Voluntary resignations from the police service

 The impact of organisational and occupational stressors on organisational commitment

The findings demonstrate that resigning police officers highly value the occupation they have joined, the nature of their work, the opportunities for fulfilling public service ambitions and the satisfaction of working with policing colleagues as part of a team. The findings also indicate however that they are ultimately frustrated by the perceived inability of the organisation to manage the demands upon them and by a sense of organisational ‘injustice’ emanating from perceptions of a lack of ‘voice’, leadership, autonomy and support. This damages the exchange-based working relationship between officers and managers, causing a decline in affective organisational commitment. Consequently, these factors have a negative personal impact upon their physical and mental health and an impact upon their caring responsibilities and personal relationships outside of their working environment.

Read the full-text here

Charman, S., & Bennett, S. (2022). Voluntary resignations from the police service: the impact of organisational and occupational stressors on organisational commitment. Policing & Society, 32(2), 159–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2021.1891234