How does the culture of an emergency services organisation create barriers that prevent those who’ve experienced serious misconduct, from speaking up about their colleagues - a phenomenon described in research as “the blue wall of silence”?
Emergency services are organisations held in high trust by the public, whatever country you happen to be from.
We depend on them to help us at times of our greatest need, often when we’re at our most vulnerable - whether through injury, illness, accidents, disasters, or as a victim of crime.
They’re people you can turn to and rely on.
Rightly so, and the overwhelming majority of people working in emergency service roles are committed professionals or volunteers, dedicated to public service, and supportive of their colleagues.
So why then do research studies, media stories and independent inspections continue to show historic and current problems involving workplace bullying, harassment and sexual harm in emergency services?
In 2023, the UK Office of National Statistics revealed that 1,500 police officers had been accused of violent offences against women and girls, and that’s over a period of just six months.
Regardless of the country or the uniform worn, a common theme that emerges is a lack of reporting, with people affected often citing fear of retaliation - whether that’s:
- from the organisation that’s supposed to be protecting them
- from the perpetrators who have influence over their careers, or
- of a backlash of mistrust from colleagues and peers - on whom their lives may depend.
In this episode, you'll hear from Hollie Trollen - a lecturer in Criminology at the Sexualised Violence and Abuse Research Lab from the University of Chichester in the UK.
Hollie’s career has involved working in UK Police Forces providing front-line support to vulnerable people, before she moved into higher education, where she now lectures and researches into sexual misconduct in the Emergency Services.
Content warning
This episode may be confronting. It discusses sexual harassment and serious, criminal incidents of sexual harm.
There are links provided to a range of support organisations at the end of this page for anyone listening who's affected by the topics discussed.
If there isn't a link for your geographic region and you would like to talk to someone, please contact local support services that are available wherever you're listening.
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Hollie’s description of her own experiences of sexual harassment by people serving within a police force - an organisation who’s very purpose is to prevent and prosecute offenders - provides a stark illustration of the challenges involved in tackling workplace harassment.
The existence of canteen culture that has the effect of minimising and conditioning new recruits into an unhelpful way of thinking is a barrier for leaders who want to make change.
An even bigger barrier is when we see leaders who talk about change, but who, in practice, act in ways that contradict those sentiments.
Sadly, there have been too many examples of that kind of behaviour making the headlines in emergency service organisations across the world.
Lessons to learn from this episode
These poor examples aren't the norm, but the statistics and research that Hollie’s talked about in this episode reveal the extent of a problem that needs to be addressed.
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Leaders who want to make change can do so, along with people who work alongside their colleagues and think this isn’t an acceptable way to behave.
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However well your emergency service organisation thinks it’s doing, it’s clear from inspection reports, media stories, and research studies that there’s plenty more to be done.
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Tackling harassment and improving culture isn’t a ‘one time’ activity - complacency enables bullies and harassers to continue.
Creating a workplace free from bullying and sexual harassment in the emergency services needs people with ethics and integrity to stand up for others.
Everything that emergency service workers are there to do.
Chapter markers
| Time code | Content |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | Introduction |
| 03:02 | Hollie's career in sexual harm support services |
| 04:59 | First incident of workplace sexual harassment |
| 06:30 | Second incident of workplace sexual harassment |
| 08:46 | Alcohol or "banter" - excuses to minimise incidents |
| 13:13 | Bystander and leadership support responses |
| 15:12 | The "mates protecting mates" culture |
| 20:05 | Challenging the "canteen culture" |
| 23:31 | Countering the fear of reporting and mobbing |
| 35:15 | The need for positive change and training |
| 43:06 | Male allyship: Practical ways to support |
| 51:23 | "Are you okay?" - preparing for the answer |
| 55:35 | Hollie's Ph.D. - how you can participate |
| 58:33 | Hollie's contact information |
| 1:01:26 | Lessons for leaders who want to make change |
Contact information
If you'd like to contact Hollie and contribute to her Ph.D. research, here's where you can contact her:
Support organisation links
If you've been affected by this episode and need to talk to someone, please make use of the support services in this list.
In the next episode
In episode six of the Life at the Sharp End podcast, you'll hear from Associate Professor, Dorothy Suskind about the patterns of behaviour that perpetrators of workplace bullying follow against their targets.
She talks about the research that informed her book that helps targets of workplace bullying, "Workplace bullying: Finding your way to big-tent belonging, " and her new work into the harmful impacts of ostracism and exclusion - a common tactic employed by workplace bullies.
Episode six was published Wednesday 2nd October 2024.