More than 1600 New Zealand police officers took part in the Police Federation of Australia (PFA) online survey, which canvassed 11,418 officers in all employment categories.
The December 2016 survey was the biggest survey in the PFA’s history, seeking feedback on 90 questions under the banner of “Flexible working arrangements for police in Australia and New Zealand”.
PFA president Mark Carroll said the results showed that many officers on both sides of the Tasman wanted more support for FEOs. That included not only junior officers with young families, as might be expected, but also senior officers transitioning to retirement and staff coping with workplace stress.
Introducing a summary of the survey’s findings, Mr Carroll said it was also important to realise that it was not only employees who benefited from FEOs: “Managers and supervisors at all levels… can use them smartly and cost-effectively to co-ordinate rosters around the demands of the job.”
The survey found that FEOs were significant in mitigating the work stress that affects police officers: “Almost all measures of job satisfaction collected show better outcomes for those working FWAs than for regular full-timers. Qualitative data strongly suggests that FWAs allow retention of staff who would otherwise leave the police force, and that for many respondents their commitment to a policing career is increased as a result.”
The survey revealed consistent patterns in work-life balance and job satisfaction, including the most frequently identified factor in workplace stress (nearly 50 per cent of respondents) – a lack of support from management.
The PFA summary, issued at the end of last year, was timely for the Police Association, which at that time was engaging with NZ Police on updating its FEO policy (see sidebar).
The summary indicated that Police in both countries have work to do in making FEO arrangements more accessible, particularly for those working shifts.
Those working FEO in Australia make up 8 per cent of the police workforce. The figure in New Zealand is estimated to be 4.2 per cent, about 500 people.
The survey reported that 80 per cent of those on FEOs were women (not broken down between countries), with the majority of requests made by women for parenting and other carer responsibilities. More than half of all FEO requests from men were also for parenting reasons, but male requests also included transitions to retirement and work stress as reasons.
FEOs are more common at the rank of constable (85 per cent of all FEOs) and most of those are aged between 30 and 39 years old (87 per cent).
General duties officers were underrepresented in FEOs and officers working in crime and investigations or specialist ops and support services were overrepresented.
The survey also looked at attitudes to FEOs, which indicated there was bullying and victimisation of officers working FEOs, some lack of equity in rostering and a high level of agreement that career opportunities could be negatively affected.
Those issues highlighted what the report said were inconsistent management practices when dealing with increasing workloads, especially in general duties and traffic, when FEO positions had reduced hours that were not backfilled.
The report said a minority of respondents did not support the principle of “part-time police” and had “deeply held” views about the nature of policing and a perceived conflict with FEOs.
“The alternative perspective, which is more frequently reported,” it said, “is that FWAs are an essential requirement for any modern organisation, and should be adequately resourced and available to all staff as needed in a range of circumstances – which is not the case at present.”
The overall finding was that FEOs are increasingly expected and needed by more police officers.
To read the full report, visit pfa.org.au.
NZ Police policyUnder Police’s recently revised flexible employment options (FEO) policy, there are several types of flexible working arrangements that will be considered if asked for. The most common types include working reduced hours, flexible hours (eg, between 7am and 7pm), job sharing and working remotely. Other arrangements can also be considered, including as a transition to retirement and as a contributing factor in employees achieving work-life balance. The policy clearly sets out that there are no minimum hours specified for an FEO arrangement, contrary to a rumour that some managers believed an FEO arrangement couldn’t be for fewer than 20 hours. Members who apply for FEO, which must be done through MyPolice, are encouraged to have a preliminary meeting with their managers to discuss the implications of an FEO arrangement, with the aim of finding solutions that fit the needs of Police and the member. Under the Employment Relations Act 2000, an employer must deal with an FEO request within one month of receiving it. FEO arrangements are not permanent and can be subject to regular review. There are challenges for Police managers dealing with FEO applications in relation to resourcing, such as understaffing. The tensions between the availability and cost of childcare, staffing allocations, varying workloads and the ability to work remotely, ie, from home or another station, including suitable technology and the ability of Police to manage an employee remotely, can mean that an FEO application might not get approval. Under the act, there is an obligation on employers to consider all applications and there are strict criteria for declining, including: • Inability to reorganise work among existing staff • Inability to recruit additional staff • Detrimental impact on quality or performance • Not enough work during the time the employee proposes to work • Planned structural changes • Burden of additional costs • Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand • The proposal would be inconsistent with a collective employment agreement. From the employee’s side, although they have an absolute right to request an FEO, there is no ability for them to file a grievance if their application is declined. |
