"Our people are our number one asset; without them we are nothing. Cherish them, respect them but most importantly take good care of them."
George Grieg 2020
Emergency Services Control Room workers are constantly exposed to high levels of stress in the delivery of their mission critical roles. Roles without which their parent service, be they Police, Fire or Ambulance, simply could not function, and the result of which would be a catastrophic impact on Public Safety.
These amazingly courageous public servants can be handling a call about a suspicious car one minute and a callous murder being reported the next. Equally, this could be followed by a call raising the alarm for fire in a family home where children are trapped, a rape victim seeking assistance, or a child sexual assault call coming in. Whilst anyone would have sympathy for those exposed to such horrific incidents, what is it doing to the staff themselves; more importantly still, what are their employers able to do to actively manage the wellbeing of these key workers. Often, the answer will be everything they can, but the reality is there are no currently available tools to monitor, report upon or otherwise automate a process to deliver this service; that position has now changed with the advent of the proteCtoR® product from getITright.
This ground-breaking product enables the collection of biometric data, such as Heart Rate Variation of individual users. This data is then used to determine accurate stress levels for each operator. The recommended tool used to read and deliver the data is an arm band worn just below the elbow, so it is completely unobtrusive and could be part of the standard toolset of any Control Room operator.
The proteCtoR CaRescore
The getITright Ltd. product presents the captured biometric information as a proteCtoR CaRescore, a simple, single number used to gauge stress levels over time. With no mathematics or interpretation required, the proteCtoR CaRescore can be used to monitor stress levels across individuals and teams, allowing proactive intervention should unacceptably high stress levels be detected. This relieves huge pressure on supervisors who no longer need to rely on physical monitoring alone, enabling Duty of Care even when users are working remotely.
One of the key benefits of the system is an ability to see problems building up, giving management the opportunity to rest personnel for a period of time to relieve stress and strain, letting them recover after particularly distressing incidents. This could help reduce staff sickness levels and aide retention significantly, and in extreme circumstances may prevent issues such as self-harm.
The data collected drives the production and collation of a range of user information which is made available to management for day to day use, whilst reports can be generated, and sight given to Leadership.
On a supervisory basis, it will enable management to monitor stress levels across their teams, allowing proactive intervention should unacceptably high stress levels be detected. This relieves huge pressure on supervisors who no longer need to rely on physical monitoring alone. One of the key benefits of the system is an ability to see problems building up, giving management the opportunity to remove personnel for a period of time in order to relieve stress and strain, letting them recover after particularly distressing incidents. This could help staff retention and in extreme circumstances, prevent self-harm.
No leader or leadership team would ever deny their Duty of Care to their staff and we believe that proteCtoR gives them a completely unique opportunity to bring technology to bear in its delivery.
Few environments generate such levels of stress on an almost daily basis, so recognising and dealing with it must be a priority for all of us. The ability to monitor levels, intervening appropriately and in a timely manner will greatly improve the lives of our mission critical Control Room staff, contributing to their overall health and general wellbeing.
To be clear, this is much more than a nice to have, it's an essential tool to aid the management of staff wellness, fitness for duty and through that, enhancing Public Safety; apply proteCtoR now, deliver your Duty of Care.