Employee Spotlight: Shipping/Receiving/Mail Services Team

Ryerson's Shipping/Receiving/Mail Services team members, Howard Sculnick and Emad Chowdhury.

While the mailroom is located on the main floor of 105 Bond Street, the staff can be found throughout campus, serving all departments and faculties and coming into contact with almost every employee at the university.

The mailroom team is led by Howard Sculnick, Supervisor, Shipping/Receiving/Mail Services, who has been with the university for almost 15 years. Howard leads a close team of four staff members, most of whom have been working with each other in the mailroom for 20 to 30 years. Together they’re responsible for all aspects of mail and distribution, including the pick-up, delivery and sorting of mail either entering Ryerson or sent internally every day.

As a result, the team members have formed close-knit relationships with the staff and faculty they come in contact with. “They interact with everyone, every day, so there are relationships developed,” says Howard. “They ask about the kids and vacations. If someone is sick, they ask about how that person is feeling.’”

In addition to the relationships they have built across campus, the mailroom team works closely with each other to offer help when the volume of work is especially high. “Over the years, we’ve seen the university change and grow a lot, with more mail coming in and more mail runs,” says one team member. “But we work together in each of the different areas, so we can help each other out and share what we’re working on.”

Says Howard, “If one staff member is busy with mail sorting and is being overwhelmed with an especially large volume of work, the others on the team can help that person out. They all chip in and that happens all the time. There’s no ‘my section, your section.’ It’s all our section. We have a close working relationship, helping each other out whenever there’s a need.”

One of the challenges the mailroom staff must deal with is the increasing volume of mail as a result of the university’s growth over the years. With record numbers of students enrolling at Ryerson, departments and the number of faculty members have grown with it – all of which has led to an increase in the volume of mail coming in.

“There’s no ‘my section, your section.’ It’s all our section. We have a close working relationship, helping each other out whenever there’s a need.”

There are also peak periods during the school year that result in a spike in mail. For example, after the Christmas break, the admissions department has a mailing going out to students regarding the results of the first semester’s exams. To coordinate this important mailing, the admissions department works closely with Howard to let him know when the mail will be ready for pick up. The team then processes the envelopes, seals them, and double checks each one to ensure the sensitive information is secure.

While there are challenges each day in any workplace, a strong team environment can provide support for all employees. For the mailroom staff, each has come to rely on each other when needed, which is how they’ve managed to form close bonds and work efficiently as a team all these years.

If you know of a great team of Ryerson employees who deserve a little recognition, contact your HR Management Consultant.