“I feel separate”: the impact of operational and organizational stressors on police support civilians

Purpose We use the lens of operational stressors (those inherent to the job) and organizational stressors (those emerging from broader factors in their workplace) to unpack the occupational experiences of Detachment Services Assistants, who are non-sworn public servants employed in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Design/methodology/approach After acquiring ethics from a university and organization committee, we conducted semi-structured interview with 54 Detachment Services Assistants. We asked open-ended questions about participants' occupational responsibilities and how each impacted their well-being. We also probed responses using follow-up questions. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded, then axial coding, where researchers collaboratively identified and refined codes as new themes emerged. Analyses were led by data, organized by code and unpacked in orientation toward underpinning realities with divergent outcomes. Findings Detachment Services Assistants' duties involve the operational stress of vicarious exposure to potentially traumatic events or materials, and they experience a diversity of organizational stressors, such as role demands, workload and perceptions of being lower-status or less-than sworn personnel. These operational and organizational stressors intersect to affect the mental health and well-being of DSAs. Originality/value Much research analyses the stresses experienced by police officers, yet less is known about non-sworn personnel (i.e. civilian/support staff working in police services) whose work is to support police operations. The current article offers novel insight into occupational realities of non-sworn personnel – an understudied group who play a vital role in public safety – and the impacts of stressors on their health and well-being.