“Work-life balance” is not exactly what comes to mind when you think of being a police officer. Working in law enforcement is practically the opposite of anything remotely close to “balanced”: high stress, shift work, late nights, endless report writing, working weekends and holidays… the list goes on.
While there is an expectation that police officers have demanding hours and will miss holidays and family events due to police duty, it is still important to help your officers maintain a good work-life balance to prevent fatigue, burnout and help alleviate the stresses of the job.
Here are a few suggestions to ensure your officers are getting the R&R and family time they need.
- Shift Your Shifts. If your patrol officers are currently working five 8 hour shifts per week, consider moving to a schedule of four 10s or three 12s. Longer shifts give officers three or four (respectively) days off in a row. Studies show that 10 and 12-hour shifts also result in less overtime than 8-hour shifts.
- Make sure they take their vacation days. It’s easy for cops to become completely entrenched in their work and kind of just forget about accrued time off. Make sure they are actually taking their earned vacation time.
- Monitor off-duty work. There is nothing wrong with getting supplemental income by working off duty - unless an officer is working so much during their “time off” that they are no longer able to perform their on-duty work effectively or safely. Set department policy, and monitor off-duty to make sure officers are not overworked.
- Create a departmental culture that applauds time-off. Does your department share vacation snapshots or wear overtime like a badge of honor? Creating a culture that encourages and promotes taking vacations, having hobbies outside of work and emphasizes family activities creates a social environment that fosters a healthy work-life balance amongst your officers.
Work-life balance isn’t just for civilians. It is arguably more important for anyone working in a high-stress environment and can help prevent officer fatigue and burnout. Create a happier, healthier police force by making sure your officers have an appropriate level of balance between home and work.
