People who are in the first line of support in hospitals, care homes and other roles in which they risk their health supporting or helping people to live, they are not heroes.
Most of them love their jobs, they have a duty of care and can't let the job done only 50%. They can't see them working any job in the office or shuffling paperwork. Each day when these people wake up, they will think how I can do my job better or how I can support person X better, and at the end of a shift I might receive a beautiful smile.
These are not heroes! They are examples of working with passion and dedication, they are examples of people who will go the extra mile even when they are not paid enough for saving lives, influence other people' lives and create good memories.
At the end of the day the heroes will be alone, they will have a label and people are clapping when they appear. Maybe other people will take pictures with them and use them as a marketing product.
They are not just that. They have names, lives and families. They know how to smile, how to enjoy their life and how to appreciate everything around them. These people have dreams which usually come at the end of their list because there is no time for them.
If you want to make them feel as heroes, support them, pay them as heroes, create environment for them to feel safe and listen to them when you want to create new procedures.
I am one of them and I feel everything from above. I am not in hospitals, but I influence other people's lives and in the end they might live the life they dreamed of, because I did my job properly.
I am working in this area because this is a gift I received and I like to give back. A label will not make me do my job better or worse. I know that I can use my skills for people who need support and I will offer them unconditionally.
The salary is something which helps me live and to enjoy my life. When I will start to work just for money, that will be the moment when I will look for a different role in a different area.
We are not heroes, we are people who love their jobs!
