Going Postal Again?

I believe that most people have heard the expression, "going postal."  When someone uses that phrase it means that they are not happy at work and are going to snap, just like two U.S. Postal Service employees did in the 80s.  In both of those instances, the employee came to work with firearm and shot and killed their managers and other employees.  USPS had a major crisis on their hand then and never quite recovered from it because the slang term "going postal" is still used. 

Now the USPS is back in the news for employees being shot and killed on the job.  In a rural Tennessee town on Monday, two female employees were shot while being robbed.  The crime is being investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation U.S. Postal Inspection Service and so far no arrests have been made. 

A spokesperson for USPS said that post offices are not immune to crime, but robbery is rare.  USPS also released a statement saying they are investigating possible motives and are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

I think that USPS is using good strategies to handle this crisis.  They are not confirming or denying that a robbery is what really happened because they do not know.  They are just saying that they are investigating.  This is smart because they will not have to go back on their statement if this incident turns out not to be a robbery.  I think that by offering a reward for information they are showing they care for the lives of the employees that were lost and they are committed to finding the people who did this.    

In the article that I read, there was no mention of previous violent crimes at post offices, but I think that before news coverage of this incident is completed, there will be mention of the killings by USPS employees.  I think the USPS incident shows that a crisis can be handled correctly but it may never go away completely.