One of things everyone has had to do in these challenging economic times is make choices about where to spend their money. I’m not just talking about whether or not one should go out to dinner, or buy a new pair of shoes, or go on a nice vacation… Employees have been laid off, company budgets have been slashed, and services have been discontinued. We all know about this, and have heard the stories – but in a way I didn’t realize how far some cuts had gone. These choices have impacted many business practices – not just the bottom line.
This past week I was out with two friends – one is a nurse at hospital and the other is a domestic violence crisis counselor. I was talking to them about SOS LINK and explaining the many uses to them. My friend the nurse said, “Man, we need that on the floor.” I asked her why she thought that she would need something like that at work and she explained that due to budget cuts there was only one security office working at night at their hospital. That security guard was responsible for patrolling all of the floors AND driving around parking lots and checking on other work sites. One person for all of that.
She explained that they often ran into situations where they felt unsafe but security was unable to respond. She said that her work-life is often a series of ‘close calls.’ (To read a recent story about violence against nurses, click here.) I was shocked to hear that staff safety was not taken more seriously, but she explained that it was all about cutbacks and that patient care was (understandably) given the highest priority. Staff safety? Well, it would be nice, but…. She told me she was going to get SOS LINK and encourage her coworkers to do the same “since everyone keeps their phone on them anyway.”
The same went for my friend who works at the Domestic Violence shelter. She told me of a few stories of being trapped in uncomfortable situations – including the time when someone had broken in to the facility’s donation shed and she needed to be able to alert staff who would be coming on shift and walking right past the shed. She is going to get SOS LINK Team so that they are all connected. Again, having on site security would be nice, but it’s not a possibility for her organization. It’s company policy that workers keep their cell phones on them at all times – but having the ability to instantly take a photo of the situation and get that information to those who need it is really important. And as they say, a picture really is worth 1,000 words, isn’t it?
Be safe this weekend, everyone!
Jill
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