Work–Life Balance of Police Managers in Police Offices of Cebu City, Philippines

Abstract

This study explores the Work Life Experience of Police Managers in selected PNP stations, Cebu City. This study aimed to answer the following questions: What are the experiences of the informants in managing police offices? How do the informants address the challenges encountered in managing police offices? What are the aspirations of the informants to improve the management of police offices? A qualitative method was used in gathering the data from fifteen (15) respondents. There were eleven police stations, plus four special units, all of which were in Cebu City, and were assigned as informants for this study. The chiefs of offices had an age range of 36 to 47 years, including both males and females. Females, with Baccalaureate Degrees, while others had Postgraduate studies, ranging from a master’s degree in public administration to the PNP mandatory training of Public Safety Officers' Advanced Course. They had varied perceptions on the aspects of managing a police station. From the gathered data, through the recorded responses, twelve emergent themes were created: for the positive and negative experiences of the informants in managing police offices in Cebu City, the themes created were Leader-Follower Relationship, Goal Pursuit, Alignment with Strategic Goals, Role Transformation, Resource Constraints, and Duty Beyond Control; for the challenges encountered in managing a police office in Cebu City, there were three (3) themes created, namely:, Community Relations and Trust Building, Collaboration and Partnerships, and Guided Through Acceptance; and for the aspirations of the informants to improve the management of the police office, there were three (3) themes that were created, which were: Values-Driven Leadership, Community-Oriented Policing and Partnerships, Modernization and Technological Advancement, and Personnel Development and Well-being. The recommendations are a continuous improvement in the aspect of managing police stations through various trainings and seminars, on effective management and leadership, and promotion of team building activities to develop camaraderie among police personnel and to cultivate good leaders within the law enforcement, plus continuous collaboration with the local government units for the police managers to deliver effective and efficient service to the community.