Angels on Earth

ANGELS ON EARTH

This write up is the answer to many questions people raise as to how  employees at GVK EMRI, popularly known as 108 Emergency Services in India work passionately rendering affectionate care 24 X 7. What motivates these stars at the bottom of organizational pyramid to perform.

The most difficult thing any HR professional faces today would probably be as to how to motivate the folks one more time and instill the seeds of passion in them. This is more crucial at a time when we look at the decreasing HR budget and never before efforts to curtail expenses. I too was in search of ideas/sources that motivate folks again and again. Each event, scheme had a limited impact upon their spirits. Surprisingly I found still the performance of my colleagues in field was par excellence. Here are the answers I received upon my search to understand the seeds of inspiration they receive from  sources other than what we engineered from.

Imagine about a group of 2000 plus people working in the Ambulances as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)  and Pilots ( Ambulance Drivers) to attend the emergencies day in and day out spread across 400 locations in the state of Gujarat to cater to 55 Million population. They do not have comfort of a posh office or hefty wages.  They operate on the directions they receive from Emergency Response Centre (Call Centre). They are always on readiness to attend to their customers who are in distress in the crucial golden hour that fall between life and death. They offer the most sensitive product any company can offer, crucial pre-hospital care,  at the doorstep in the time of emergency - 24X7 - be it of any kind -  Road Accidents, Labor Pain, convulsion, snake bite, wild animal attack, high fever so on and so forth. I am talking about the EMTs and Pilots who are deployed by GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (GVK EMRI), the nodal agency of Emergency Management for Government of Gujarat, popularly known as 108 services.

All traditional HR activities were continuously carried out here too - be it Rewards and Recognition scheme, Performance Management, Training and Development, Employee engagement activities etc. But one thing that made me surprising that there are certain invisible forces that motivate this team to perform such crucial job with accurate quality, precision and passion in delivery. It is not money, recognition, career path nor the employee engagements contribute to the high end performance of the team. My search for last many months revealed a few new interesting sources of motivations that the employees derive and add to their passion to perform.

Well structured Boot Camp and value Transmission : During Induction itself the the core values of the organization and the need to look beyond a job is conveyed to the incumbents. This help them to relate the job with the need for addressing the helplessness of the distressed during emergency. This process of two months transform them from a careless yongster to a responsible social worker.

Joy of giving: This is a unique model where employees directly derive motivation from beneficiaries who avail or witness availing this service that touch their hearts. The highest degree of motivation the field staff receives is out of the encouragement and motivation the customers pour on them. The list of such beneficiaries are - some one in Kutch who could save his beloved child from snake bite because the child is administered anti-snake venom in time, the other who received medical help for his father who suffered massive stroke at night, a women who had delivered triplets in the Ambulance at night on the way to hospital etc. The helpless smile on the face of a citizen who receive timely medical help to attend their loved ones, the tears of thanks that flows down the cheeks of the relatives of  victims / patients whose lives are timely saved tell a thousand stories of  inspiration.

Motivation from the quick wins : Upon the online directives of qualified Doctors these paramedics perform the pre-hospital care and try to stabilize the victim/patient before reach a nearby hospital. When he/she successfully regain the vitals of patients or stops profuse bleeding of a road accident victim or even conducts deliveries in the Ambulances, a joy of fulfillment flashes in their faces. The young paramedics have thousands such stories every day to tell and excite.  

Motivation on adding value to the social fabric: Ever since this service became active in the state, the entire public health system became more vigilant and responsive. The team felt strong pride in becoming a partner to accelerate a silent revolution of public health system, which values and respects human lives irrespective of caste and creed. Once, I remember, a female EMT  cried out, during an award function, while explaining how she rescued a girl child thrown out to bushes to die by her parents.

Motivation from Brand and the respect it commands : The model of ordinary people performing extra ordinary tasks backed by technology and vision take away the imagination of the people. The brand created inerasable imprints in the minds of common man as a role model of best value for public money.  The sustained respect the field staff receives from public adds to their dedication and commitment.

Motivation from colleagues who support and guide all actions of the field staff online unlike other profession. When a life is saved, the entire team in Emergence Response Centre congratulate EMTs and the medicos involved. Handholding and empowerment are continuously infused in the EMTs who are expected to take care of the victim in the scene.

Motivation in delivering a service which is of international standard and protocol

GVK EMRI services are viewed by the international community as a milestone in public healthcare in India. A paper was presented in Harvard Business School describing it as the most successful model supported by Government in saving lives more particularly of poor and rural masses.

The moral of the story is that many a times we need to help the employees in realizing the intrinsic value of the actions they perform so that they can derive energy to move further. 

-Babu Thomas, Head –HR, GVK EMRI-Gujarat

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