In a bid to urgently address severe staffing and operational problems, D.C.'s 911 call center is now offering a notable bonus to its employees for simply fulfilling their duty to show up for work. As reported by NBC Washington, The Office of Unified Communications (OUC) announced through their director, Heather McGaffin, in an email to the staff, that employees would receive an $800 bonus for attending all their scheduled shifts within a month, starting with August.

The measure comes as a response to a critical situation where, according to the OUC dashboard, 88% of shifts in July failed to meet the required staffing levels. Dave Statter, a local public safety advocate, described the environment as “desperate” and emphasized the need for greater transparency in response to staffing issues and technology outages that are to slowly improving response times. Heather McGaffin's email highlights the hardship of unscheduled call outs which have been increasing, stating, "Unscheduled call outs of all kinds are up and causing a hardship for fellow employees."

Amid concern over the implications for management and leadership within the agency. "The fact that they have to offer people $800 just to show up for their job — I think it's highlighting how bad it's gotten and it's a management and a leadership failure," D.C. Council member Charles Allen told WTOP. Allen also commented on the overall state of the OUC, saying it "is in crisis" and that there isn't a week that passes without hearing from constituents about issues with 911 responses.

Despite the urgency, the OUC has been ongoing in its efforts to better the situation. "We appreciate how hard our team at OUC are working and will continue to acknowledge and reward those efforts," Anna Noakes, OUC spokesperson, said in a statement obtained by both DC News Now and WTOP. Council member Brooke Pinto expressed that ensuring fair compensation for the call takers and dispatchers, who do lifesaving work, is critical. In the meantime, both the OUC and Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office have not provided further details, exacerbating concerns over the direction of the agency.

With technical issues that caused outages and recent response time delays could have heightened concerns, the urgency to effectively address both employee welfare and system reliability remains at the forefront. Simon Godwin with the Shakespeare Theatre Company downtown told DC News Now that the city should do whatever it takes to make sure the center is staffed.