crotchitymedic1986 Posted April 10, 2011 Posted April 10, 2011 I am not sure who said it, but the above quote is true, and it is why there are many 18 year old adults in the world, as well as many 50 year old children. Nothing defines you more "than what YOU DO". So are you doing the right thing when no one is looking ? A friend of mine just told me about the selfish children he works with. He works for a service who recently had to cut some 24 hour shifts due to budget concerns. The county has a "policy" that seniority rules in this scenario, so remaining 24s were awarded solely on date of hire. Management asked that employees who had a second full-time job, to opt for the 12 hour shifts and leave the 24s for those who this job was their sole employment. Not one of those people did so, so many employees whose sole EMS job was at that county just took a huge paycut, due to the selfishness of others. What would you do in the same situation ?
Dustdevil Posted April 10, 2011 Posted April 10, 2011 What would you do in the same situation ? An adult meets the needs of his family before all others. I would have done what was best for my family. It's the right thing to do.
crotchitymedic1986 Posted April 10, 2011 Author Posted April 10, 2011 (edited) So you owe nothing to your work family ? Realizing that a multi-thousand dollar pay cut to someone who only has one job to rely on, whereas it will hurt you less since you have another job, you do not think stepping aside and helping your coworker is the honorable thing to do ? Or to ask the question another way: I have heard of offices (non EMS) where the workers were given a choice: a) either everyone takes a paycut of "x" amount, or we lay off "x" number of fulltime employees. In the EMS world, what choice would we make ? P.S. tried to edit 3 times, the above smiley face is supposed to be "" cant get it to delete. Edited April 10, 2011 by crotchitymedic1986
mobey Posted April 10, 2011 Posted April 10, 2011 So you owe nothing to your work family ? My co-workers are not my family. My family is my wife & kids. I do what is best for them/us Just because I am employed at the same workplace as other individuals, that does not make them any closer to me than anyone else.
DwayneEMTP Posted April 10, 2011 Posted April 10, 2011 (edited) An adult meets the needs of his family before all others. I would have done what was best for my family. It's the right thing to do. But they are not mutually exclusive at all times I think. I recently offered to give some of my days on the oil spill to other medics whos positions had been cut while we waited for another, guaranteed contract, to be initiated. If it had been accepted, (it wasn't due to a change in events that gave everyone plenty of work), it had the potential to cost me a few thousand dollars...a lot of money to me. But also to give other medics at least some paycheck for a week or so while they had to sit and wait. I love to think of my 'team' as an extension of my family, and living/working in Cajun country certainly reinforces that thought. I would hate the thought of spending as much of my life as I spend at work with people that I had no emotional investment in. That would be tragic in my opinion. Would I have left my family without the bare necessities to participate? I wouldn't. But would I allow my family to go without some extras so that others can have something? I would. I've fallen in love with many that I work with here...non of them medics unfortunately..., but still. And yes, I would sacrifice to care for them if I had to. At this service the fact that they made decisions based on seniority instead of merit tells me that they are full of shit. They have no interest in treating me fairly as a top performing medic over one that simply has managed not to be fired, then I have no interest in supporting them when they're in need either. I would likely not have supported anything that they proposed if distribution of benefits was based on such an idiotic and archaic idea. The narrow minded seniority based system give me reason to believe that they are narrow minded in other ways as well. I would have kept my shift, and then started working on a different, better scheduling scheme that could have had everyone getting paid. Dwayne Edited to ad text in Italics. Edited April 10, 2011 by DwayneEMTP
mobey Posted April 10, 2011 Posted April 10, 2011 Dwayne: Sounds like you have an emotional involvement with your co-workers. I have been there before, and it did not gain me anything so I choose not to carry that on anymore. Of course I will give up a day or two to help someone in thier time of need.... I AM a nice guy after all. But an entire career? Hell no. The trouble with seniority is that most companies use it incorrectly. Seniority should not be based solely from hire date. Seniority should also be influenced by volunteer hrs (like fundraising/training whatever), participating in staff functions, formal disapline, and extra hrs worked. This way the team players rise in seniority, while the guys who are just there for the paycheck get left behind.
Dustdevil Posted April 10, 2011 Posted April 10, 2011 So you owe nothing to your work family ? There's only one person I took for better or worse (despite being Mormon). My co-workers ain't her. But yes, I agree with everything Dwayne said too. If what is best for my family happens to also be good for my co-workers, then I'm happy. If not, I won't be unhappy.
HellsBells Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 First of all, kind of a silly quote... I dont think there is anyone who ALWAYS does the RIGHT thing. Besides, whats right varies with perception. The biggest problem here is the decision of the employer to implore people to "do the right thing." My definition of an adult manager would be someone who makes tough, but fair decisions. Not someone who sows discord among his staff by leaving them in control of shift scheduling. 1
crotchitymedic1986 Posted April 11, 2011 Author Posted April 11, 2011 No hellsbells, that is the problem, RIGHT IS ALWAYS RIGHT, it is we who choose to not do the right thing for a variety of reasons. I also disagree with your stance on management, I believe they were trying to do the right thing when they realized they were hamstrung by an ancient policy. I believe the right thing would have been for those who had other fulltime jobs to step down, so that the rest of these folks could still draw a full salary.
DwayneEMTP Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 ... No hellsbells, that is the problem, RIGHT IS ALWAYS RIGHT, it is we who choose to not do the right thing for a variety of reasons... Everything is relative. If I shoot a man man for breaking into my home and later find out he was stealing food for his children...have I don't right by defending my home, or wrong because the poor man needed my love, not a bullet? Has be done right by risking his life for food for his family, or wrong by trying to steal it instead of simply asking for it and risking my scorn? Perspective... ...I believe the right thing would have been for those who had other fulltime jobs to step down, so that the rest of these folks could still draw a full salary... So it would be your stance then to penalize the most motivated in favor of the less motivated? Or perhaps those that came later after all of the full time positions were taken? Very Liberal of you... Dwayne
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