USPSNEWS@WORK

VOE survey means it's time to tell it like it is

Don't just fill out your Voice of the Employee (VOE) survey for yourself. Do it for our customers.

They might not know a lot about the VOE survey, but they benefit from the workplace improvements that result from it.

A positive workplace environment does more than just send off good vibes. It affects performance - and that affects business outcomes. Dependable, reliable, consistent and courteous service is a customer magnet.

So, for the quarter of USPS employees who will receive one of the VOE surveys mailed out Jan. 26, it's time to tell it like it is. Help USPS identify workplace issues so improvements can be made. You benefit. So do our customers. And they're our bottom line.

VOE surveys are due Feb. 22.

Hattie McDaniel honored on Black Heritage series stamp: 29th stamp in the series

The first African American to be nominated and win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel was honored as best supporting actress for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind (1939).

Although McDaniel is most famous for her big screen career, her other contributions include singing, performing on radio and television - and membership in the Sigma Gamma Rho fraternal institution.

This year's Black History Month theme is "Celebrating Community: A Tribute to Black Fraternal, Social, and Civic Institutions." Hattie McDaniel is remembered for contributions to the community through her sorority.

The Hattie McDaniel stamp features her in the dress she wore when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in February 1940.

The 29th in the Black Heritage series, the Hattie McDaniel stamp will be issued on Jan. 25. Black History Month launches nationally on Feb. 1.

Curious George goes to the stamp unveiling: Favorite Children's Book Animals stamps on sale

Puzzling over his appearance on a stamp, Curious George joins (from left) Stamp Services Director David Failor, Royal Mail Philatelic Channel Manager Tony Devine, British Consul General Andrew Seaton, USPS Strategic Planning VP Linda Kingsley and University of Findlay President Dr. DeBow Freed.

USPS Strategic Planning Vice President Linda Kingsley dedicated the16-stamp pane featuring eight children's books characters at the Mazza Museum for International Picture Book Art at the University of Findlay.

Also featured on the stamps are such children's literary favorites as Wilbur from Charlotte's Web, Dr. Seuss' Fox in Socks, Maurice Sendak's Wild Thing, Leo Lionni's Frederick and Ian Falconer's Olivia. Two of the stamps - Maisy and The Very Hungry Caterpillar - appear on the "Animal Tales" stamp sheet issued yesterday in London, England, by Royal Mail.

Stamp Services Manager David Failor served as emcee for the event.

Let the games begin! Winter Olympic Games stamps issued

From left, U. S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Media and Public Relations Director Jeff Howard, Colorado/Wyoming District Manager Dean Granholm, USOC Chief Operating Officer Chip Gregson and Olympic Short Track Speed Skater Caroline Hallisey.

"Long after the Olympic flame is extinguished, this stamp will keep the spirit of the Olympic Winter Games burning in our hearts," said Colorado/Wyoming District Manager Dean Granholm. "It's a tribute to the unifying Olympic spirit and ideal of excellence."

Joining Granholm at the ceremony from the United States Olympic Committee were Chief Operating Officer Chip Gregson, Paralympic Academy and Military Programs Manager John Register and Media and Public Relations Director Jeff Howard.

The XXth Olympic Winter Games will be held Feb. 10-26 in Torino, Italy.

What will 2006 bring? USPS to tackle unknowns with "back-to-basics approach"

The Postal Service sees 2006 as "a complex year filled with challenges, opportunities and uncertainties." That was Postmaster General (PMG) Jack Potter's message to the Board of Governors.

USPS employees were listening, too, and many have asked for more information. In response, the PMG's statement to the Governors is available online at https://liteblue.usps.gov/news/link/2006jan13pmg.htm.

Potter described deploying a "back-to-basics approach" to standardize processes and set customer expectations amidst the unknowns of the year ahead - while sticking to the roadmap of our Strategic Transformation Plan.

The PMG called on employees to continue working together - as they did to finish a successful holiday mailing season. "Good service and efficiency are all about our people. It takes all 700,000 men and women pulling in the same direction to meet our customer expectations," Potter said. "The challenges are tough, but I know we are more than capable of meeting them."

The Postal Service has left the building! USPS sells historic Memphis Post Office building

An early photograph showcases the classic lines of the Memphis Customs House, Court House and Post Office recently sold by the Postal Service.

Postmaster General Jack Potter, Sen. Bill Frist, (R-TN) and University of Memphis President Shirley Raines made the announcement last week. The Postal Service has agreed to sell the 140,000-square-foot structure for $5.3 million and will vacate the building in early 2007.

The University of Memphis plans to renovate the historic building. The existing law school will be used until the renovation is complete.

Remembering Amber: AMBER Alert stamp unveiled

Unveiling the AMBER Alert awareness stamp are, from left, Wireless Association President Steve Largent, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children President Ernie Allen, Deputy PMG Pat Donahoe, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Amber Hagerman's mother Donna Norris and Assistant Attorney General Regina Schofield.

Following the tragic death of Amber Hagerman in 1996, the AMBER Alert program was created to broadcast emergency messages that a child has been abducted and is in imminent danger as determined by a law enforcement agency. The program has helped recover more than 240 children.

Sign of the times: Video interpreting services now available

Headquarters Diversity Development Specialist Young Chung-Hall (left) demonstrates some of the features of the video remote interpreting system to participants at a training session in Atlanta.

Two types of video interpreting services are being installed across the country, allowing more than 4,000 Postal Service employees who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to communicate with supervisors, co-workers and others in real-time without on-site interpreters or text-based telephone systems.

The new services use two forms of Web-based sign language interpreting technology - Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) for communication when participants are in the same location and Video Relay Service (VRS) for communication when participants are in different locations. Both services are being phased in at postal facilities nationwide through a contract with Sorenson Communications, a leader in communication services for the deaf and hard-of- hearing. This is the largest deployment of its kind using this technology in the public or private sector.

An energetic response: Timely tips for reducing energy costs

Energy costs are on the rise. Not just for the Postal Service - where facility energy costs alone are expected to hit more than $700 million in fiscal year 2006 - but for households as well.

Here are some tips for reducing energy costs in your office - and your . Set your thermostat back a few degrees, perhaps to 68 degrees. "Room temperature" is considered 72 degrees, so that's within a tolerable range.

You wouldn't heat your house when no one's there, so set your office thermostat back during non-operating hours. With a programmable thermostat, you can program the evening set-back and the morning start-up so the building warms up just before employees come in for work.

Outdoor lighting typically uses either time clocks or photo cells. Time clocks should be set and checked for seasonal changes in the length of the day. Photo cells are much easier, but when they fail, they fail with the switch on. A lighted parking lot - unless your office has extended hours - usually indicates a failed photo cell.

And finally, inside the office, turn off non-essential lights and unplug empty coffee makers and unused phone chargers.