Social Pressures and Economics

We again have an instance of Someone going 'Postal'. with Six dead and one critically injured. It is time to examine the whole contextual process once more. Why is it always the Post Office? Can it be that Work conditions are so much worse at the Post Office, than say at UPS, Federal Express, or MacDonalds? It is true that Office Politics remain a serious problem and hazard in government agencies, and most firings occur because of 'smear' campaigns organized by the Rand and File. It, though, remains only marginally higher than in the Private Sector.

The answer must lay somewhere in the economics of the situation, else such Outbursts would occur in the outer society, not within the confines of the Workplace. There is the Copycat effect with Individuals searching for recognition, but the impulse must be considered marginal at best; frequency reduces cognizance of the Event, and the momentary noteraity simply does not engender such serious injurious impulse.

The contruct of the Workplace, itself, must be the impetus for the abrerrant reaction. The Post Office is one of the few Employees, as are most Government agencies, which offers 'Birth to the Grave' benefits of Health Care, Pension, and Job Safety. It also remains one of the few places where Job Placement depends upon a general educational and skill level without specific training. The Jobs are prized by a specific set of Employees for the security offered. Loss of such protection must be the decisive impulse behind such Employee reaction to Job loss. The ex-Employee cannot obtain such security elsewhere, connected to the fact that Job loss invariably comes from adverse Office Politics. lgl