Continuous training as a subject of negotiations in public and private policing

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to explore and document how the question of continuous training/education is presently being dealt with in the area of public services and private security providers and trying to assess best and wrong practices of discussions and negotiations regarding this same question.Design/methodology/approachThis research relied on content analysis of all 65 working agreements that have been negotiated in both the police and the private sectors in the province of Quebec within the last few years. In‐depth interviews were also conducted among 91 representatives of both employers and employees in order to explore more deeply the different contexts into which negotiations and discussions took place about the question of continuous training/education provisions.FindingsWhat clearly emerged from interviews conducted with police organization representatives, employees and employers alike, is that a confrontational attitude rather than a more collaborative standpoint is the norm in negotiations. There is, however, one element on which both parties agree – the idea that training must be of immediate relevance to the job. In this respect, police employers and employees are often united in their resistance to new and higher training standards imposed by governments and public sector professionals, who are often suspected of not knowing much about the “reality” of police work. Field interviews revealed that negotiations generally favor employers, while employee unions, when present, do their best to defend previously gained conditions, particularly those pertaining to seniority in determining who is eligible for training.Practical implicationsHaving documented the limitations imposed by the confrontational approach that is still being used in negotiations and discussions on the object of continuous training/education in the area of both public and private security sectors, we propose, as a final remark, that both employers and employees should envision the possibility of exploring new discussion and negotiation modalities which rest on a more consensual approach. This could help to give training and education its true value in this sector in an ever changing and globalizing economy.Originality/valueThis exploratory study is the first one being conducted in Quebec's security sector about a question that is at the heart of the competition capacity in a fast changing economy; lessons learned through this research should help this sector to better its negotiation practices regarding training/education as well as other crucial elements of its social mandate.

Los y las pedagogas en el contexto empresarial: una aproximación a través de la literatura científica

“…Aunque esto no es nuevo porque, hace ya 20 años, Parellada, Saez, Sanromá y Torres (1999) reivindicaban que la formación continua de las personas trabajadoras se daba como actividad imprescindible dentro del contexto de la vida de las empresas para acceder al empleo y mantenerse en él. Es por ello que la formación continua es un tema recurrente en Europa (Alain y Crête, 2009;Moussaid, 2020;Verdier, 1994) y cada vez más presente en las empresas españolas. En parte se debe a las políticas y ayudas públicas que incentivan y crean una mayor cultura de formación en las organizaciones (Pineda, 2007;Santos y García, 2017), potenciando no sólo la formación de las personas trabajadoras, sino impulsando empresas formadoras (Vega, 2015).…”

How to Shape the Employees’ Sustainable Work Attitude: The Moderating Effect of Supervisor Attitudes

“…Apart from the above studies, some studies on the police and nonprofit organizations also revealed that education and training have a positive effect on employees' work attitudes. For example, the police's annual training can improve their work intention, work capabilities, interpersonal relationship, team spirit, positive police behavior, organizational cohesion, and work ethics [20,21,24,25]. In other words, education and training constitute an important channel for updating the police's knowledge, skills, and concepts.…”

“…Moreover, personal factors are involved such as overloaded tasks, no acting colleagues during the training period, and making it compulsory with choice, etc. However, according to the study about police training specified above (e.g., [20][21][22][23][24]), the support from supervisors plays the most important role in police training. It could be said that if the training of police is respected and supported by the supervisors, many obstructive factors specified above could be greatly reduced.…”

“…Although, there are several studies on police education and training in the world [20,21,[23][24][25], most of them focus on the training results or factors influencing training effectiveness. In other words, none of these studies explored how supervisors' attitudes affect the effectiveness of police annual training, the size of their influence, and the type of influence on the work attitudes of police officers.…”