CORE VALUES
PURPOSE:
The purpose of the Jersey County Emergency Telephone System’s Statement of Values is to provide clarity for every employee and the clientele of the System regarding those core beliefs that define how our organization will operate internally and the level of service that can be expected by our clientele.
CORE VALUES:
The Jersey County Emergency Telephone System Board expects that its employees will perform the operations and duties of the System to the best of their ability. This requires that each employee, regardless of their employment status, purpose in their mind and heart to dedicate 100% of their time, talents and abilities to the performance of their assigned duties. To provide clarity regarding the expectations of the Emergency Telephone System Board, the following Six Values have been identified as the organization’s Core Beliefs:
Commitment:
Commitment from employees is essential for successful business. Employees must remain committed to performing their assigned duties to the best of their ability and aiding fellow employees who they know to be having difficulties. Employees must remain committed to ensuring that the climate within the organization is free of turmoil and strife by encouraging rather than discouraging. Employees must also remain committed to the public that they serve, especially those who they come into contact with during the course of their duties. Every person that makes use of the 9-1- 1 system in Jersey County shall be treated just as if they are a member of the employee’s family.
Respect:
Respect must be shown by each employee to their co-workers and all members of staff. Discrimination of any kind will never be tolerated nor will off color, crude or degrading remarks. Even when addressing a matter of concern with a co-worker, it will be done in a respectful manner and in a way as to identify and address a problem and not in such a way as to attack the person. Respect will always be shown to those who make use of the 9-1-1 system. Even when a caller is irate and/ or upset, employees will address the caller in a respectful manner and will not engage the caller in an argumentative or demeaning tone. Respect will also be shown to the members of the public safety community that make use of the communication center. Employees will provide requested information in an expedient manner and will respect the time of the field responders.
Compassion:
Compassion is seeing yourself in a situation that someone else is experiencing. Without compassion, our duties will be performed in a cold, meaningless manner. It is essential that each employee have compassion for one another, especially when a co-worker is experiencing difficulties outside of the work environment. It is also essential that employees have compassion when speaking with 9-1-1 callers, remembering that callers may be experiencing the worst moment of their day and quite possibly the worst moment of their life. Again, employees should treat each and every caller as if they are a member of their family, showing them the same compassion and concern, and providing the same level of care that they would want a family member to receive.
Excellence:
Mediocrity is not welcome within our organization. Instead, each and every employee at every level should strive for excellence in all that they do. No one should ever be satisfied with their level of knowledge, but instead, should always hunger to learn more. Employees should set goals that will make them better and work toward achieving those goals during the course of their career. Managers and executive leadership should not only work on their own goals and professional development, but should acknowledge the goals of their subordinates and facilitate training and career advancement.
Stewardship:
We must all be good stewards of our time and the resources that we have been trusted with. Executive leadership must ensure that the organization is operated in the most fiscally responsible manner as possible, while all employees must take care of the resources and technology used within the System. It is especially important that employees be good stewards of the 9-1-1 calls that are answered at the communications center, taking special care to ensure that each and every call is managed in a respectful, compassionate and expedient manner.
Integrity:
All employees shall perform their work in such a manner as to always do the right thing, even if no one is watching. It is imperative that all employees be honest in their business dealings with one another, members of management and the public. Once lost, integrity is difficult to be obtained. Do all that you can to see that your integrity is never called into question.
APPLICATION:
Together, we will employ these Core Values to ensure that the Jersey County 9-1-1 System is a professional organization providing paramount customer service to the users of the system while remaining diligent in our pursuit of excellence as individuals and as an organization.