Flexible working: Is it fit for policing purpose?

MANAGERS in the police service are “not opening their eyes” to the opportunities flexible working can provide for officers.

Fay Tennet, Vice-President of the British Association for Women in Policing (BAWP) and a chief inspector at Northamptonshire Police, said there is still a stigma attached to flexible working and staff may feel that they are less valued than colleagues not working flexibly.”

“Another obstacle may be a misunderstanding of flexible working by line managers which leads them to say ‘no’ more often than entering into professional negotiations with staff to find a compromise,” she said.

Ch Insp Tennet said larger departments and larger forces might find it easier to accommodate flexible working, while small, specialist departments might find it more challenging.

BAWP is encouraging all forces to review their flexible working policies to make sure they are fit for purpose. “There is a lot of research proving that flexible working can be beneficial to all, including developing a heightened sense of loyalty to organisations over time,” she said.

PC Sarah Hanson, Constables’ Branch Board Secretary for West Yorkshire Police Federation, acknowledged that there is some “really good practice”. But with cuts in budgets and police numbers, she said it appears that supervisors are becoming more stringent about who can work flexibly.

PC Hanson said managers need to think differently when it comes to working arrangements, such as allowing officers to work longer shifts over the busiest periods of the week so they can take more days off.

“There is also a view that officers should always be working with their supervisor and can’t possibly work when their manager is not there,” she said. “Yes, people need a line manager but they don’t need to be with them every hour they work.”

PC Hanson added that women in the Police Service are facing difficult choices between their children and careers. She pointed out: “It is not necessarily a case of women leaving the service, but they might be more inclined to apply for more of a nine-to-five role, which could have an adverse impact on their career.”

In 2012, a survey of 3,234 female officers in England and Wales, carried out for Lord Stevens’ independent inquiry into the future of policing, revealed that four in 10 were thinking about quitting the service. Among the reasons was the lack of opportunities for flexible working.

Ch Insp Tennet added: “Forces need to consider the long-term career of an officer which should not be sacrificed for a relatively short period of time where flexible working is required to deal with issues outside work.”

Sgt Sam Roberts, Chair of the Police Federation’s Women’s Eve of Conference, believes the lack of flexible working could make it difficult to retain female officers over the next five to 10 years.

“I don’t think we’ll ever have a problem getting [female officers] to the door,” she said. “I think what will hurt them is as they go on and they realise that flexible working and part-time working isn’t available – or is certainly curtailed somewhat – I think that will be the time when they leave the job.”