RE: 911:: Work Restrictions

[Guest guest]

Who applied for the job in the first place it is up front this is " PUBLIC

SERVICE AND THERE IS MANDATORY OVERTIME " . We all work short staffed I have

not heard of a center that doesn't.

Do we let a few people slide for just EIGHT HOURS WORK?????? When does

management put their foot down and say hey you hired on you knew the

situations that occur? When is time to say enough is enough of burning out

the employees that pull more then their fair share in the work place and put

the slackers in their place?

[Guest guest]

Y'all writing these posts while ur at WORK?????

[Guest guest]

Who's answering the phones???

[Guest guest]

Maybe these should be printed ... personal use of the dept's

internet....gotta be a policy somewhere....Oh..didn't we talk about this

about 6 weeks ago???

[Guest guest]

>What would you think if a coworker has a doctor's note stating that she

cannot work more than 8 hours in the dispatch center because it is too

stressful???? What do you think of her having it for FIFTEEN

YEARS!?!?!?!?!?!<

Here we go... letting my personal opinions, and union steward ways ( I

was a steward before becoming supervisor) get me in trouble.

I don't wany my employer to have the power to tell me I MUST work more

than a regular eight hour shift, except of course in case of a true

emergency.

And keep in mind, a shortage of hired, trained working personnel is a

management problem, not an emergency.

I don't beleive that ANYONE should be required to work more than 8 hours

in a large, busy 9-1-1 center, not ANYONE. It's not healty, it's not safe

and

it's usually a sign that you do not have enough trained personnel working

in the first place.

>Heck you can get 8hours of stress in one hours work in this job<

Agreed, so why should an employer be allowed to force you to work

more than eight?

If a licensed medical doctor has made the diagnosis that this person should

not work more than eight hours per day, due to health reasons, your

Department has apparently decided they must live with it.

The question also arises, do you want to lose this trained, working employee

or let her work a regular eight hour shift?

Weintraut

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[Guest guest]

I think the first thing that must be addressed is what are the shift hours of

the facility. Ours here are 10 hour days and 14 hour nights. We do have a few

employees that work 8 hours to cover peak times. I think in this case if a

" Doctor " says that a person can't work more then a 8 hour shift then that person

should be reassigned maybe or go out on disability. Stress is a BIG factor of

this job. This person had to know it was a stressful job. Some days are more

stress then others. How can anyone say " your body can only take 8 hours of

stress. " Personally thats a bit iffy in ANY book. Like I said, one hot domestic,

1 cpr call, one baby not breathing call, 1 structure fire, 1 robbery, any of

these calls by them selves can cause enough stress for the day. This is not a

stress free job at all.

As for people that get catered to thats a management issue. I think people need

to be damn thankful they have a job. At our center it is a great paying job with

excellent benefits. This is not a job however that you can do " Just for a

PAYCHECK " . This is a job you have to love. People in it for the check do not

really belong in it at all. I remember the days when i was a taxi driver working

17 hours a day 6 or 7 days a week just to make ends meet. I never saw my family

and missed my daughter grow up. I finally got this job as a dispatcher when I

was 33. I have always wanted it, I love it and I never forget what it was like

before I got this job. Maybe thats why I appreciate it so much more. I know I

was a long shot when I got hired. I didn't have the experience of others BUT

Management said lets give him a chance and for that I am thankful everyday.

So this whole 8 hour stress thing sounds like a cop out to me. You have the job

- work the job or move on to something else. My opinion only !!!

Noonan

Acting Senior Public Safety Dispatcher

Communications Division

Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response

392 Creek Road

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

(845) 486 - 2495

jnoonan@...

[Guest guest]

>>When does

management put their foot down and say hey you hired on you knew the

situations that occur? <<

Yes, I knew the job requirements when I was hired.

But it was your job that gave me stress and headaches.

Therefore, it is your fault that I am disabled to the point that I can only work

8 hours shifts.

It is my right in a free country to this.

Bob

;-)

[Guest guest]

Sorry I have to disagree - If you can't handle the job because of stress you

shouldn't be doing the job - You may " break " at anytime and then your know good

to anyone. It is not your " right " to hold a job you can not do - It is however

" The Citizens of your community to expect a dispatcher who can " handle " the job

- thats thier rights. The job did not give you the headaches - how you deal with

stress did - So again I say you should probably look else where - First for your

health - second for the safety of the community and third so the work load on

your co-workers is equal. Again my thoughts alone. :-)

Noonan

Acting Senior Public Safety Dispatcher

Communications Division

Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response

392 Creek Road

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

(845) 486 - 2495

jnoonan@...

[Guest guest]

LOL and the disagreements on but thats what makes this list so much fun - We

have worked these shifts for years and they seem to work fine - We are not a

slamming center but it is nice having 2 weekends a month and a 6 day stretch

off. I don't think shift times should be set by anyone center - it varies

Noonan

Acting Senior Public Safety Dispatcher

Communications Division

Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response

392 Creek Road

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

(845) 486 - 2495

jnoonan@...

[Guest guest]

Well, I had this whole good story typed in, then reconsidered my pot stirring

ways.

I agree with you 100%.

Bob (currently on 24 hrs overtime for this last 1 1/2 weeks)...:-)

[Guest guest]

Hmmm.

I would love to work in a center that never has mandatory overtime. But I

don't.

I would love to work in a center where everyone pulls their fair share. But

I don't.

I would love to work in a center where certain people can't get away with

ridiculous excuses. But I don't.

I want to know what will happen to this dispatcher if she works 8 hours and

10 seconds. Will her head spin around and green stuff spew from her mouth?

How can 8 hours and 1 minute be detrimental, but at 7 hours and 59 minutes

she is okay? Is there a liability issue if she answers a CPR call at 7 hours

and 59 minutes and has to stay on the line for 4 or 5 minutes? Oh wait...she

would have to ANSWER the phone for that to happen....

A Katt

michelle_katt@... (personal)

kattm@... (work)

(wireless)

*My opinions only, and do not reflect the feelings of management or my

employer...obviously.*

[Guest guest]

We have had several dispatchers who have gotten Dr notes that they can not work

ot or a specific shift for a couple months due to stress. .. 1 employee has done

this twice.

Beats me.

We have a separation of jobs, dispatchers dispatch, " comm officer " takes and

enters the 9-1-1 calls for dispatch.

I don't recall any comm officers ever going crazy.

Just dispatchers.

[Guest guest]

<<Not to mention if you cant work the OT you screw your

buddy>>

<<Bob

>

> ;-)

>>>

I guess I should made that little winky guy under my name in the 1st letter a

bit bigger, eh??

Bob

[Guest guest]

WOW you go girl Kathy with a Post :-)

Noonan

Acting Senior Public Safety Dispatcher

Communications Division

Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response

392 Creek Road

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

(845) 486 - 2495

jnoonan@...

[Guest guest]

<<Sorry Bob >>

No, it's perfectly okay. Advocating the devil off and again keeps me level.

[Guest guest]

lol i thought you were doing that but i wasn't sure - Waa HOO

Noonan

Acting Senior Public Safety Dispatcher

Communications Division

Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response

392 Creek Road

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

(845) 486 - 2495

jnoonan@...

[Guest guest]

<<Y'all writing these posts while ur at WORK?????>>

Yes

[Guest guest]

<<. I read them out

load in the rooma nd we all get a kick out of some of

them!!>>

Glad I'm only an every 6 month writer, then.......

[Guest guest]

Yup I am - Only during the minutes we have to breathe - How about you - man im

stressed :-)

Noonan

Acting Senior Public Safety Dispatcher

Communications Division

Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response

392 Creek Road

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

(845) 486 - 2495

jnoonan@...

[Guest guest]

Actually it has been very busy tonight - I am Multi tasking - did you find the

boat off Hastings?

Noonan

Acting Senior Public Safety Dispatcher

Communications Division

Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response

392 Creek Road

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

(845) 486 - 2495

jnoonan@...

[Guest guest]

<<Who's answering the phones???>>

The people on the other side of the room....and they are being very very good

tonite about not putting in too many calls for me to dispatch.....

[Guest guest]

>Who applied for the job in the first place it is up front this is " PUBLIC

SERVICE AND THERE IS MANDATORY OVERTIME " .<

It is indeed public service... I have a little trouble with THERE IS

MANDATORY

OVERTIME..... Who says? and Why?

If a doctor says this person should not work more than eight hours per day,

for health reasons... that's it... period...

Management really has little to say about it. Nor should they.

What's wrong with management making every effort to keep this

employee, and take the necessary steps to hire, train and fairly

compensate enough employees so there would be no MANDATORY

OVERTIME.

Then ALL employees could work eight hour shifts, stress levels could

be lower on ALL employees. Working conditions could be better for

ALL employees.

>We all work short staffed I have not heard of a center that doesn't. <

And that makes it right?

This employee should endanger her health because " we all work short

staffed " ?

I don't think so.

>How can anyone say " your body can only take 8 hours of stress. " Personally

>thats a

bit iffy in ANY book<

Does the excuse say that " she can only handle 8 hours of stress? More likely

it says

that the employee, due to the stress of the job, is not allowed to work more

than

eight hours.... therefore excluding her from 10/12/16 hour shifts...

>As for people that get catered to thats a management issue.<

Following a doctors orders is not " catering " to the employee. And while

it may sound like a " cop out " to you... Management has little choice but

to follow the medical order. Nor should they.

>Yes, I knew the job requirements when I was hired.

But it was your job that gave me stress and headaches.

Therefore, it is your fault that I am disabled to the point that I can only

work

8 hours shifts.<

If management refuses the medical order, the above will be the legal

argument,

she will win, and management will be paying a lot more than letting the

employee

work the eight hours she has agreed to work.

The fact that there is overtime, is NOT my fault! Because I do not

choose to work it does not make it my fault that you do.

Mandatory overtime is a MANAGEMENT issue, it is NOT any employee's

fault, and no one should be required to work overtime against their

will, with the exception of true emergencies.

>I would love to work in a center that never has mandatory overtime. But I

don't.<

This is not the fault of any employee... It is a management issue...

>I would love to work in a center where everyone pulls their fair share. But

I don't.<

I would love to work in a center where certain people can't get away with

ridiculous excuses. But I don't.<

If this employee has a medical exemption from overtime, management has

little choice but to follow the exemption. I certainly understand your

frustration (I've been in similar situations), but I feel you are placing

the

blame at the wrong doorstep.

Now... If I could just figure out who Cournoyer is agreeing with, I could

sleep well!

(grin)

I'm also truly glad we have people like Noonan doing this work... If I could

just

convince him that " the job " isn't ALWAYS right. (grin)...

Weintraut

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[Guest guest]

MULTI TASK MULTI TASK

Noonan

Acting Senior Public Safety Dispatcher

Communications Division

Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response

392 Creek Road

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

(845) 486 - 2495

jnoonan@...

[Guest guest]

>Yup I am - Only during the minutes we have to breathe - How about you - man

>im

stressed :-)<

Sorta like Police Officers, they one day discovered that every time

they were griping about their jobs... they were sitting around

drinking coffee while they were doing it...

Weintraut

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[Guest guest]

<<Maybe these should be printed ... personal use of the dept's

internet....gotta be a policy somewhere....Oh..didn't we talk about this

about 6 weeks ago???>>

Actually, I have permission from the boss/head honcho/big cheese/numero uno to

do 911console stuff on this computer......:-p