EMS Human Resources Management

1. 7 EMS Human Resources Management

2. Learning Objectives 7.1 Identify the issues surrounding the EMS workforce of the future and the generation specific issues that apply to managerial techniques in an organization. 7.2 Employ techniques to identify staffing needs for future EMS operations. 7.3 Perform a job-task analysis on an EMS position in the organization.

3. Learning Objectives (Cont.) 7.4 Identify and apply the techniques to conduct an effective performance appraisal and identify problems associated with conducting performance appraisals.

4. Learning Objectives (Cont.) 7.5 Identify the components of a positive discipline program and implement a due- process procedure involving a disciplinary action. 7.6 Create a list of and identify the warning signs of workplace violence and employ management activities to contain or prevent workplace violence.

5. Learning Objectives (Cont.) 7.7 Build an employee screening and hiring process. 7.8 Understand the application of labor laws that influence EMS operations. 7.9 Identify the components of a positive discipline program and implement a due process procedure involving a disciplinary action.

6. Learning Objectives (Cont.) 7.10 Build and employee screening and hiring process. 7.12 Understand the application of labor laws that influence EMS operations. 7.13 Identify the components of a positive discipline program and implement a due process procedure involving a disciplinary action.

7. Learning Objectives (Cont.) 7.14 Create and identify the warning signs of workplace violence and employ management activities to contain or prevent workplace violence. 7.15 Build and employee screening and hiring process. 7.16 Understand the application of labor laws that influence EMS operations.

8. The EMS Workforce • Recruiting, selecting, and retention of employees will be one of the most challenging aspects of managing or leading an EMS agency • Number of people choosing EMS as a career or profession is declining • The National Registry of EMTs reported that 19 states saw a decrease in the number of paramedics and EMTs taking the National Registry exams

9. The EMS Workforce (Cont.) • Longitudinal EMT Attributes and Demographics Study (LEADS) • Demographics of EMS workers • Work activities, working conditions, and job satisfaction • Future of Emergency Medical Care in the United States • “Emergency Medical Services at the Crossroads” • An Institute of Medicine study • The EMS component of the study is “EMS at the Crossroads”

10. Human Resources Activities • Employee forecasting • Activity that estimates the number and type of personnel needed to meet the organizational objectives • Demand analysis can be conducted by either a top-down approach or bottom-up approach • The top-down approach uses trend analysis, indexing, or simulations

11. Human Resources Activities (Cont.) • Trend analysis • Focus on past hiring • Indexing • Uses ratio of workload to employee based on increases in call volume or other EMS organization activities, such as injury prevention and pubic education

12. Human Resources Activities (Cont.) • Simulation • Uses computer modeling and predicts employee needs on data collected in the computer-aided dispatching software or run-volume statistics

13. Human Resources Activities (Cont.) • Delphi technique • Method for obtaining forecasts from a panel of independent experts over two or more rounds • Skills inventories consist of each person’s education, work experience, occupational interest, and skills

14. Generational Bridges • EMS mangers and leaders will face an ever-changing workforce dynamic • Silent generation • People born before 1946 • They are uncomfortable turning over the hard work and sacrifice of a lifetime to younger workers

15. Generational Bridges (Cont.) • Babyboomers • People born between 1946 and 1964 • Perceive today’s generation as lazy and egocentric • Generation • People born between 1965 and 1980 • Sees the boomers as demanding, not creative, and having no fun in the workplace

16. Generational Bridges (Cont.) • Generation Y • Most recent college graduates • Born after 1980

17. Generational Bridges (Cont.) Nintendo Generation Most recent high school graduates, taking technical training and foregoing college Latest group to enter into EMS training Accustomed to technology Poor communication skills Need for personal gratification

18. TABLE 7.1

19. Motivating the Generations • The silent or “greatest generation” chooses formality over informality, often calling EMS managers and leaders by titles and sur names • They communicate face-to-face or on a regular telephone, rather than by electronic forms of communication, such as e-mail or text messaging • Often ask for things to be explained logically

20. Motivating the Generations (Cont.) • Boomers are goal-oriented and take steps to achieve those goals • Boomers state objectives in people- centered terms, and believe actions reflect effort • They respond to inspirational speeches and function well in most team-centered activities • Boomers see widespread recognition from newsletters or press releases as an incentive

21. Motivating the Generations (Cont.) • Xers need a leadership style that does not micromanage • Xers can be told what needs to get done and when, and will operate with very little instruction • They are great at multitasking • Provide frequent feedback, keep the work environment fun, and ask for their opinions and reactions • Free time or additional time off is the best motivator

22. Motivating the Generations (Cont.) • Generation Y must be constantly challenged with continuous learning and building skills • Know their personal goals, and try to match up tasks with those goals • They respond best to coaching and upbeat messages through informal routes of communication

23. Methods of Assessing Job Standards • Eight commonly accepted methods are used for establishing job standards: • Job-performance requirements • Functional analysis • Observation

24. Methods of Assessing Job Standards (Cont.) • Self-description • Work profiling • Position analysis questionnaires • Checklist or inventories method • Interviews

25. Job Descriptions and Specifications • Job description • A document that provides information about the task, duties, and responsibilities of the job • Has three key elements: a job title, job identification, and a job duties section • Job specification • A list of knowledge, skills, and abilities that an individual must have in order to succeed in the position

26. The DACUM Process • Develop a curriculum • A process that involves the organization’s “top performers” • The top performers are assigned to a short-term committee with a qualified DACUM facilitator

27. The DACUM Process (Cont.) • They become the panel of experts who collectively and cooperatively describe the occupation in the language of the occupation • The panel works under the guidance of a trained facilitator for two days to develop DACUM research chart • The chart contains a list of general areas of competence called duties, along with several tasks for each duty

28. The DACUM Process (Cont.) • Brainstorming techniques are used to obtain the collective expertise and consensus of the panel • As the panel determines each task, it is written on a card • The cards are attached to the wall in front of the panel • Altogether the cards form a graphic profile of the duties and tasks performed by successful workers in the occupation

29. The DACUM Process (Cont.) • The DACUM process has multiple uses: • Can be used for job analysis, occupational analysis, process analysis, functional analysis, and conceptual analysis • Its use with many companies, community colleges, and government agencies has also shown the process to be very effective, quickly accomplished, and low cost • Works because expert workers can describe and define their jobs more accurately than anyone else

30. FIGURE 7.1DACUM (day-kum).

31. Recruiting • EMS must start to think differently about how to find and secure providers • Finding paramedics will become more difficult as baby boomers place a higher demand on the medical system

32. Disparate Impact • The “80% rule” says that a selection rate for any race, sex, or ethnic group that is less than four-fifths or 80% of the rate for the group with the highest rate will generally be regarded...as evidence of adverse impact.

33. The Griggs Decision • Griggs v. Duke Power Co. • For the purposes of hiring and assignment to a laborer position, an employer's use of a high school diploma requirement and two standardized written tests, each of which disqualified a higher percentage of blacks than whites, violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

34. The Griggs Decision (Cont.) • When testing for new EMTs or paramedics, the assessment tools must reflect a "business necessity," the yardstick for assessing the legality of such standards • The Court held if an employment practice that operated to exclude blacks could not be shown to be related to job performance, the practice was prohibited • The Court did not provide additional guidance regarding the meaning of the phrase "business necessity."

35. Selection • The process of selection is one of the most important tasks and EMS leader or manager can be involved with • Reliability • The degree to which interviews, tests, and selection procedures yield comparable data over the period of time

36. Selection (Cont.) • EMS managers need to be able to consistently rate the interviewees exactly the way they have previously • Likewise, a written test should yield the same results every time it is administered • Validity • Refers to what a test measures and how well it measures it

37. Selection (Cont.) • The extent to which data from the selection process predict the job performance • Required by the EEOC • There are several types of validity: • Criterion-related validity • Concurrent validity • Predictive validity • Content validity • Construct validity

38. Applications • The first phase of any selection process is an application process • Applications need to be constructed to meet legal requirements • It is permissible to ask if the applicant has any disabilities that would prevent him or her from satisfactorily performing the job

39. FIGURE 7.3Topics Prohibited in Interview Questions.

40. Written Exams • The objective format using a true/false, multiple choice, matching, or fill-in-the-blanks question is the traditional format for a written exam • Most commercial testbanks are validated and save time and effort

41. Written Exams (Cont.) • Be sure to make the question(s) very clear • Short answers also gives the EMS agency a chance to evaluate a writing style, legibility and grammar skills to see if that applicant can complete a prehospital report

42. Physical-Abilities Test • A nationally validated physical-abilities test with a Department of Justice evaluation does not exist for EMS personnel • A popular physical-abilities test for fire-based personnel is the IAFF and ICHIEFS Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT)

43. Interviews • Oral board or interview questions should be prepared from job descriptions before you start interviewing • Questions focusing on job duties and the applicant’s skills and experience • Tell me about your experience in EMS or public safety. • How much experience did you have in public safety or EMS?

44. Interviews (Cont.) • How do you typically go about organizing your workday? • Have any of your jobs required strong leadership skills? • Tell the applicant about job — the duties, hours, pay range, benefits, and career opportunities

45. Interviews (Cont.) • Get into the applicant’s work history and relevant experience • Avoid discussing sex, religion, or politics in a social setting • Avoid focusing on an applicant’s age, ethnicity, birthplace, or marital and family status

46. Psychological Resources • Liability issues related to an organization's personnel-making decisions or inappropriate actions has created a new focus in human resources management on using psychological screening tools • Organizations are using such tools to help them identify successful matches for positions in the organization

47. Academic Predictors • Health occupations aptitude examination • Can predict an individual’s readiness and capability for successful completion of an educational program • (HOBET) • Provides an objective measurement of a person’s critical reading ability and compares that ability to the level of mastery required for success in college health programs

48. Academic Predictors for Health Care Workers (Cont.) • Evaluates basic math skills • Identifies how a person approaches study and which approach is most effective for that person

49. Assessment Center • A series of exercises with which an employee is given the opportunity to demonstrate skills to a group of trained observers • The observers are called assessors and are usually above the level of the person testing for the position • Assessment centers are commonly held over two or more days

50. FIGURE 7.5Assessment Center Exercises.