Tag: generations in the workplace

AAA Seeks Perspectives on EMS Diversity & Inclusion

Written by Amanda Riordan on June 22, 2020. Posted in AAA HQ, Human Resources.

As the demographics of our nation change, it becomes ever more essential for emergency medical services to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace more representative of the communities that we serve. To support this mission, the American Ambulance Association seeks tips, ideas, and perspectives from our membership on best practices for attracting, recruiting, and retaining the EMS workforce of tomorrow.

For this project, we are using the word “diversity” to refer to characteristics including—but not limited to—race, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic class, disability, and/or age.

While we are truly appreciative of all responses, AAA especially welcomes the perspectives of those who are themselves members of groups historically less represented in the EMS workforce.

If you would like to contribute your thoughts to this project, please complete our short form below. You do not need to disclose your identity if you do not wish to do so.

8 Ways You Can Support Millennials in Your Workplace

Written by Samantha Hilker on January 2, 2018. Posted in Human Resources, Leadership & Management.

Millennials… am I right?

That seems to be the most popular punch line when I am sitting around a table with colleagues discussing organizational change or current challenges in EMS, particularly staffing and development. I recently attended a conference focused on leadership in EMS and if there was a session without mention of the dreaded millennial and how awful they are, I missed it. To be honest, it’s getting old and my ability to filter my exasperation is wearing thin, especially as we are now seeing offers of multi-day trainings for how to work with millennials. The entire concept seems quite strange to me… were there classes offered to the Boomers on how to get along with the Generation Xers?

The words I usually hear associated with the generation at hand are entitled, needy, whiney, lazy, untalented and impatient. I don’t believe anyone I know well or have worked with over the years would describe me with any of these terms (ok… maybe impatient from time to time), although I am in the generational age range for millennials. In fact, I am willing to bet many of you work with people who are within the age range for millennials, yet you would not immediately lump them into the group you find so difficult. According to the PEW Research Center, millennials were initially described as those being born after 1981 are now defined as those born between 1977 and 1992.

While I am not attempting to climb up and be a representative for the entire millennial generation, I do believe this simple list addresses many of the issues I have heard, from both sides of the generational gap, over the past few years.

Stop complaining about millennials.
Generally, please stop using the word millennials to begrudgingly sum up every challenging situation or conversation you’ve had involving someone younger than you. Specifically, please stop complaining about millennials to me… a millennial. I realize you think my entire generation is made up of needy children who cannot be bothered to show up for work, but is that how you would describe me? I will admit the above description does fit some of my generational cohorts, if you can admit there is a certain irony in constantly complaining (whining) about a generation of whiners.
Get to know me.
Time is precious, and you don’t have enough of it. Staffing shortages, schedule changes, contract demands, and personnel issues take up so much of your time it can be easy to overlook the simple things that really make a difference in an organization. Something as small as a conversation can drastically change how I feel about, and in, an organization; it helps me learn about the culture of the organization, how I should approach leadership with any issues that come up in the future and how long I’ll stick around. Leadership taking the time to have a conversation, even 15 minutes, will set the foundation for the relationship I will have with the individual(s) as well as the organization.Seriously, take time out of your day to get to know me as a person instead of an employee number. This can start in the interview or orientation process, and continue while I’m on shift. Most EMS organizations have shift supervisors that are also working on the truck and, in many cases, orienting new employees during their first 60 days; take the time to have a conversation about expectations (from both sides), communication preferences and styles, and personal and professional goals. Onboarding someone to your organization is about more than protocol compliance and radio reports.
Stop talking to me about money.
Yes – money is important, and I expect a reasonable level of compensation for the work I am doing. I want to be able to support myself, my family and my lifestyle but I’m about more than that. By and large, I am value driven; I want to know that what we are doing is making a difference somehow, and that my values are mirrored in the organization I work for. To clarify, money is NOT the primary motivator and when you lecture me about finances (the way my father would), I shut down and know that you do not understand me.PS: Organizations that take the extra time to lay out and explain complete compensation including benefits, insurance costs, etc. and offer resources for budget planning are absolutely adding value to all employees, not just millennials.
Share your vision, so I know the path and the timeline
I might seem impatient…but my whole life I’ve been told to set goals and reach them. Go to college and get a respectable job. DO better. BE better. Nobody ever told me to be PATIENT. Share the vision of the organization. Share your vision for me (specifically) within the organization, and ask what my vision is. Work with me so I can understand my potential career path and a realistic timeline, so I can be an active participant in my development and, together, we can manage my expectations.
Realize that when I ask you “why” I’m not challenging you.
I legitimately want to understand why I’m doing what I’m doing. The things we do during downtime, on scene and in the back of the ambulance are all part of a process, not the entire process. Understanding where my “place” in the process is and what happens next helps clarify the importance of specific tasks, particularly those that need to be completed in a certain order or timeframe. It is important for leadership to go beyond the “because I said so” reasoning. I remember being told once, long ago, that I should never tell anyone something I can’t show them. That message stuck with me and I have come to expect the same from others, particularly those handing out orders. Help me see the why and I will gladly complete the task… maybe I’ll even find a way to do it more efficiently.
Stop telling me “Good Job”. It’s a cop out – you know it and I know it. Just stop.
Recognizing effort is always better than recognizing completion. EMS is a high-stress, mentally demanding industry that can feel somewhat all-consuming. When I take on a project that means extra time away from my family or squeezing more work into my already busy shifts, learning and exercising new skill sets or successfully coordinating the work of others, an “Atta Boy!” just doesn’t cut it. Also, I know I’m not perfect, so when performing my annual review, a blanket “you’re doing a great job…” tells me you’re really not putting the effort into giving me an honest review and you’re not invested in my continued improvement.
Don’t be my punchline.
This is a simple one… I expect you to practice what you preach. For example, if you implement (and enforce) an organizational policy that says employees cannot call in late or sick via text message, do not cancel a meeting or let me know you will be late via text message. Require a minimum of a 4-hour notice for a sick call? No problem, until you cancel our meeting at the last minute, or even worse, after it has already started, you’re not there and I have to call you. Please do not talk to me about the importance of dedication and doing the right thing even when no one is watching and let me see you leave early when your boss is out of town or hear you complain about meetings that go past 5pm. Coaching me on the importance of follow up? Please, please make sure you set the example of what good follow up looks like, because if you’re enforcing rules that you clearly believe you are exempt from and failing to provide the example, you lose a lot of credibility.
Get Social
It’s a social world, and we’re proud of what we do and where we work. For many being an EMT or paramedic isn’t just a job, it’s their identity; take the opportunity to post your new hire photos and bios on your social media accounts and tag the employees in the celebrations so their friends and family can share in their pride and success.

What is Reddit? (And Why EMS Leaders Should Care)

Written by Amanda Riordan on October 25, 2016. Posted in Human Resources, Operations, Press.

If you were asked to name the top 10 most popular websites in the United States today, I’m willing to bet that you could guess most of them: they are, in descending order of Alexa page view rankings, Google, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, Yahoo, Wikipedia, Twitter, Reddit, Ebay, and LinkedIn.

“Wait,” you may be asking, “what is ‘Reddit,’ and how can it be in the top 10 most popular American websites if I’ve never even heard of it?”

As a self-appointed cultural ambassador for the millennial-heavy EMS workforce, I’d love to give you a basic introduction. Seasoned Redditors, feel free to skip this post. But those new to Reddit, or even social media in general, please hang in there—it is increasingly important for ambulance executives of all age groups and technology skill levels to “get” what is going on in influential online communities.

What is Reddit?

Reddit describes itself as “the front page of the internet.” What does that mean?

Reddit (usually styled lowercase as “reddit,” but I’m capping for clarity) is an online community platform allowing users to anonymously share, comment, and vote on links, images, personal stories and more in topic-specific “subreddits.” A user’s self-selected subreddits are merged into a personalized feed, which is often very different than the generic Reddit Front Page generated from the posts voted best across the whole site.

Wildly popular with millennials, Reddit is one of the most engaged and active digital communities in history. Reddit communities’ collective taste-making influence drives modern pop culture and politics in unprecedented ways, and the popularity and sway of the site is only growing.

I am sticking mostly to practicalities in this post, but highly recommend reading a little bit about the history of Reddit (2014 Mashable article, 2016 WSJ CEO interview), if you have a moment. The Wikipedia entry also gives a great overview.

Why should EMS leaders care?

Large swaths of your staff are routinely participating in Reddit communities, likely many times per week. For all that we hear about generational conflict in EMS organizations, wouldn’t it be great to gain some firsthand insight into the candid thoughts of EMTs and Paramedics across the country? Of course this only works if leaders approach Reddit (and the subs and threads of varying merit within) with an open mind—because of its inherently populist and anonymous nature, there is an ever-changing mix of valuable and abhorrent content that sometimes takes a little time to sort through.

Additionally, more and more people are electing to get their news, pop culture, and entertainment first through Reddit or other social media, instead of mainstream news sources. EMS leaders relying solely on information from TV newscasts or even the websites of traditional print journalism outlets are missing the backchannel dialogue and meta commentary that is shaping the way our industry is perceived.

Can Reddit participation help with EMS advocacy?

Many ambulance execs are unfamiliar with the fact that top politicians as diverse as President Obama and Gary Johnson choose to interact directly with Redditors, personally fielding user questions in the r/IamA sub. Reddit’s political commentary subs are also famed for the sometimes prescient, sometimes wacky user analysis of current affairs and election hoopla. Start with r/politics, the largest sub, to get a feel for the Reddit politosphere, then find your niche in some of the more targeted subs below. Not seeing your interest? Search the site for hundreds of other options ranging from radical to reactionary—or start your own.

General Politics

Left Wing

Right Wing

2016 Elections

State-Specific

How can I get started on Reddit?

We all have that kooky relative who doesn’t “get” Facebook, and so posts inappropriate rants or the equivalent of text voice mails on our walls. Don’t be “that guy” (or gal) on Reddit—although most people are nice, not everyone is patient, and some users may report your post to moderators for removal. Also, it is just good manners to follow the norms of any community in which you participate, be it face-to-face or online. Here are some easy steps to ensure that you become a valued contributor to the Reddit community.

Create an account. Note: Do not use a variation of your real name or company name in your username. This is not Facebook, or even Twitter. It is crucial that unless you are a world leader (u/PresidentObama), celebrity (u/GovSchwarzenegger, u/williamshatner), or other very public figure (u/thisisbillgates, u/ColChrisHadfield) that you keep your personal information as private as possible for your own safety.
Curate your subs.
- Login to reddit, then visit your subscription page to remove yourself from any default subs that don’t interest you. For me, this meant immediately axing everything related to sports (sorry, I mean, “Go Sox!“).
- Next, find and subscribe to many subs that interest you. There are thousands of subreddits for everything from r/cooking to r/gardening to r/motorcyles to r/parenting to r/books, and that is just scratching the surface. Typically large, general-interest subs will list more niche subs in their sidebars to make them easy to find.
Lurk and get used to voting. Read your feed, or peruse a specific sub in-depth, upvoting posts and comments based on quality, not your level of agreement with the poster’s opinion. Typically, it is best to lurk (read without posting) for a month or two before you leap into the fray to get a sense for how each community interacts.
Start posting and commenting. Now that you have some context for the types of conversations going on in your favorite subs, you’re ready to start submitting new posts and commenting on the posts of others, in addition to voting. It is really important to read Reddit’s content rules and Reddiquette guidelines, as well as the sidebar rules for your particular sub, before posting. Also, it is pretty much universally forbidden to share with the group any personally identifying information, even about yourself. Don’t get overwhelmed—most of the rules are common sense, and the time investment will pay off when you experience the thrill of sharing ideas and news with like-minded people from around the world.

Are there EMS-specific subs?

There are many EMS-focused subreddits, ranging from the (mostly) serious to the ridiculous. Here are just a few:

r/EMS – by far the largest, with 21k subscribers as of today. Diverse mix of jokes, personal stories, protocol questions, opinions on employers, and more.
r/RealEMS (2k subscribers) and r/TalesFromEMS aka r/TFEMS (3k subscribers) smaller subs focused on the perceived “real” side of EMS.
r/911Dispatchers – (2k subscribers) – Sub targeting dispatch professionals.
r/EMScringepics, r/LookImAFireFighter, etc – smaller subreddits where some popular EMS sartorial choices are mocked. Very definitely Not Nice, but may strike your funny bone if you have a certain sense of humor.
r/firefighting (11k subscribers) – sub serving firefighters, but often touches on EMS topics

Hint: Sort by “TOP” then choose a timeframe to catch up on the best (or at least most popular) posts in a particular sub.

My service is mentioned on Reddit in a negative manner. Should I respond?

If someone posts something negative on Reddit (or Facebook, or Twitter, etc, etc) about the organization to which you’ve dedicated so much time and love, it can be very tempting to fire off your side of the story in response. However, it is almost always inadvisable to go in “guns blazing” on an anonymous message board, particularly if you aren’t very familiar with the norms for the specific sub in which you would respond.

If you really feel you must set the record straight, I suggest asking three other sensible Redditors and your attorney to review before posting, to make sure that you don’t accidentally open your organization up to a lawsuit or media nightmare. You may also want to create a separate “throwaway” username before replying, as anything you’ve previously commented or posted under your usual username is publicly visible. No matter how innocuous your past activity may be, it can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion (see: Ken Bone Reddit controversy).

My service is mentioned on Reddit in a positive manner. Should I respond?

In this case, it is a hard maybe. The tricky thing is that you want your organization to avoid being perceived as “Big Brother,” particularly in response to anything (good or bad) that might have been posted by one of your own employees. Given Reddit’s higher level focus on anonymity than, say, Facebook, even a “thanks so much, so glad to be your favorite employer!” reply can seem creepy or intrusive, depending on context. It may be best to just privately enjoy the knowledge that thousands are reading your unsolicited praises (and likely looking for job openings at your service).

If there are no HIPAA or human resources concerns involved, you can enlist the help of seasoned Redditors in crafting a response that is right in tone for your service.

Can I market my ambulance service on Reddit?

Commercial self-promotion of any kind is very much frowned upon by the Reddit community. Viral marketing, or any post planting or vote manipulation that can be perceived as viral marketing, even more so. For a glimpse at the level of energy around this issue, please see r/HailCorporate, or consider the vitriol directed at users who create alternate “sockpuppet” accounts to upvote their own posts. Any kind of advertising outside of appropriate subs that specifically allow it (or actual Reddit ads) is risky at best, and may completely backfire.

Can I post job listings to Reddit?

Read the sidebar rules of the subreddit you’re considering posting in to see if commercial offers are permitted (for example, counter-intuitively, r/jobs forbids job postings). Your may wish to consider posting to one of the subs dedicated to job seekers, including r/jobopenings, r/youngjobs, and r/jobbit, or your closest local job sub.

Another thing to consider is buying an ad on the Reddit site, then running it in EMS-specific subs, particularly if you’re open to paying relocation for medics from other areas, or if you are willing to train individuals coming from other industries.

Note: recruitment is not yet a primary Reddit focus, so you may or may not have much luck at this point. However, as more people join Reddit and rely on it new and different ways, this is likely to change.

Glossary

Default sub—Default subreddits are subs considered to have the right mix of popularity and quality to be automatically included in new users’ subreddit subscriptions. You can remove default subreddits that you are not interested in following on your subscription page after you create a login.
Karma—When a post or comment is submitted, other users can vote it up or down. “Karma,” divided into post karma and comment karma, is a loose indicator of the quality of a thread. You can track your own karma on your profile page, but it has no monetary or other value. In theory, voting is supposed to be based on the quality and relevance of the post or comment, but this doesn’t always play out perfectly. Some users have high overall karma scores because they post very relevant articles or incredibly insightful posts, others because they draw sketches or write poems related to posts, and still others because they are known for submitting posts or comments that the community finds funny.
NSFL—an initialism for “Not Safe for Life.” This is used in the title of a post to indicate offensive content that shows or makes reference to gore, death, serious injury, the abuse of animals or people, etc. I would very strongly suggest that even the most hardened EMS folks stay away from most of these posts and the comments sections about them—NSFL posts do not bring out the best in humanity.
NSFW—an initialism for “Not Safe for Work.” This is used in the title of a post to potentially sensitive content involving any kind of nudity or sex. Depending on context and the subreddit in which it is posted, this flag can be used for posts covering everything from a news photo of the Janet Jackson Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction to actual pornography. Use your best judgment.
OP—like most other internet forums, on Reddit “OP” refers to “original poster,” and is a generic term used in comments to refer to the creator of the thread you’re currently reading.
Meme—Most folks have probably heard of memes (pron. “meems”, not “meh-mehs,” “me-mes,” etc), or may even have shared some around the office or on Facebook. Reddit has a variety of inside jokes and memes specific to the community. If someone replies to a post with something that seems like a total non-sequitur, but others seem to find it funny, you may want to Google for inside jokes or check Know Your Meme for answers. Be forewarned: while some are funny or insightful, many memes and Reddit inside jokes are crass, prejudiced, or just stupid.
Reddiquette—Reddit’s own set of community manners. Read it here before posting!
Sub / Subreddit—Although originally not officially recognized, “sub” or “subreddit” are now almost universally used terms refers to self-moderated community centered around a particular topic. Here are just a few examples of the tens of thousands of subs you can choose to subscribe to, depending on your interests.

Have questions about Reddiquette or other social media platforms? Please don’t hesitate to reach out at ariordan@ambulance.org. Please feel free to share your own tips in the comments section below. We would love to hear about your ambulance service’s online successes and foibles.