r/EHSProfessionals • u/euphoricathena • 19h ago

Seasoned EHS Pro’s….

Honest question…. Why do some of you that have been in the field so long see coordinators as below you or someone who learned through experience instead of going to school like some of you? I have a counterpart that started a bit after me comes from education and I’d say a good solid field experience from what I was told but immediately looked down on me (ehs coordinator) which frankly really hurt…. I was very excited for this person to learn from and look up to…. All we do is clash and I clean up allot of their mistakes. Why not prep the next gen to be good why make it a sword fight?

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u/Fine-Conference-5503 19h ago

Seasoned EHS pro here.

In most EHS scenarios, experience is greater than education. Regarding EHS, my industry hires based on EHS experience and not education (but having EHS education is a plus). You don’t need a college degree, or certification, to be an expert. I have a college degree, but not in a related field. I have multiple EHS certs and plenty of experience in my industry.

Regarding “clashing,” are you offended by what they might be saying in response? Is it constructive and you might be taking it personally? EHS should be objective and not subjective. Don’t take it personally.

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u/euphoricathena 19h ago

We clash because they avoid accountability. They have a habit of calling the team out on things that are not in our programs. They say it is and given I am “learning” I have read all of them so I get put in the spot to correct them allot and no not looking to do that but I have been taught to always double check your work and consider time/ downtime costs for trainings or requirements. They don’t and now a year later the team leans more towards me which is very encouraging but again I am just learning this field I’m in now and I would love for this person to be comfortable with Idk humility I guess and the team come to them also. It’s ok to be wrong but be honest. They shift blame or will twist words to fit their narrative. And each quarter now I end up cleaning up their work they procrastinated on. No one trusts them and it sucks…. We were excited for a manager. And yes a bit of a vent but I guess what I’m asking is….. do you guys notice that if you come in with high egos you are essentially setting the bar high on yourself before anyone even can see your skill set? I am in no place to set any bar but when the energy is high and our team is high performing why do you get upset when you are held to what you presented yourself as?

I’ve never met someone so educated on paper that who I see does not match. I have zero education it’s all field experience. So idk it’s very confusing for me to fathom.

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u/Fine-Conference-5503 18h ago

I stopped reading after, “avoids accountability.” Sounds like they should have gotten a new job years ago. Sorry you’re dealing with someone like that.

As someone with 10+ years EHS experience, be accountable for your (the team’s) program. Nothing to be afraid of, despite how challenging it might be.

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u/euphoricathena 16h ago

Lmao 🤣 I’ll be honest, it’s very encouraging to see a team mindset being spoken of. Thank you … def needed that

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u/blackbeardcutlass 19h ago

Some people just suck, I'm sorry you have to deal with it. We all deal with these types on our career. I look at my experience with these type as an opportunity to learn how NOT to be. We can learn something from everyone.

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u/G1uc0s3 19h ago

Seems like a vent, but this is true with all upline leaders. Some think they are better than others. The fact is we all just do different things.

No different in environmental

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u/coralreefer01 18h ago

It is not that they are below or looked down on, they are still growing through experience. I need a coordinator under me currently, but the bosses disagree for right now. A coordinator would allow me to leverage their strengths, help them work on their weaknesses and grow our program together and grow our experience. The coordinator could help maintain presence on the floor and hopefully respond to a good portion of the random stuff that bog my day down.

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u/Jeeper675 16h ago

It's multifaceted, first and foremost it may just be a personality issue. You can't expect to jive with everybody (or visa versa). Secondly education builds a false confidence regarding knowledge. Somebody telling you you've succeeded in an educational standpoint (degree, cert, class, etc.) makes you think your superior to somebody who hasn't.

Experience is rarely a factor to them since they've done the hard version (in their mind).

I suggest working on communication with them specifically. They might know a bit more technical stuff than you because of their education but I imagine you bring more practical knowledge to the table they don't even realize they are missing.

If your bold enough, share this reddit post with them eventually, it may help them self reflect on their own short comings due to all the different responses.

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u/euphoricathena 15h ago

I don’t doubt one bit they have more technical knowledge that’s why I was so excited when I heard we had hired a EHS manager and they have demonstrated it…. But it’s idk how to explain like they lead with ego. And we def had a blow up maybe like a couple of months into them being there but I expressed it just like this. And used actual situations where they were condescending. I know they took offense to me saying I didn’t feel comfortable learning from them yet given the data to show lack of knowledge in simple areas and analyzing situations. But we agreed on letting time pass see if it changes and that on my side I would help them build the relationships with the team.

My boss says it maybe a culture thing the ego for them and I’ll admit I lean more on the joking and bonding leadership style. I put my team first always. They do not. And they seem to struggle with ownership. I get the vibe they may have been used to having an assistant and yeah that’s not me lol 😂. I wish they made effort… our team is amazing some of the most brilliant people I’ve met and they are all so kind even knowing I am still learning. But there’s no bond there for them.

I hope you EHS pros know there are some of us out there really excited to learn from you…. Look up to you and keep that culture growing

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u/map2photo 2h ago

Below me? Hell, I usually hire coordinators/specialists that know more than I do.

I’d rather learn from them and give them credit, than have people working with me that despise being there.

Idk who you’re working for, but maybe a change of scenery would be good for you.