I am an EMT and started with a private ambulance company a few months ago. When they hired me, I was strongly encouraged to follow “the rules” to get a financial incentive that would come so long as I followed “the rules.”
The higher up who told me about this went on to explain that some of my fellow employees never get this incentive, that they claim it is impossible, and I honestly attributed this to the job we work being difficult and that some people are burnt out but still need the job.
All of these “rules” were sensible to me, things like being in uniform before shift start, completing the required paperwork for calls, making sure my ambulance is properly stocked with the required items to safely run calls and as required by law. One of these rules is showing up before the shift is actually set to start, for example if the shift starts at 8am be at work and clocked in at 7:45am. This also made sense to me because it gives us employees time to do the necessary tasks to actually begin running calls around the time we are due to start.
So anyways, I, being physically unable to not show up early, would get to work about 20-30 minutes before shift start. On days without delays, meaning an issue with an ambulance, a partner being delayed, or an equipment issues, I was ready to hit the road and leave base right before shift start.
Come to find out, I haven't been getting paid for anything prior to shift start since I took this job. My employer is changing timecards to say that I clocked in at shift start after I clock out, and HR has been entirely unresponsive. A manager explained that's just “how this works” but couldn't or wouldn't explain why.
Now I understand why some of my coworkers will not get to work early. I'm only staying a few more rotations to save up a bit more and then quitting with no notice.