International Conference KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANIZATION Vol. XXVII No 1 2021 IMAGE AND ATTRIBUTES OF THE POLICE AS AN EMPLOYER IN POLAND – PERSPECTIVE OF THE Z-GENERATION Dorota KUREK War Studies University, Warsaw, Poland [email protected] Abstract: Recruitment to the Police is a continuous process aimed at supplementing the shortage of human resources, whose number for many years has oscillated around 4 thousand. Taking into account the difficulty of obtaining candidates for service, as well as high competitiveness on the labour market among employers, the aim of the conducted research was to identify the quality of the image of the Police as an employer in Poland from the perspective of generation Z, i.e. the group of potential candidates for service. The analysis also focused on the attributes of Police attractiveness, paying particular attention to attractiveness in the economic, developmental and psychological dimensions. An attempt was also made to indicate a typical image of the Police as an employer by means of subjective associations with the brand. For this purpose, potential associations associated with different types of organizational culture were distinguished, and then subjected to the assessment of respondents. The research using a diagnostic survey was conducted on a sample of 100 people in 2019. Keywords: image, attributes, employers, Police, generation Z 1. Introduction 2. Employer image and attractiveness The image of an organization plays determinants a number of important roles, determining not Well-thought-out and skilful human capital only the market position, but also the chances management allows for efficient of development of the organization, the ability implementation of objectives, including to achieve its goals, as well as to attract gaining competitive advantage. The ability to employees with the required level of attract and retain employees in the competence. The Police, considered as organization for a longer period of time a public institution, also take actions aimed at requires the adoption of an action strategy shaping their image, including building their referred to as the employer branding strategy image as an employer. This issue is [1]. Employer brand is defined as the package particularly important from the perspective of of functional, economic and psychological the labour market, staff shortages, and thus the benefits provided by employment, and competition aimed at attracting talent. identified in with the employing company [2]. Considering the importance of the image of According to Ambler and Barrow, the the Police as an employer, the quality and organization as an employer has its own attributes of the image of the Police were personality and image, which translate into the analysed from the perspective of generation Z, attractiveness of the organization and at the i.e. from the perspective of potential same time determine the nature and quality of candidates for service in the Police. relationships and employee engagement. A brand that stands out in the marketplace is DOI: 10.2478/kbo-2021-0030 © 2015. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 License. 198 an object of particular interest to certain thousand 377 persons aged 18-25 and 5 mln groups of potential employees, which also 520 thousand 559 persons aged 26-35. determines recruitment effectiveness, turnover Generation Z accounts for 22.68% of Polish and retention rates [3]. society, including 37.98% of people of working The reputation of the organization as an age [9]. employer is the result of the ability of the Analyzing the typical characteristics of organization to create for potential and future generation Z, S. Ren, Y. Zhu and M. Warner employees such working conditions that will indicate that they are people who pay more allow to meet the needs and aspirations of attention to fairness and equality in the individuals that translate into efficiency of workplace, tend to reject traditional hierarchy actions. Employer brand building is based on and are supporters of democratic leadership both internal and external marketing, because styles [10]. H. Wang, L. Pan and N. Heerink how employees testify about the company has emphasize that generation Z is prone to a significant impact on the ability to attract internal migration, and therefore more mobile future candidates. The quality of the than their predecessors, preferring the city as organization's reputation as a place to work is a place of residence, better educated and also a result of the pool of values offered to paying more attention to working conditions employees referred to as EVP – Employer [11]. The indicated factors determine not only Value Proposition [4]. the image of this group of employees, but The attributes of employer attractiveness may above all the directions of their professional also include developmental, economic and choices, which translates into attractiveness of psychological benefits [5]. These factors employers. influence employees' decisions on seeking employment to a different extent, which is 4. The Police as a public institution and an related to generational diversity and different employer in Poland needs of particular groups of employees. The Police is the institution responsible for ensuring security and public order [12] in 3. Generation Z on the labour market – Poland. The history of Police functioning dates needs and expectations back to 1914 and the establishment of the Civic The labour market includes representatives of Committee of the capital city of Warsaw on the the Baby Boomers generation (1946-1964), territory of the Russian partition, and then the generation X (1965-1980), generation Y Central Civic Committee within the ranks of (1981-1997) and generation Z – employees which the so-called civic guards were born after 1998.It is worth noting that established. These structures were responsible generational differences in people’s attitudes for protection of order, material achievements, and values are the result of significant life and health, as well as for supporting the economic, political and social events that they population in difficult war conditions [13]. experience during their formative years of After the lands of the former Kingdom of childhood [6]. This is also confirmed by Poland were occupied by the German and McMullin et al. [7] and Schuman and Scott [8]. Austrian armies, the Germans dissolved the The knowledge of needs and expectations of Civic Guard in 1916, replacing it with the employees from particular generations is Municipal Militia and then district Police units. important in the context of the labour market In 1917, the Combat Emergency Service was and employers' image, while the youngest established, which was later transformed into generation, from which potential candidates for the People's Militia of the Polish Socialist Party Police service come, deserves special attention. [14]. On December 5, 1918, the People's Militia On the Polish labour market, the employees of of the Polish Socialist Party was transformed generation Z constitute a group of 8 mln 697 into a Police organ, and then the Main thousand 936 people, including 3 mln 177 Headquarters and Staff of the People's Militia 199 of the Polish Socialist Party in Warsaw were would be higher, however, staff shortages in created. District, regional (poviat) commands the Police Force can be seen happening for and posts were also established [14]. In 1919, years (Table 1). the Municipal Police was established. The functioning of two bodies with similar Table 1 Vacancies in the Police Full- responsibilities was not conducive to the Vacancies Year time Employment Vacancies (%) protection of public order; therefore, actions jobs were undertaken to establish a new formation 2010 102,309 97,416 4,893 4.78 under the Act of 24 July 1919 on the State 2011 102,309 97,366 4,943 4.83 Police [15]. In 1938, the State Police consisted 2012 102,309 96,225 6,084 5.95 of 29 thousand 936 policemen [15]. 2013 102,309 97,697 4,612 4.51 Recruitment to the Police force was voluntary. 2014 102,309 98,804 3,505 3.43 2015 102,309 98,843 3,466 3.39 Provincial commanders were responsible for 2016 102,309 99,938 2,371 2.32 hiring regular policemen, whereas the chief 2017 103,309 98,721 4,588 4.44 commander was responsible for hiring officers 2018 103,309 98,711 4,598 4.45 [13]. The turbulent times of World War II led to 2019 103,309 98,820 4,489 4.35 the establishment of the Citizens' Militia (MO) Source: Liczba policjantów w polskiej Policji – in 1944 [16]. For many years, the Militia was fakty. 12.01.2021. Available from: http://policja.pl. subordinated to various institutions of the state, which was also connected with politicization of Over the 10 years (2010-2019), the least the Militia. The key changes took place after vacancies were recorded in 2016 – only 2.32% the political transformation in 1989 by virtue of which was 2 thousand 371 vacant positions, the act of April 6, 1990, which came into force while the most vacancies were recorded in on April 10, 1990, the Police was established. 2012. At that time, 6 thousand 84 positions Since then, 163 amending acts were introduced, were vacant which accounted for 5.95% of the 9 uniform texts and 579 executive acts were full-time status [17]. published [12]. The Police constantly undertake activities Reaching for statistical data, one can see how aimed at supplementing the full-time posts, but the number of Police officers and civilian the noticeable shortages are not only employees has changed over the years. Until a result of the extensive recruitment process 2004, statistical yearbooks did not present but also of the age structure of Police officers detailed data on the number of Police officers, (39.56% of Police officers are over 41 years of as they showed the total number of full-time age, in most cases already having retirement employees in internal security, so the rights), which is also reflected in the number firstdetailed data comes from 2005.