Time for A Wellbeing Rethink?

Police officers and staff sacrifice so much to keep their communities safe.  Police culture is at the centre of many past and current issues in policing.  The focus in recent years has been on officer and staff behaviour however it has been at the expense of officer and staff wellbeing.  Whilst senior leaders have a clear role in creating the right culture this is also a responsibility of everyone within the profession.  In a supportive workplace culture, everyone benefits.  In a supportive police culture officers, staff and communities’ benefit.

In recent days DCC Alan Spiers of Police Scotland responded to a headline in the Daily Record “Police officers at breaking point in mental health and stress absences” (https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/police-officers-breaking-point-after-35470997) His response whilst well intended for me demonstrates the current limits that individuals, in particular leaders have on officer wellbeing.  DCC Spiers said “The health and welfare of our officers and staff remains one of Police Scotland’s highest priorities with enhanced provisions from both our Employee Assistance and Your Wellbeing Matters programmes.”

Now I accept that such programmes are needed and require to be reviewed and fully integrated into the organisation, but I also feel that leaders must beyond the mindset of “We have an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)”.  This mindset whilst well-meaning can inadvertently hinder the development of a truly supportive workplace culture.  This is because the reliance on the EAP treats officers and staff as problems to be given to someone else as opposed to seeing them as people in need of understanding and care.

In the 10 years before I retired my family and I went through a couple of major traumatic events.  Rather than thinking of myself, I found myself thinking solely of my family.  A car crash 5 months before I retired sent me into a dark period of worry.  I can’t explain my worry but a supportive wife and GP helped me make the connections between these events and my retirement from a lifelong career in policing.  With regards to my organisation however, I didn’t feel supported in these last months with a referral to occupational health being the go-to by my line manager. Now whilst well-intentioned it communicated to me that my line manager had reached the limitations of their skillset. It shifted the responsibility of care away from the leader onto the programme.  Over time the shared responsibility of care diminishes with reliance shifting to the EAP.

To create a truly supportive workplace culture policing must rethink how it approaches wellness.  For me any approach must connect with wider work on culture.  Similarly, to address poor behaviour the profession must connect this topic with culture, including wellbeing.  It’s connected and neither should be seen as a stand-alone topic.  In recent years this has been the case to the detriment of policing and the communities served.

Culture is a term that is often misunderstood.  For me the measure of any organisation is the feeling a person gets when within that organisation.  It’s the excitement a member of that organisation gets when they come to work.  It how a visitor to that organisation feels.  It how someone who uses the organisation is treated.  It’s way more than a slogan on a PowerPoint slide or the new sofa in the rest area.

Leaders set the culture.  It’s a form of mood music that the leader communicates and works to maintain.  Whilst leadership have a clear role here, everyone working within that setting has a role.  Why?  Because they benefit from a supportive culture. 

To address wellbeing in policing there are ways for staff at all levels to support this work.

For leadership

• Commit to long term investment in well-being.  It’s not a one-time investment in an EAP; it’s a shift to ensure wellbeing is part of your culture development.
• Constantly review and evaluate existing programmes.
• Be constantly visible in wellbeing campaigns.
• Provide specific training for others who perform supervisory roles.
• Be consistent in you communication on well-being.
• Ensure people below you buy in and believe in your message.  Culture is both a top down and group up approach.
• Engage with staff and connect staff to appropriate resources without deflecting your responsibility
• Be vulnerable.  When you normalise wellbeing conversations you demonstrate it as a priority from the top down.

For supervisors

• Always be present and supportive.  Don’t be too quick to refer to EAP.  Listen, be compassionate.  Work to create that space where a member of staff can open up.
• Normalise wellbeing conversations on your team.  What you promote, you permit.  Make it clear that seeking help isn’t a sign of weakness.

Supervisors are often the first point of contact.  When you put the effort in, you help to reduce the sense of isolation that comes with both workplace challenges and those coming from home.

• Don’t underestimate the power of checking in.  The presence of prolonged, unpredictable and extreme stress leads to dysregulation in any human being.  The outcomes can be wide ranging and at times catastrophic.  Check ins provide a dose of therapy.  The work of DR Bruce Perry in the US suggest the more doses you administer the better the ability to cope and to ask for help. 
• Build relationships.  Healthy relationships are the currency of change in any setting.

Check in’s help provide a sense of community.  It’s in the daily social connections that human beings have that lead to a sense of coherence that human beings need to thrive.

For officers and staff

• Don’t ignore the red flags that something might be wrong.  A loss of temper with a colleague or member of the public can be a sign that something isn’t right.
• Probe in these early moments.  When we act early, we prevent/reduce further harm.  If not sure ask.  If things don’t change get help.
• Support each other.  Check in with your peers.  As I mention above do not underestimate the power of connection.  In doing so you help foster much needed mutual support.  Remember you benefit also.
• Embrace learning on this topic.  You don’t need to become an expert.  Most of us deeply care about friends and colleagues.  Your halfway there already.  More learning just adds to the toolbelt.
• Normalise wellbeing conversations.  If you have used an EAP and it worked share this.

Everyone in policing plays a crucial role in creating a culture of good wellbeing.  As well as formal networks, informal support can also be powerful.   When a culture works together on this topic it’s only natural that that care continues.

Police officers and staff sacrifice so much to keep communities safe.  It’s important the culture supports this.  Everyone benefits from a focus on police wellbeing.