I've worked as an emergency dispatcher for over eleven years. I'd have to say, at this point, I am reaching the burn-out stage. There are several reasons why, but some reasons bother me more than others.
The first center I worked at, I hated who I worked for, but loved the job. My co-workers had my back, even if they didn't like me personally. Supervisors stood up for you. The technology was lacking a bit, but we made it work. The callers, too, were, for the most part, cooperative and understood how 911 worked; that was mainly due to educating the public about us. Field personnel also had a great deal of respect for us. They would visit, bring gifts during dispatcher week and the holidays, just plain good relationships. They knew what the job was about.
The second center is a whole other story. Yes, the technology is cutting edge, but very prejudicial people. If they don't like you (for whatever reason: your haircut or the way you dress) just forget about them having your back. Favorites are picked and, if you aren't a favorite, expect to get a lot more criticism, even if it's for things that another person does on a regular basis and gets away with it. And don't share that you got a compliment from a field person, God-forbid you do better than someone else. Quality assurance is "Good Job" on a 100% and, if less than 100%, a 10-page dissertation on how you screwed up. Callers are foul-mouthed and rude. There is no public education on how we work and therefore, handling an uncooperative caller is more than commonplace. Relationships with field personnel are non-existent unless you work or have worked in the field locally. There is also no education, in regards to personnel, as to what our job entails, so they think we're just sitting on our butts drinking coffee and have all the time in the world to focus on the ONE incident in the entire county that is going on (sarcasm).
It's frustrating to the nth degree. I went from somewhere where I was respected and "adored" for what I do, to being an unimportant nothing. Maybe less than nothing. I've been here 4 years, you think the boss knows my name? The actual job hasn't changed, just the environment.
I hate people so much now, I hardly ever leave my house on my days off. No phone calls, no shopping unless I'm out of everything. It's sad. I'd leave, but the pay is good, and deep down, somewhere, I still feel like I make a difference.
