Task-focussed management

Police officers love the job and are committed to it. Moreover, they are good at their jobs. The recent survey of community satisfaction reinforces this. But what of the police officers’ own satisfaction and wellbeing?

The studies conducted by the Australasian Centre for Policing Research (formerly the National Police Research Unit) and published in 1998 and 1999 clearly showed that police officers were not committed to the organization for which they work. This was not a SAPOL thing but an industry-wide issue. Why?

It comes down to one critical finding: “...individuals who feel valued and supported by the organization will develop higher levels of commitment.”

The police management focus on a task is sometimes so strong as to be to the detriment of the doers of the task. Police managers can become so focused on reacting to the whims and needs of divergent and sometimes competing interests that they forget the health and welfare of those who deliver the service.

The police officer is a willing workhorse who will very often push himself or herself beyond healthy limits in order to do the task. This is where managers need to be cognizant of how far they can push or, more often, how far they can let an individual go before saying: “Take a break”.

The workers are currently saying they have had enough. They need to have their personal needs and health considered to ensure they can continue to do the job.

Those who manage by measuring tasks alone have ruled with a clenched fist or a verbal slap for too long. They are mistaken if they think this creates respect and good leadership.

Every task has become an enforced chore and, with every chore, a willing worker becomes demoralized and loses his or her commitment to the organization. The workers are forced to work for each other and life becomes about survival rather than enjoyment. The worker bonds become tighter and management becomes “them”, or even the enemy. This is not a healthy situation.

Why do police unions in Australia have 98 per cent or higher participation? I suspect it is because the worker comes to understand that it is the union that values and supports them and their needs. The union reinforces the maintenance side of work. Good managers do the same. They are well known about the job. Some managers give in to placate those above and end up without value and support from up and down – a truly sad place to be.

Keep the workers safe. Consider the personal harm done when people are over-committed for the sake of a task.

• See Organisational Commitment and Morale by Karen Beck and Carlene Wilson at the Australasian Centre for Policing Research, PO Box 370 Marden SA 5070 or on http://www.acpr.gov.au or the SAPOL Intranet.

PASA kids – your union giving support to the community that supports you

The Police Association has been working for more than a year to find a way to repay our community for its support for police officers on the streets. We decided to create a charity that would assist sick and injured children.

Through PASA Kids, the association will provide and organize funds that will be available to users of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The funds will be primarily focused on the crisis needs of families who find themselves in turmoil through the sudden hospitalization of their children.

Many police officers are tied up with vehicle collisions and other harm-causing events and have first-hand knowledge of such matters. Families are often in short-term need until their own coping strategies and supports can kick in.

PASA Kids will provide funds for social workers at the hospital to use to ensure that families can focus on the sick or injured child rather than minor funding issues created by the crisis.

The association will welcome your support for the official launch, and other fundraising activities later in the year.