Meeting People Where They’re At
Tiffany Vreeman – Vice-President of People and Culture
I am excited to share my favorite On-Site Solution core value with you. Don’t get me wrong, I love ALL our core values and believe together they create the foundation of the greatest culture I have been a part of in my professional life. But, if I had to pick one, hands down it’s “meeting people where they’re at.”
There are multiple meanings to the phrase depending on where you are focused: our clients or OSSPT employees. For our clients and their employees, we meet people where they’re at in 2 ways. First, we are literally at their job! We can be standing right next to them on the assembly line or at the trench they are digging. We reduce the barriers to care so each employee can be served and shown how they can care for their bodies and feel good at the end of each day.
Secondly, we meet them where they’re at on their health and wellness journey and we do it without judgement. Most PTs live healthy lifestyles and that is not always mirrored in the employees we serve. We help them along the way while actively caring about them. It may start with their muscles and joints and may move to nutrition or sleep habits as that relationship forms. I LOVE this concept, but it isn’t the main focus of this blog.
This core value is also for our OSSPT employees. We meet THEM where THEY’RE at. Let’s deep dive this part. I am going to use the example of my professional story because it’s the only one I am an expert on! Hopefully, you will see why I have a passion for this topic.
Here is a quick summary of my professional career (see if any of it resonates with you or a PT you know!)
I wanted to become a physical therapist after I tore my ACL playing basketball when I was 16.
When I graduated from PT school I was going to save the world 1 injured athlete at a time. I also took on being the clinic manager in addition to treating patients.
Then I had my son. I loved being a PT and wanted my career, but it wasn’t the only thing I wanted anymore. I wanted to be a great mom! Anyone relate? I didn’t want 10-hour days or 40-hour weeks anymore.
My story changed again when I found myself a single mom of 2 little kids. I felt my number 1 job was to be a present mom, my PT career was way down the list. I created a patchwork career that allowed me to make ends meet and not put my kids in daycare. (personal choice) It took sacrifice. I worked weekends, I worked PRN, I also taught fitness classes at a fitness center and cleaned a few houses that allowed me to bring my kids with me. I made it work and to me, looking back, it was worth it.
Change ahead: My kids got older and in school. I had more time to give to work. I still had my patchwork career, but I was done cleaning houses and started contract work as a PT with OSSPT.
Kids kept growing and I wanted growth in my life. I wanted to be a good role model for my kids, and I wanted to grow OSSPT so other PTs could experience this great way to use our PT brain. Prevent vs. react, what a concept!
Currently, my kids are in college or have recently graduated. I continue to grow personally and professionally. To be mentored and be a mentor. I am very passionate about helping other PTs find the right fit of work-life harmony.
This is why I am passionate about meeting people where they’re at here at OSSPT. I want them to be able to flex their personal and professional life based on what they need at the time and not apologize for it. No growth plan – just do your hours and be a great PT when you are working? We can honor that. Kids are getting older, and now you are interested in more hours and want to grow professionally? We can do that. The scenarios go on.
If this resonates with you, I want to know it! We have people that want to work with us, but timing is bad. We put them on our bench. A PT wants to work with us, but we don’t have the contracts to fit their needs at the time, we put them on our bench. If it works out that our needs and your needs align, let’s go! I hired many people off our bench when the time was right.
We are growing fast and hiring and filling our bench. Whatever you need, we have it. Send me an email @ tvreeman@onsitesolutionspt.com or check out our careers page https://onsitesolutionspt.com/about-us/careers/ to learn more.
