Tough Working Environments

 

I have worked a variety of jobs where the conditions of the working environment were tough.  Weather it was other employees, management, the hours worked, or the location/facility itself, it can be exhausting going to work.

I know there are jobs out there where people love going to work each day.  Sadly, I have not yet found that one job for me.  In the meantime, my current job pays well and allows me time off for vacations.  To me, that is important.  However, I will always take an exceptional working environment over great pay.

I found this funny on Facebook.  Kenyon told me I should re-post it on my Facebook page so instead I’ll post it on my blog…hehehe.

 

The dynamic is a police dispatch center is interesting.  Often we are short staffed with high turnover so really getting to know somebody can be tough.  We work long hours and rotating shifts.  A few years ago, they gave dispatch our own captain and a new team-based approach was adopted.  Instead of rotating shifts where you worked a different shift with different people every few months, we were placed on a team with a supervisor and given one of just a few shift options.  We now rotate day/night shift every 10 weeks and rotate days off every 20 weeks.  It seems to work okay.

Teams can be fun.  You are able to get to know each other better as you work each day with the same person.  Some teams even get together outside of work.  Being part of a team means you can learn to work together well and often will find some team members overlapping each other when working together.  Some are well oiled machines. 

Teams can be a challenge.  Obviously no team will have the same type of personality between different individuals.  “Clicks” can develop and hurt feelings can develop.  With so many women in a room, monthly cycles sync up and emotions fly all over the place. 

My current team works together pretty well as we are still developing.  Shauna and I have been together a long time.  The original Team Howard dissolved when Jeff left for patrol, Jenn L left to stay at home with her kiddos, and finally when Howard took a job in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.  Shauna, Natalie, Sherry and I had a new supervisor and a whole new learning curve began.  Team Eric began to change when Natalie dropped to part time status to pursue real estate full time and Sherry was traded to Marc’s team.  Daniel and Kelise joined Team Eric a few months ago.

As you can imagine it is difficult to encounter so much change.  If there is one thing I know in life it is that change is inevitable.  I also know that change isn’t always bad.  We fear change and we fear the unknown.  It doesn’t mean change is a bad thing though and can often times be good.

Much like weight loss and maintenance, we just have to keep trucking along.  The rest will, hopefully, fall into place.