November 2001 Volume 82 Number 11 "serving the protectors"
By Trevor Haskell PASA Vice President

Flexibility

It escapes no one that we are in an odd situation at the moment - the impact of increased numbers of probationers has created some difficulties. This is a cyclic situation that has been repeated a number of times in my career in SAPOL. The cycle starts when real police numbers are reduced by governments and, when the critical point gets reached, the community begins to complain, the troops revolt or an election looms. The government changes direction and suddenly decrees that there be a major recruiting drive. We are in the aftermath of poor governance and it will take two years to settle down again.

What has this meant? The commissioners have to work out how to get more from less in the short to medium term. Too many inexperienced people and a reducing pool of experienced people. Thus, they reorganize the troops using what is euphemistically called more flexible work practices. Those who were around in the ’70s saw it when the “sector patrol system” was implemented. There is nothing inherently problematic in the system. Pool the troops into larger groups and you can borrow from Peter to help Paul without the effects being so obvious. It can be sensible management.

As with any system, it cannot produce the magic changes without the correct infrastructure. Some time ago, the use of extended rostering to create greater flexibility at ComCen was implemented. It was no magic cure to the core issue of chronic understaffing. The system was run understaffed and the staff suffered. Few applied for positions for fear of not being able to move on due to staff shortages. To get people in, they were forcibly transferred and felt angst at being there, and workplace harmony is lost at costs to the individual and the system.

Due to the reduced resources, workers have toiled harder for a number of years and the new probationers provide partial relief as they develop. A compounding issue is the increase in senior employees retiring. We are in the period in which the boom in recruiting of the late ’60s and early ’70s boosted numbers and those people are now leaving in higher numbers and will continue to do so for some years.

Flexibility cannot be a cure-all. The reality is that, until we are running nearer to fully trained (the training ends when the probation period is over) staff levels, there is going to be continued pain. This is then reflected in leave usage, which is a useful measure of workplace satisfaction. Sick leave use, lost time, workers’ compensation claims (both physical and psychological), long service leave use and requests for leave without pay are likely to continue to rise. People are looking at ways to get some respite. Some need only a day or two; others need weeks or even months to regain a healthy balance in their lives.

The commissioned officer (or officer) ranks are not immune from this. They often suffer more than ORs. Many of them have very flexible work environments and a number are doing more than one full-time job. A number are suffering the effects to their health and their families at some personal cost.

Coupled with the increased drive for flexibility is the “generic PID”. The generic PID comes from the view that, if everybody has the same job, then there is clearly the greatest pool of people to allow maximum flexibility for management control. What it can ignore is the need for people to feel valued. This concept has belittled many and ignored the personal differences that exist between us.

The alternative views are not right or wrong, but simply framed from differing perspectives of the workplace. In this case it is the economic/conservative management view opposed to the humanist view. Or perhaps the task focus versus the maintenance focus, or the job-done-at-all-costs versus the get-the-job-done-but-ensure-the-workers-also-survive-intact.

The humanist view acknowledges that some employees might feel keener to do certain tasks than others and allows them to move towards work areas that suit their personality, skills, confidence, and personal or family needs. Such concepts can create layers and the feeling that the employee is a valued individual. This might also lead to feelings of ownership of the position and this may not fit with the need for corporate flexibility.

This generic approach is, of course, the antithesis of profession industries where specialization is rewarded. Medicine, law, architecture and even theology are divided into special interest areas. So are cabinet-making, plumbing, electrical work, and the list goes on and on. SAPOL loses “specialists” to organizations that are recruiting and valuing specialists. Organizations with financial rewards but also status and acknowledgment that the pursuit of excellence sits uncomfortably with the potential mediocrity created by the generic PID.

The generic PID will eventually be dropped because it will create more problems than it solves and it will be financially costly to SAPOL. The concept is not consistent with equity and diversity, flexible family workplaces, and the needs of the temporary or permanent incapacitated for flexibility. It is inconsistent with the creation of a career. The reversal will take time and is likely to be driven by government requirements not SAPOL redirection.

Take the time to care for yourself. The number of managers who have identified the human problems within their work areas is growing. These managers are working with the employees to provide better workplaces. The others will catch up one day when the costs of leave and loss of staff bite even harder.

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