– It gets to a point where you feel physically unwell when you walk in the door in the morning. “Ola” worked at the AMK center in Oslo for several years. Then it said stop. His health did not last. It became too demanding, and “Ola” left the exchange earlier this year. He is not the only one. 70 employees have left In October, a staffing crisis was reported at the Emergency Medicine Communications Center in Oslo. At one point, there were only two people at work to answer the emergency number 113 from an area of 1.7 million inhabitants. The center has had challenges with staffing for a long time. When the state administrator visited earlier this year, it was established that the AMK central does not answer the phone quickly enough. Figures news has gained access to show that 70 employees have quit in the past four years. “Ola” and “Anita” are among them. They want to remain anonymous so they don’t burn bridges. Nevertheless, they think it is important to tell their stories. Ola wants things to get better for those who work at AMK now. – There are clever and skilled people who have been in this for far too long, he says. news has also spoken to current employees at the exchange who tell of bad conditions there. They do not want to be interviewed. They fear consequences. “Anita” did not feel seen or heard by the management at the exchange. Photo: Siv Johanne Bjørkly Seglem Problems with the management Several former employees say that the management was replaced several times while they worked at the exchange. Often without warning, many say. At the same time, they believe that the management certainly did the best they could. – They probably tried, but I think they have been very paralyzed in their actions, says Anita. Nevertheless, they believe that the current staffing crisis could have been avoided if the management had taken action earlier. Anita experienced that when she went to the management with challenges at the central office, it was not guaranteed that anything would change. – There will be no action from what they say. Some also say that they have the impression that there was camaraderie at the central office among parts of the management. – It was only if you had a certain relationship with the others in the management, then you were seen and heard, says Anita. The employees at AMK Oslo work in here. Photo: Siv Johanne Bjørkly Seglem / NRKH The employees at AMK Oslo work in here. Photo: Siv Johanne Bjørkly Seglem / news A survey the professional organization Delta has conducted among its members at the center also testifies to challenges with management. news has not been given access to the survey itself. Delta nevertheless confirms that they recognize claims that employees have not been heard or seen. The work pressure didn’t stop At home in the living room, Ola fiddles with his ring while he talks about his experiences at the switchboard. Stressful situations in themselves were not a big challenge for him. The problem was that the work pressure did not stop. Then a frustration built up. – I don’t think it is lucky for anyone to work under that pressure over time. The job itself motivated Ola to continue, even though the work was getting harder. – You don’t have time to think that you are tired or bored when everything is on, but you feel it when you go home for the day instead, and even more so when you go to work. He says that it was easy to get a feeling of not being enough. – You want to help the patient, but then you don’t have time to help the patient because you are put through so much other nonsense. Working with measures According to clinic manager Stephen Sollid, the management collaborates with the employees. They are trying to get enough people at the switchboard. Stephen Sollid, head of Prehospital clinic, which runs AMK. Photo: Hanne Høyland / news He thinks it is unfortunate that the management has been replaced so often. – That is why it is important that the current management in AMK Oslo is given room to work on measures to deal with staffing challenges, says Sollid. The measures will ensure that managers have time to do their management tasks. The clinic does not recognize allegations of camaraderie, and therefore cannot comment on it. Good job, bad workplace The employees at the AMK center in Oslo mostly like their jobs and work well together. This is shown by an employee survey from earlier this year. – The job itself is good, but almost all the prerequisites for doing the job are bad, says Ola. This is how the operators sit at the AMK central in Oslo. Photo: SIV JOHANNE BJØRKLY SEGLEM / news The survey also shows this. Fewer than 40 percent are satisfied with the working conditions. Only one in four believes that the workload is sufficiently large. Only half answer that they manage to take a break and eat during the working day. Those news has spoken to and Delta’s survey shows that many employees are negative towards the management. According to the employee survey, on the other hand, 70 per cent of employees are satisfied with the management. The physical working environment receives a failing grade. Only 13 out of 96 think it is a good physical working environment when it comes to air, light and noise. – The noise level both makes it difficult to concentrate on the work you are doing, and it makes it more difficult to collaborate with others, says Ola. The noise caused him to leave work with ringing in his ears almost every day. Clinic manager Sollid says it has been known for a long time that the premises are not suitable for the AMK center in the long term. Work to secure new premises is underway, but it will take time. – In the meantime, work is being done on several measures to expand space in AMK Oslo and improve the physical working environment in the centre, he says. The operators must help people who may be in acute health danger. At the same time, they sit in premises that are not good for their own health. – It was rare that I left a shift and didn’t feel really tired mentally or physically, says Anita. “Anita” thinks the management should have taken measures earlier. Photo: Siv Johanne Bjørkly Seglem / news
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Many employees at the AMK central in Oslo quit after high work pressure and bad management – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
