Flexible Employment: A Worthwhile New Zealand Policing Option?
| Author | Louise Corbett |
| DOI | 10.1177/146135579800100311 |
| Published date | 01 December 1998 |
| Date | 01 December 1998 |
| Subject Matter | Applied Paper |
I
International Journal of Police
Science
&
Management
Volume 1 Number 3
Flexible employment: A worthwhile New
Zealand policing option?
Louise Corbett
Nelson Police, St John Street, Nelson, New Zealand; tel: 64-3-5488309;
fax: 64-3-5463856.
Accepted:
26th
February, 1998
Louise Corbett is aConstable
and
mother
of
two children. She serves in the New Zealand
Police in the town
of
Nelson.
ABSTRACT
This paper
describes
the introduction and work-
ing
of
the
New
Zealand
(NZ)
Police Flexible
Employment
Policy, widely
referred
to as the
Flexible
Employment
Option
(FEO)
and
covers
aspects
of
the policy, its history and its
current workings,
mainly
from awoman's
perspective. Results
of
a survey
of
personnel
working reduced hours and female
staff
who
resigned/disengaged after a period
of
maternity
leave (199()-96) are also reported.
HISTORY
Between
1985
and
1991,
policewomen
throughout
NZ
formally
requested
con-
sideration
of
job-sharing.
These
requests
were
subject
to
consultation
from
various
ranks,
but
anticipated
implementation
dif-
ficulties
meant
that
the
FEO
came
too
late for
those
making
the
requests.
How-
ever,
behind
the
scenes,
there
was
some
movement
towards
part-time
policing.
In
June
1991,
at
the
50th
Anniversary
of
Women
Officers
celebration,
the
then
Commissioner
of
Police,
John
Jamieson,
was
approached
concerning
his
stance
on
job-sharing
and
part-time
employment
for
sworn
staff
From
reports
dated
around
that
time,
it
is clear
that
the
Commissioner
asked
for
the
concept
of
job-sharing
and
part-time
employment
to
be
studied
in
depth
with
a
view
to
its
formal
introduction.
This
study
was
carried
out
by
the
Equal
Employment
(EEO)
Unit
which
circu-
lated
feasibility
reports.
At
the
same
time,
the
New
South
Wales
Police
were
trialling a
part-time-leave-without-
pay
scheme.
An
NZ
Police
representative
visited
NSW
to
consult
with
personnel
staff
and
officers
utilising
the
part-time-
leave-without-pay
scheme,
which
had
been
in
operation
for
15
months.
The
representative
was
convinced,
from
his
investigations,
that
part-time
policing
could
operate
to
the
satisfaction
of
staff
and
administration.
In
April
1992,
adraft
policy
paper,
based
on
the
NSW
scheme,
recommended
atrial in
the
Auckland
area.
However,
this trial
did
not
take
place.
Sadly,
only
shortly
after
the
part-
time
policing
trial was
recommended,
two
Auckland
policewomen,
who
were
anxious
to
work
part-time,
had
their
requests
refused.
One
was
a
senior
detective
with
20
years'
service
who
had
qualified
as a
Sergeant.
She
was a
career
officer
who
wished
to
remain
with
the
police.
She
reported
an
interest
in
job-
sharing
with
another
policewoman
who
also
had
two
small
children.
Neither
wanted
to
resign
and
both
were
flexible
regarding
options
and
hours
of
work.
Their
request
was
refused
and
both
have
since
left
the
police.
International journal of Police
Science and Management,
Vol. I
No.3,
199R, pp.319-327.
©Henry
Stewart Publications.
1461-3557
Page 319
To continue reading
Request your trial