Police leaders’ perspectives on their ability to support employee wellbeing in Australia: lack of time, training or support?

Purpose Policing organizations in Australia are increasingly expected to eliminate or mitigate psychosocial risks in the workplace to promote employee wellbeing. New leadership skills are required, as police leaders play a key role in supporting the physical and mental health of their staff. This study aims to investigate police leaders’ perceptions about their ability to support employee wellbeing, and the ways in which they would like their organization to equip them for this important task. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on the narratives provided by 156 Australian police leaders in response to a series of open-ended questionnaire questions. Findings Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the themes identified indicate that police leaders are hindered in their ability to support the wellbeing of their staff by their own increasing workload in a context of reduced resourcing, the continuing stigma around mental health issues, a lack of knowledge and skills about how to support employee wellbeing and a lack of support from senior management. Practical implications Overall, the study highlights the way in which new work, health and safety guidelines place additional responsibilities on police leaders for which many report not feeling prepared. Findings suggest that bespoke leadership training may be required to assist police leaders in supporting the mitigation of psychosocial hazards in the workplace. Originality/value Considering continuously evolving psychosocial safety guidelines, this paper makes a unique contribution to contemporary knowledge by focusing on the role and readiness of police leaders in Australia to lessen the psychological impact of police work on officers in an increasingly complex policing context. Additionally, practical implications and recommendations are discussed and offered.