‘Work in progress’: police chief on boosting staff morale

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This article was published 09/06/2023 (1079 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Police Service is sharing a list of new initiatives meant to protect officer morale, about two years after a third-party review deemed it low, with some complaints of a “toxic” environment.

Police Chief Danny Smyth told reporters Friday officers face multiple stressors due to the specific nature of the job, as well as more typical workplace issues.

“We talk a lot about the (high) volume of calls that we’re taking. Our members are subjected to a lot of violence and a lot of stress in the community. So, all of those things can be cumulative. And then there’s the internal things where there’s respectful workplace or policy decisions … Cumulatively, they just cause people stress, so we’re trying to address as many of those as we can,” said Smyth, following the Winnipeg Police Board meeting.

In a written report to the board, Smyth listed several initiatives to support good mental health among employees and ensure a positive workplace culture, which the police service credits to discussions with unions and employees.

These include: adding a job shadow program to support professional development; offering optional and confidential “annual wellness checks” to help proactively address stress; and hiring a labour relations specialist to help resolve workplace conflicts.

Smyth said the wellness checks occur through an app and aim to boost other supports that are already in place.

“As you go through the check-in, there’s a couple of different categories that just would help people recognize if they’re under stress … it just gives people an indication and a recognition of things they might (not) otherwise see themselves,” he said.

The chief said there’s no set date to complete another employee morale survey to determine whether the changes are effective, though recent discussions have been positive.

“We have followed through on several recommendations … It’s a work in progress,” said Smyth.

The third-party review found in June 2021 that rank-and-file officers were suffering from stress, with some describing the situation as toxic, frustrating or depressing, while others deemed it to be good.

The survey found 41 per cent of civilian members and 32 per cent of officers reported having been the victim of workplace harassment or bullying in the last three years.

At the time, Moe Sabourin, then-president of the Winnipeg Police Association, put plenty of the blame on Smyth’s leadership. The review was released after the Winnipeg Police Board had extended Smyth’s contract to Nov. 30, 2023, with board chairman Markus Chambers thanking him for doing a great job on community engagement.

On Friday, Chambers said the police board frequently requests updates on workplace morale and he believes additional measures to boost it may come through contract negotiations.

“Morale is something that’s important to the board … It’s a matter of making sure the officers, the men and women of our Winnipeg Police Service, are heard,” said Chambers.

Winnipeg Police Association president Cory Wiles could not be reached for comment Friday.

With his latest contract extension set to expire in a few months, Smyth said he hopes to continue in his role into 2024, pending police board approval.

“With the board’s permission, I’ll be staying on,” he said.

The chief said he has not been involved in a search for his successor, calling that discussion “a little bit premature.”

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga