Staying in the Job: Job Satisfaction among Mid-Career Police Officers

Abstract

This paper examines the level of job satisfaction among a group of Australian police officers 9-10 years after commencing training. Drawing on a longitudinal study of police recruits and a follow-up study, the paper tracks the careers of the cohort and compares their level of job satisfaction and turnover intentions over time. A paradoxical finding is that mid-career police officers who remained in the job were highly satisfied with their choice of policing as a career but quite dissatisfied with the police organization and their systems of performance evaluation and promotion. Nearly half of the officers were seriously considering leaving the job. These results suggest that in order to retain experienced officers, police organizations need to support officers in their work and career development and improve their working conditions, especially during periods of organizational change.