Nancy Workman Analysis

Each morning, letter carrier, Nancy Workman said she arrives at work 7:15 a.m., and sorts mail for about three hours. She said she then delivers the mail, which take about four to four and a half hours, and then returns to the office to make preparations for the next day until 3:15 p.m. According to Workman this has been her schedule for the last five and a half years as an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. Workman’s mail route covers approximately 23 square miles and she estimates that she walks about 12 miles each day.
Though carriers are able to choose their own delivery routes based on seniority, Workman said she opts for walking routes when most carriers prefer driving ones. “Most letter carriers prefer driving routes, but
driving has never appealed to me. Walking is a tremendous medicine, as it is great for reflection,” Workman said. Workman said one of her favorite parts of walking routes is meeting and getting to know the people along it.
She says winter is a particularly hard time to deliver mail not only because of the cold, but because there are less people to talk to. Because of the nature of Workman’s job she said she closely monitors the weather forecasts. “Once you are out there, you have no shelter. There’s no place you can hide. The worst thing is sitting at home the night before a major storm. I have problems sleeping on those nights, just thinking about the coming storm,” Workman said.
Workman said encounters with dogs are a minor job hazard and that she always carries a can of dog mace.
“I’ve only had a dog bite me once, and it was very minor, more like a mosquito bite. Dog poop though, can really ruin your day,” Workman said.
Workman said what she considers her most unusual experience as a letter carrier occurred when she noticed on of her patrons had failed to pick up his mail for several days.
“I didn’t want to overreact. But then I noticed the front door of his house was covered with flies. I went next door and asked the man’s neighbor to call the police. The police discovered that the middle-aged man had died of a heart attack several days ago. I was hoping I was wrong I was wrong, but I had an eerie feeling about the whole situation,” Workman
said.
The unpredictability she faces in the weather and other aspects of her job is something Workman said she enjoys. Workman said each day she goes to work not knowing how much mail there will be. She jokingly added that some days catalogs are the enemy.
Workman said she plans to remain a letter carrier for a long time.
“I really do love this job. I plan to keep delivering the mail until I can’t walk anymore,” Workman said.

The U.S. Postal Service was formed on July 1, 1971. The U.S. Postal Service currently employs 617,254 people, and is the third-largest civilian employer in the United States.