GOING POSTAL

Today a former postal employee went to a mail processing facility and shot six people before shooting herself. When I first saw the headline that an "Ex-postal Employee . . ." I thought it was a cheap shot. You know, playing up the "going postal" stereotype. Then I read that she did it at a mail processing faciity.

It seems that there really is something about working at the postal service that increases the risks of violent outbursts. I did a little research (very little: I typed "postal shootings" into google), and discovered the stressdoc. This page claims to have looked into the postal issue extensively and had a top ten list of "postal pressure points." These are:

1. Fishbowl Pressure
The Man is always watching.

2. Mail Mania
Too much mail too quickly.

3. Overtime
See 2 above.

4. High Pay and Nontransferable Skills
Can't afford to quit because you will never get a job that pays what this one pays with your skills.

5. Protective Unions and Management Networks
See 5.

6. Employee-Manager Personality Profile
See 6.

7. Destabilizing Effects of Downsizing
See 8.

8. Reliance On Temps
See 7.

9. Partially Disabled/Chronically Injured Employees
Cripple fight!

10. Us vs. Them
See 9.

Frankly, off the top of my head I would say that at least 1-6 and 9-10 apply to professional atheletes as much as they do to postal workers. I guess we ought to be glad that more locker rooms don't get shot up.