The postman's occupation and activity: for a management through variations

Abstract

In this article, we propose an analysis of a postman's occupation based on references from the Clinic of Ergology and Activities, aiming at discussing the issue of management levels in this context. For this, we start from interviews and tracking of postmen made by one of the authors at Empresa Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos, the Brazilian Post Office. The analysis indicates that, despite the strong prescriptions that are part of a postman's occupation, there is a constant effort for re-normatization, undertaken by this professional, in order to manage the distance between the prescribed and the real dimensions of work, and also to deal with variations and unexpected events in his daily activities. The micropolitical management undertaken in the course of his activities is intensely reported to others - colleagues, customers, managers - and it is driven by the notion of efficacy, so as to make it possible to achieve goals and objectives. It is also noted that several aspects of a postman's occupation come from a collectively constructed methodology, operated by tension between stylistic contributions by subjects and the gender in their activities.