The Metropolitan Computer-Aided Dispatch, the 9-1-1 emergency hotline created for C-U, has observed a mass shortage of workers at their call centers, creating an impact both inside and outside of the workplace.
Betsy Smith, the operations manager at METCAD, emphasized the importance of the METCAD system and the need for workers trained for crises.
“When somebody is having an emergency and they dial 9-1-1, they really need someone on the phone that can answer quickly,” Smith said. “Once we answer the phone, we need to make sure that our person has the proper training and the skills necessary to handle something like that.”
Due to the lack of staff, Smith said many of the current workers are being asked to work abnormal amounts of overtime, which has been challenging for operators.
“When you work a lot, you don’t have time for personal things you want to do and that creates stress in your life and it leaves you with not as much time to be with your friends or family,” Smith said. “When we get stressed we often lose our patience and that can make our job more difficult.”
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METCAD’s employee shortage has affected more than just their company operations as many organizations are reliant on it, like the Champaign Police Department and other emergency departments.
Despite the current issues, METCAD has been making efforts to adjust in order to keep operating efficiently.
“We are offering voluntary overtime to all of our full-time employees as well as our part-time employees,” Smith said. “We also have a few trainees who are partially trained at some positions which they can fill and we are using some contract employees from a company out west.”
With hiring issues and company structures it is difficult to predict when a problem will be solved as many socioeconomic factors impact it, but METCAD has been navigating the situation and hopes to gain more employees in the near future.
Smith also mentioned that METCAD is looking for anyone interested in working a part-time or a full-time position at their company.
