NCJ Number
201889
Date Published
2002
Length
108 pages
Annotation
This Australian study examined organizational issues and problems facing both sworn and nonsworn women employed in policing compared with the organizational experiences of sworn and nonsworn men involved in policing.
Abstract
A comprehensive questionnaire, entitled "Experiences in the Workplace," was developed and administered to sworn and unsworn men and women in five Australian police jurisdictions during 1999. A total of 4,583 surveys were distributed, with 1,859 being returned. Survey questions solicited information and perspectives on a number of standardized measures of work experiences and attitudes, as well as a number of items designed to measure deployment, educational and professional development needs, and networking and promotion experiences. This report presents and analyzes survey findings that pertain to career perceptions (including job intentions and self-efficacy); workplace justice and equity (including procedural justice, distributive justice, transfer and deployment, and sexism); organizational impediments (including career barriers, stressors, compromises and sacrifices, and bullying); and workgroup interactions (including support groups and mentors, coworkers support, and coworkers reaction to promotion). The analysis compares the experiences of sworn and unsworn women and sworn and unsworn men. The findings in these areas of workplace experiences show that sworn and unsworn men and women in policing differed on a range of issues, but there were also significant areas of similar experiences. Based on the findings, this report recommends that police agencies ensure that opportunities for promotion and career development are made available to women and other groups within the organization through flexible work practices, accessibility to training, and the availability of formal networks/mentoring programs. Further, agencies should ensure that adequate organizational communication and reward systems are in place, that a range of options exist to alleviate both organizational and task-related stress, and that policies and practices are in place to address incidents of organizational bullying. Also, police agencies should continue to develop and apply policies and practices that counter discrimination in the workplace. This should involve staff training and a system of accountability mechanisms. 3 tables, 142 references, and appended questionnaire, and survey results in detail