October/November 2000 Issue Number 16

Is a monthly electronic newsletter which links current events and issues to the daily challenges faced by fire and emergency services managers. Current topics in the area of sexual harassment, diversity management and conflict resolution will be discussed.

We hope that you find the information here useful and provocative.
Let us know what you think!

International Conference of Women in Firefighting, March 13-18, 2001 Cobb County, GA. Contact Women in the Fire Service at www.wfsi.org for more information.

Fifth Biennial Women in Uniform Conference, November 30- December 1, 2000, Arlington, VA. For information call: 202-628-0444 ext. 12.

The Contact Hypothesis, Part 2

Since positive outcomes are dependent on these conditions being met, it is worth examining each of them in the context of the fire and emergency services.

Authority strongly supports interaction. In other words, the leadership of the organization is actively supportive of inter-racial contacts within the organization. This support must take several forms. First, policies must be in place that prohibit harassment and discrimination and provide a safe, fair working environment for all. Second, leadership must illustrate policies with action: not only by punishing bad behavior, but by actively encouraging positive behavioral models. If leaders tell their subordinates to include those of different races, but do not do so themselves at the administrative level, the message lacks credibility.

There are commonly shared goals. Many emergency services organizations assume their members have commonly shared goals, but have never defined what they are. Developing a sense of common mission and values within the organization is a major step toward universal inclusion.

The contact is by equal-status individuals. In many organizations, some people are more equal than others. In some cases, those who do not fit the mainstream profile are actively harassed or shunned, but in most cases disparate treatment is more subtle: those who are different are just not paid the same attention or given quite the same credibility. Full inclusion depends on every member of the organization having equal status within that membership.

The interaction among individuals is cooperative and prolonged, covering a wide range of activities. It is not enough for those of different races to work together on short term projects and then go their separate ways. For true inclusion to occur, there must be a sense of long term commitment, of being on the same team for the long haul.

Many fire and emergency services agencies struggle with issues of inclusion and discrimination when it comes to race. The points made in the Contact Hypothesis give organizations a place to start when doing self-assessment in this area. How well do leaders model desired behavior? How could they improve in this area? What is the common mission of the group? Who was involved in developing this mission? Do all department members have equal status and equal opportunity? If not, what can be done to make the benefits and responsibilities of membership more equally accessible to everyone? Finally, what can the organization do to encourage and support positive, long-term working relationships among those from different racial and ethnic groups?

Source: "Race Relations in the Military" by John Sibley Butler. From The Military: More Than Just a Job? Charles C. Moskos and Frank R. Woods, eds.

A recent Supreme Court decision has lowered one legal barrier to job discrimination lawsuits, ruling that workers need not provide direct evidence that their employers intended to discriminate against them, but only that the employer's explanation for the firing or other job action was false. Juries would be allowed to decide whether the real motivation was discrimination. The ruling is expected to make it easier for victims of discrimination to get their cases heard by juries.

Source: The Washington Post June 13, 2000.

Training to Prevent Harassment Based on Sexual Orientation

In the wake of the murder of a gay private last year, Secretary of Defense William Cohen announced earlier this year that every member of the armed forces will be required to undergo training to prevent harassment of gays and lesbians in the armed forces. The training was scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

The military developed its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy five years ago, but no training was offered regarding its intent or implementation. In fact, instances of gay and lesbian harassment in the military seemed to increase since the implementation of the policy, as evidenced by the significant increases in the past five years of forced discharges from the military based on sexual orientation. (This past fiscal year showed a slight drop in these discharges from the previous year.)

The armed forces have a unique, and controversial, policy when it comes to the inclusion of gays and lesbians. Most other organizations are at least superficially more inclusive, but probably are similarly lax about offering anti-discrimination training in this area.

What is the situation in your own organization? Is sexual orientation included as a topic when talking about discrimination generally? Do department members feel comfortable working with those of different sexual orientations, or do you have a de facto "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy within your own organization? How are complaints handled when someone behaves inappropriately in this regard? How well do leaders model appropriate behavior? Or are they the biggest problem?

At a recent conference, one fire service leader described issues related to sexual orientation as "the last frontier" of equal rights in the fire service. He went on to say that even well-meaning people who completely understand the inappropriateness of jokes and harassment related to race, ethnicity or gender, may feel less committed to stopping this type of behavior when gays and lesbians are the target.

Gay men and lesbians have been dedicated members of the emergency services from the beginning. Yet in many cases, they live in fear of harassment and discrimination at work and are forced to live a lie. Perpetuating this situation does not benefit anyone, and is a detriment to organizational effectiveness. How does your organization measure up in this area? Are you, as a fire service leader, willing to stand up on this issue? And if you don't, who will?

Source: The New York Times, February 2, 2000.

© Linda F. Willing, 2000