Hur kan vi göra en räddningstjänst för alla? How do we make the firestation work for all

Häslinger! Dave Baigent

Yesterday, To Day, Tomorrow.

The ‘ups and downs’

“En brandstation för alla”

Absence of discrimination A question of attitudes –

Putting the fire service in step with the rest of Sweden

– Better working environment - physically and psychosocially

– Saving lives in the best possible way• Workplace that is “free from discrimination”

where “differences are an asset”

Something to build onLast March.– An improvement in

everyday life– Different Climate– Norms have changed– More creative– Topics have changed– When I go home I can be

the same person - I do not have to change

Why am I here?

I have an understanding of what it is to be a brandman.My experience in researching and working with the fire service.This PowerPoint is a place for debate not the answer

The answer is when you decide

So let us talk about image

Lets talk about Kultur!

Brandman’s Kultur is about:– Pride– Teamwork– Physical and Psychological Strength– Ability to get a job done– Competence that is constantly tested!– Serving the public Som betjänar allmänheten

This is positiveKultur that makes a good smokedivers!

Brandman’s Kultur – a mix

Firefighting

BRANDMAN’SIdentity

Firefighting

White

Male

Heterosexual

Ablebodied

Brandman’s Kultur – a mix

Firefighting

BRANDMAN’S Identity

StrongHomophobia

Union Membership

SportSexism

Firefighting

Racism

Pornography

Anything you like

Brave

Fit

Firefighting

Whi

te

Male

Heterosexual

Able

bodied

Brandman’s Kultur – a mix

Firefighting

BRANDMAN’S Identity

StrongHomophobia

Union Membership

SportSexism

Firefighting

Racism

Pornography

Firefighting

Fire FightingFitting-in

Fitting-in

Fitting-in

Fitting-in

Anything you like

Brave

Fit

Firefighting

FirefightingFirefighting

Firefighting

Fitting-in

Firefighting

Whi

te

Male

Heterosexual

Able

bodied

Firefighting

Firefighting

Image Image

ImageImage

What does the MSB say about Kultur?

– Brandmen rely on working as a teamThe rescue services as a workplace is characterised by a strong unity and sense of camaraderie, but those who do not ‘fit in’ risk being excluded (MSB 2009)

– Difficulties in changing a tradition– The culture that upholds the extremely homogenous

workforce of the rescue services is a problem in itself, partly when it comes to changing professional roles (MSB 2009)

Is change a threat to brandmen?

To be considered

• Moral/Democratic ideals not at the top of brandmens' value system.

• Brandmen like to be seen on their fire engine.

• Brandmen construct an identity around their work.

• Fit-in new people to be like them.

• Change is a threat.

© Dave Baigent/Fitting-in Ltd

Men’s reaction to the ‘threat’ in the UK?

Very high levels of sexism 1996 – The UK fire service employs around 39,000 men and 139 (0.5%) women – 63.9% of women indicate they have been sexually harassed (Baigent 1996) Chief Inspector of Fire Service labels the organisation institutionally sexist

(HMCIFS 1999)2007

Fire service employs around 31,000 men and 800 (2.5%) women

53.4% of women report they have been harassed (Baigent 2006)

Chief Inspector of Fire Service – “Not at the bottom of the league but in a different league”

2010-13New government starts to take equality off the agenda!

© Dave Baigent/Fitting-in Ltd

UK Government (2008) recognises the cultural problems with employing women as brandmans

The data In the 12 months preceding the survey: verbal assaults (witnessed by 58%); bullying and harassment (51%)

The use and distribution of pornography (39%)

The witnesses “The boys’ culture is deeply integrated [in the Service] and it is disgraceful what goes on, with explicit things (such as pornographic) mags and talking. And management allows it to go on.”

We are talking about sexism

• They way men behave to exclude women• The way men behave to fit-in other men• The way men behave to prove themselves• Power relationships at work/hierarchy both

formal and informal – Simply about men keeping power

Culture can act as a barrier

Most men view the fire service as their job• So what happens when things go wrong?• When men get caught harassing women

– Men will close ranks• Increase group solidarity• Rumours identify the harasser as victim• Stops women speaking out because of backlash

– Go back to basic sexist arguments • Women are not strong enough• Women cannot do the job

• Are these men sheep?

Let me introduce you to my tool kit

– The process of fitting-in– The drip– Spartacus

Fitting-In

The way peer group leaders organise and police:– Themselves– The group– Newcomers

Most of us look for clues

We all know that in a new organisation we must fit-in

We look for clues about how to do this

We all know we will need to change a bit

–Here is a tip from two brandmen:

Mathias: Just keep your head down and keep your gob shut for a little while and see what happens

Christian: Well it’s the tradition. They need to be able to fit-in

Fitting-in with the team

A Brandman sums it upThere are sheep and there are shepherds, or a shepherd. And a lot of people only see that way and anything that this person says is always right.

Just overpowering..it’s hard to explain, ‘come on lets do this’ and it just rolls. Starts, it’s like a snowball and it just gets bigger and bigger and you get caught up in it as it rolls and gets bigger. And that’s the only way I can explain it in our watch.

So who is your shepherd?What snowball are you caught up in?

One räddningstjänsten – Two kulturer?

Formell kultur

• What the Chief Officer wants• Formal or organisational culture

Informell Kultur

Values that one cohort of brandmen pass down to the next

• “The way we do things around here”

• What happens if someone doesn’t fit-in with “the way we do things around here?”

• Who may not “fit-in?”

Some sheep don’t look like the others

Informal Culture/brandmans thinkingBrandmen organise their working environment and operational duties around the way they currently do their job -“the way things are done around here”

• Brandmen construct an image and identity around their work

• The public recognise this image and identity

• Helps create brandman’s heroic status

• Brandmans seen as special ‘men’

Change is therefore a threat

Employing women threatens traditional working patterns, identity and image.

How do some men react to this threat?

Stop women fitting-in!– Subordinate and exclude women– Do not share knowledge– Silence, hostility, language, bullying, touching,

‘jokes’– Close and punitive supervision– Lack of support– Stereotyping and different treatment

• (Yoder 2001)

So what happens to women in the UK?• Being singled out to do difficult tasks on your own when it was group training.

• Minor mistakes highlighted and being made a fool of in front of watch.

• Colleague making things up to watch about things I did or didn't do on fireground.

• 1st station ignored. Walked out of rooms etc. 2nd station - physically, verbally, sexually harassed.

• Inappropriate questions, conversations, magazines, language and comments directed at women while I was around.

• Belittling, sexual innuendo, preventing attending courses, shouting, swearing, threatening behaviour,

• Being told I was not putting my career in front of my family and this was wrong, threat of no promotion because I was a mum

• Intimidation, telling colleagues how I was no longer competent...

• A constant drip - A psychosocial environment that destroys women

Stopping the drip

• How do you think the constant drip of hostility and harassment can be stopped?

• What do women brandmen have to do? • What do men brandmen have to do? • What does the organisation have to do?

Stopping the drip

• How do you think the constant drip of hostility and harassment can be stopped?

• What do women brandmen have to do? • What do men brandmen have to do? • What does the organisation have to do?

It’s not just you!Harassment and Sexism

• Not just a British, European, American or Australian problem

• Internationally the fire service is sexist

• Wherever I go women tell me the same story. Unofficial support

• You can stop sexism?

• Saying you are not sexist is not enough!

• You have to be anti-sexist !

• Pro-active to stop ‘the drip’!

What happens when it goes wrong

• People take fixed views• Return to early arguments• Physical skills – Competence • A ‘small incident’ becomes the voice of

resistance• The truth disappears• Stops women from speaking out

Harassment – what it does!• First caught in the headlights

• Constant drip of harassment (small things that destroy confidence)

• Women able to recognise what is happening

• Believe once men accept them the situation would improve

• Still caught in headlights

• The drip continues

• Women develop coping mechanism

• Still caught in headlights

• Doubting sanity

• Official complaint

• Women psychologically unable to continue

• Could have been solved

• Any man in the group could have stopped ‘the drip’ but cultural solidarity prevents them from speaking out

Backlash

Success is likely to provide a backlash from men

–Many men do not accept the argument about employing women

–Plan for the backlash!

© Dave Baigent/Fitting-in Ltd

© Dave Baigent/Fitting-in Ltd

Case Studies of four women who left the fire service

– Principal Manager • challenged the culture just be being there• marginalised by other principal managers throughout the fire service• held her ground – worn down - took out a sexual harassment action – so

weakened settled out of court (including a silencing agreement)– Watch Manager

• successful career• promoted and not accepted by peers• looked for help – unsupported by managers – took out sexual harassment

action - so weakened settled out of court (including a silencing agreement)

– Brandman• treated badly – stood out against the flow – weakened – took out sexual

harassment action – settled out of court (including a silencing agreement)– Student

• harassed whilst on workplacement – kept secret – spoke out after she left – will not now join the fire and rescue service

How are you going to deal with harassment?

Send a clear message to the workforce

• Be pro-active

• Recognise and deal with incidents in the workplace

• Do not use a sledgehammer if it prevents women from speaking out

Get brandman to stop ‘the drip’

Looking for answers –

• Hardly any recognition of the problem outside of traditional change management schemes

• Similar to the police, there is a tendency to deny sexism

• A sense of denial: • A proud Fire Service solves its own problems

• Chief Officers and equality managers claiming that sexism is history

• Brandmen saying “Its not like that anymore”

“En brandstation för alla”• Absence of discrimination in human encounters and social interactions

between people • A question of attitudes - The individual’s thoughts and emotional

attitudes, people’s attitudes and views• “a welcoming staff that sees strength in having more women on their

shift.”• a workplace that is “free from discrimination” where “differences are an

asset” and where “competency is what is important, not gender or origin”. • Create a qualitatively better service, • Promote democracy, • Contribute to a better working environment - physically and psychosocially• Promote prevention work and offers new insights into work• Bring brandmans away from the station to work alongside the public

Good Luck

• This PowerPoint is fully supported

Fitting-in is here to help

– Today

– Tomorrow

– And in the future

• Sweden is not that far away

• dave.baigent@fitting-in.com

• sarah.oconnor@fitting-in.com

• Visit us at http://www.fitting-in.com

The influence of watch managers

• Research has suggested that watch managers’ are a key rank to managing these types of issues

• As watch managers in what way are you onside • Have you observed these behaviours • Did you respond?

– Sometimes– Never– All the time – How do you manage these types of problems?

How do women behave

• (a) indirect strategies include ignoring, joking about, and hinting that harassing behaviors are unwelcome; • (b) assertive strategies involve asking or persuading the perpetrator to desist, stating objections, and demanding that

the behavior stop; and • (c) aggressive strategies are defined by expressions of anger or hostility and threats. • (Gingham and Scherer 1993)

• Internal strategies include detachment (aimed at minimizing the situation), denial, relabeling, illusory control (self-blame), and endurance (does nothing).

• Internal responses reflect attempts to manage the cognitions and feelings associated with the harassing behavior. • Externally focused strategies include avoidance (avoid harasser), assertion/confrontation (make clear behavior is

unwelcome), seeking institutional/organizational relief (e.g., filing a complaint), social support (from significant others), and appeasement (of the harasser). This latter category of responses reflects attempts to control the harassing situation itself. Using either categorization detailed above, the conclusion that pervades this admittedly sparse literature is that indirect, internal responses are used most frequently by women.

• (Fitzgerald, Gold, and Brock 1990) • Reilly, Lott, and Gallogly (1986) found that 61% of harassed college students ignored or did nothing and only 16% told the

perpetrator to stop. became, unfortunately, one of the guys. I mean I was treated a lot like the guys were, which ended up not doing me a whole lot

of good . . . it was nice because I was accepted . . . [but] I finally realized I was somebody that I didn’t like.• At first I kinda got along with everybody, and then I found that after four or five years . . . I started having an opinion and

speaking up for some women’s rights things . . . once I started having a mind of my own, it’s like they could not tolerate that in the least.

So how do we take down the fire walls and ceilings that keep women out?

First you must recognise the problem

This is not just a simple matter of employing women!

Employing women is a direct challenge to the male culture:

– ‘the way things are done around here’

• You must be anti-sexist !

• Raising awareness of how hostility and ‘otherness’ occurs in the fire service culture

• Having the right institutional processes to deal with problems

• Having faith in the system – robust attitudes of non tolerance from management

• CONSCIENCE raising works at the time but has not ignited the spark that will take away sexism

Stopping the bullyMoral argument

– fairness for all - ‘supported‘ by Union, Government and managers– FAILED

Threats– Strict discipline measures threatened

» Increases secrecy » Drives harassment further underground» Creates/increases group solidarity» Culture identifies the harasser as victim» Stops women speaking out because of backlash

Education– Brandmen have received equality training

Outcome– Brandmen learn how to hide their bad behaviour

Cultural change is slow!

© Dave Baigent/Fitting-in Ltd

So how do we take down the fire walls and ceilings that keep women out?

First you must recognise the problem

This is not just a simple matter of employing women!

Employing women is a direct challenge to the male culture:

– ‘the way things are done around here’

• You must be anti-sexist !

Take responsibility – you have set the rules!

Performance management •Monitoring and accountability

•Make managers responsible

•Make brandman accountable

•Carry out

•Impact assessments,

•Equality action plans,

•Auditing