engagement Executive Director Kelvin Williams. “Taking the survey, assessing your work unit and telling us what’s on your mind helps us to continue making the changes needed to improve our organization.”
To encourage participation, USPS has created the 100 Percent Club, a program that recognizes teams that score a 100 percent response rate on the survey.
Approximately 1,300 teams qualified after last year’s Postal Pulse. A leader of the pack: The Guaynabo Post Office, which had one of the nation’s highest 100 percent participation rates among large teams.
In the months after Hurricane Maria struck, Rivera focused on getting his office up and running again, including installing a freezer for employees whose homes lacked electricity and helping them obtain gasoline, ice and other necessities.
The community still has a long way to go, but Rivera takes pride in the diligence of his employees.
“This team has demonstrated its dedication in many ways during the past few months. Our Postal Pulse participation rate is just one example,” he said.
