Motivation and overall morale in the dispatch center are difficult to maintain and with the encroaching holidays, one thing is for certain, 911 dispatchers are called to be at the top of their game. Holidays can be a very busy time for 911; burnout, sickness and just genuine lack of motivation can be huge problems causing 911 centers everywhere to struggle. Nothing can replace giving up time with family or friends over the holidays. So, what can you do to help motivate and maybe inspire your dispatchers this holiday season?

911 Dispatchers know a lot about being efficient. They have to be ready to react quickly when the important call comes in amidst all of the barking dog and drunk neighbor complaints. Taking time to reach around looking for the right mouse or the right keyboard can slow them down when trying to get the job done.

Stress is a very sensitive and very real subject for many 911 dispatchers. And while it is not my intention to try for a minute to understand the dealings with that you must go through in your profession, I think that the idea of stress in a dispatch center has a very real effect on your health and well-being. With health becoming a topic of great importance in the 911 industry, as sensative of a subject it might be, I feel it is worth blogging about. Coping with stress can happen on many different levels and we all deal with it a different way. When stress effects our personal health learning how to cope with it in a productive way can make all the difference.

Treats are pretty common around a 911 Comm Center or any office during the Halloween season.  So I thought, maybe we could add a healthy spin to the treats we all know we will eat. Bringing healthy ideas and initiatives to your next office pot luck or event gathering doesn’t have to be scary. It can be fun and rewarding for both you and your co-workers. Here are three phases to a creepy plan of bringing better health into a workplace near you.

There is no place like the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) to go shopping for new equipment for your radiology center.  Whether you are involved with a huge hospital system or a small reading room, RSNA seems to have it all and then some.  You can get hands-on with all of the latest technology to see what it can do to make your life better and improve the results for your patients.  One major piece of that puzzle is choosing the best imaging desk for your reading room.  

In today’s world, everyone has seen the studies on standing at your desk. They are EVERYWHERE! Seriously. They are in the New York Times,  Forbes , Huffington Post , and Smithsonian Magazine, just to name a few. Don’t worry; in case you have been living off the grid for the last three years, I have linked to a couple of the articles.

I am new to this industry, and I keep hearing all of the buzz about being able to stand up while working. I have even heard that sitting is the new smoking (very interesting)! I hear people at tradeshows tell me how interested they are in adding a treadmill desks or bikes desks to their current configurations, but they don’t think they will get approved due to the lack of funds (which is understandable), the potential for falls and accidents, or the possibility that the exercise equipment will sit in the corner and collect dust. All of these are valid reasons for one to be hesitant, but let’s just say that after my very brief search on the internet, I am now able to inform you about a few benefits that can occur when you add these amazing tools to your office.

(Newly Updated for 2021)

Every time you pop into Costco, Kroger or Target, you’re guided by a status indicator light. Which checkout lanes are open and which ones are waiting for that dreaded manager assistance? Which self-checkouts are open and available? Is the line for the fast lane shorter than self-checkout? (Admittedly, this has nothing to do with the lights, but it makes me happy when it happens because I don’t have to decipher the code for my donuts.) No doubt you figured out the meaning of these checkstand lights by the time you were 2.

In the first installment of tips on how to choose your imaging furniture provider, we went over the basics of why it’s important to look for a provider who wants to have a long-term relationship with you, along with what to expect from warranties and customer service. So, as promised, we’re back with more details on how to choose a furniture provider. Without further ado, let’s pick up where we left off by discussing what things to take into account before signing on!

I am lucky. Every day I step into my office, and there is my laptop. Nobody has touched it. I do not need to worry about if someone using my desk before me ate dinner, or if they are sick, or if they washed their hands after…. Ok, you get the picture. What can you do about a keyboard a mouse in a shared workspace?