Should you get paid extra for doing your job right?

[DrParasite]

I used to work for an EMS agency that gave a "driving bonus." Basically, if you didn't crash at all during the year, had no complaints, completed defensive driving, you could apply and get an annual bonus.

One day it was mentioned that we were getting a new Vice President, and he would be taking away our driving bonus, because we shouldn't get a bonus for doing our job as we are supposed to.

So my question for all is, should we get a bonus for doing our job? Such as having 0 complaints from patients or other providers, all responses within 10 minute standard, 100% intubation or IV start rate, never late or never call out sick, or anything else which can be considered part of our job, but since it is lacking, agencies will pay more for doing it 100%.

 

[abckidsmom]

My husband calls almost all awards given, all bonuses, all smiley faced-stickers "Good Job Doing Your Job."

When you expect excellence, demand excellence, and recieve excellence, it's a little anticlimactic.

I find it to be obnoxious that we want, and sometimes need these things, but there it is. I love those things, and I will work hard to earn the sticker.

It makes me smile. Call me simple, but whatever...

 

[CANDawg]

There's two sides to this coin.

If you demand near perfection from your staff, than you better be prepared to reward it with higher standard pay. That then allows you to be more choosy over who you hire. (And who you keep.)

If your standards are a bit lower or you have a tough job market forces you to have to hire who you can, use a lower standard wage and then use bonuses for good performance.

Either choice is fine, depends on how you want to run your company, the staff you have, and the job market you operate in.

 

[Hunter]

I think you should be rewarded for being a good employee, instead of just an employee. If you want excellence and protection then don't offer to treat those that deliver excellence just like the guy who does the bare minimum to not get in trouble.

 

[EMT John]

There's two sides to this coin.

If you demand near perfection from your staff, than you better be prepared to reward it with higher standard pay. That then allows you to be more choosy over who you hire. (And who you keep.)

If your standards are a bit lower or you have a tough job market forces you to have to hire who you can, use a lower standard wage and then use bonuses for good performance.

Either choice is fine, depends on how you want to run your company, the staff you have, and the job market you operate in.

Well said.

 

[Chimpie]

Would you rather receive a bonus or a raise?

 

[mycrofft]

Our fire chief said "It's just your job", so virtually no one was put in for decorations, even the instances where life and limb were risked. Decs were good for retirement points, but also as Napoleon said, soldiers will die for bits of ribbon. He did put people in for decs as they were retiring or being forced out, so it was turned indide out.

Employees should get a share of quarterly or annual profits and mangement needs to try to deduce what sorts of rewards will be valued such as coffee cups, windbreakers, flashlights, etc. Gift certificates are good. Finding ways to improve working conditions and then conspicuously linking these to team performance is an art but can pay off.

 

[Tigger]

There's two sides to this coin.

If you demand near perfection from your staff, than you better be prepared to reward it with higher standard pay. That then allows you to be more choosy over who you hire. (And who you keep.)

If your standards are a bit lower or you have a tough job market forces you to have to hire who you can, use a lower standard wage and then use bonuses for good performance.

Either choice is fine, depends on how you want to run your company, the staff you have, and the job market you operate in.

I think you've got it right here. In much of EMS, high turnover is part of the cost of doing business meaning that many agencies are forced to hire someone less than stellar but still capable of doing the job. These are the companies that need to be doing some "rewarding" if they want to improve the quality of the service (I'm looking at you private EMS...). You can tell an agency is a good place to work for when they don't actively reward quality but get it anyway and the employees are therefore compensated properly for this.

My husband calls almost all awards given, all bonuses, all smiley faced-stickers "Good Job Doing Your Job."

When you expect excellence, demand excellence, and recieve excellence, it's a little anticlimactic.

I find it to be obnoxious that we want, and sometimes need these things, but there it is. I love those things, and I will work hard to earn the sticker.

It makes me smile. Call me simple, but whatever...

For me its the recognition that someone else realizes that I care about my job and want to be the best every day. We aren't frequently rewarded for anything not out of the order but when the company's owner buys me and my partner lunch because the patient's wife wrote a letter, you bet I'll take it! I didn't work any harder for this patient than any other because I personally feel that we owe it our patients to do more than get them from place to place, and while they're in my care I will do what it takes to solve their issues.

 

[mycrofft]

For me its the recognition that someone else realizes that I care about my job and want to be the best every day. We aren't frequently rewarded for anything not out of the order but when the company's owner buys me and my partner lunch because the patient's wife wrote a letter, you bet I'll take it! I didn't work any harder for this patient than any other because I personally feel that we owe it our patients to do more than get them from place to place, and while they're in my care I will do what it takes to solve their issues.

You embody customer service. Thanks!!!!

Lunch? Oh hell yes!!!! But be carfeful not to make it a weekly affair, and don't annoint any favorites.

My last full-time job, we were professionally and personally backdoored week after week; then one day of one week a year a few measly coffee cups and some generic certificates apppreciating the nurses for "Nurses Week" would appear. Like throwing the peons a party, but as he leaves them to their festivities, the padron pees in the punch.

 

[Sasha]

I've gotten gift cards when patients call in and compliment our care. Occasionally when we are really busy we will come back and there is food at the station for off coming crews

I will take it. I don't expect it but it's a nice surprise and sometimes really picks up a :censored::censored::censored::censored:ty day.

It's nice when the company gives us the illusion that they recognize we work hard.

 

[Shishkabob]

My agency does several things to reward doing a good job. If you have perfect attendance for a quarter, you get a certificate and a prize of your choosing, valued around $40. Ranges from $40 to Subway, $40 to the movie theater, $40 to a few different gas stations, several different kinds of gear, and 4 hours added to your vacation time.

They also have something called "Kudos" where someone can nominate you for doing a great job, and each month 3 names are drawn and those people get to choose some pretty decent prizes.

Yearly, if we stay under budget, or meet response times, etc, all employees get a bonus.



So sure, it's your job, but they have figured out that if you reward people for doing their job, not only will they be more likely to do well at it, but it also increases moral.

Would you rather receive a bonus or a raise?

If the two end up being the same amount in the end, a bonus. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy But I also don't work OT, so if someone worked OT they'd like the bigger base pay.

 

[TatuICU]

Eh, it's always good for morale to recognize someone who went above and beyond.

Driving safely? No.

Doing a good job at facilitating good door to 'plasty times? Employee nominated recognition? Pulling 10 puppies/babies/Swedish bikini team out of that burning car? Yes

 

[DrParasite]

Our fire chief said "It's just your job", so virtually no one was put in for decorations, even the instances where life and limb were risked.

odd enough, this exact topic was brought up in casual conversation with a supervisor. He told me that if you read the rules properly, anyone who was given an award or citation should be presented with said award, and then promptly terminated from the agency for violating the "scene safety" rule of our job. After all, one of the first things we all learned in EMT class was scene safety, and to not enter an unsafe scene.

I don't think this would ever happen, but it did make me go hmmmmmm

 

[CANDawg]

odd enough, this exact topic was brought up in casual conversation with a supervisor. He told me that if you read the rules properly, anyone who was given an award or citation should be presented with said award, and then promptly terminated from the agency for violating the "scene safety" rule of our job. After all, one of the first things we all learned in EMT class was scene safety, and to not enter an unsafe scene.

That's when you threaten go to the media, get your face in the paper, and then announce that your company fired you. The PR nightmare will scare the crap out of them and they'll let you keep your job.

 

[Simusid]

A few small, inconsequential insurance claims can dramatically affect the insurance coverage for your service for years. Once you are moved into a higher risk pool you may end up spending many tens of thousands more dollars in insurance coverage, even for a small service.

Additional training, reminders, and yes even incentives might help everyone remember they are driving an expensive liability and statistically this *may* help avoid the avoidable.

 

[Tigger]

You embody customer service. Thanks!!!!

Lunch? Oh hell yes!!!! But be carfeful not to make it a weekly affair, and don't annoint any favorites.

My last full-time job, we were professionally and personally backdoored week after week; then one day of one week a year a few measly coffee cups and some generic certificates apppreciating the nurses for "Nurses Week" would appear. Like throwing the peons a party, but as he leaves them to their festivities, the padron pees in the punch.

That's the other thing, I'd like to avoid looking like a kiss-*** for getting all the incentives or extra recognition. Many partners are content with just getting their check every week and I am not out to make anyone look bad. I just have a different personal standard that I'd still adhere too even without incentive.

 

[Ewok Jerky]

I take what I can get however I can get it.

A pay raise is logically awesome, but I forget about that after two pay-periods.

Food after a bad day will stick with me little while longer *sometimes literally* but maybe that's because I am a hungry man.

I am into anything that shows appreciation. I go above and beyond whenever it is necessary and to get "well that's your job" is not inspiring.

 

[JPINFV]

Would you rather receive a bonus or a raise?

Depends on the amounts and whether it's a salary raise or a hourly raise.

 

[JPINFV]

So my question for all is, should we get a bonus for doing our job? Such as having 0 complaints from patients or other providers, all responses within 10 minute standard, 100% intubation or IV start rate, never late or never call out sick, or anything else which can be considered part of our job, but since it is lacking, agencies will pay more for doing it 100%.

It depends. If it's something that can be incentive like never being sick or never being late, then sure. There's a middle area between perfect and needing to be reprimanded. This is especially true with something like call outs that can significantly impact the bottom line by decreasing the number of units or increasing overtime. Similarly, increased skill maintenance can indicate time spent outside of work perfecting your skills. It also contributes to less liability for the company, thus decreased costs.

In a perfect world, there would be no need for bonuses. However in a perfect world not everyone would be paid the same (or significantly similar) base or hourly salary.