Frank Simonds & Tori Harper
26 February 2025
36m 5s
Episode 2 - Smells Like Team Spirit
00:00
36:05
Beyond the Blue Light Podcast
Show Notes Episode 2 - Smells Like Team Spirit
Morale is not just an issue for the military, it can affect any group of employees. How can morale be raised within a team, and examples of when employers get it right, and wrong.
‘Gareth’s’ story (ITV - Sep 2024)
A serving firefighter has described how he believes South Wales Fire and Rescue Service has not acted on the findings of a damning review into its culture.
'Gareth', which is not his real name, told ITV Cymru Wales that "things that haven’t been dealt with and the same old things on station are still being said".
He said if issues continue at the scandal-hit service, it could pose a risk to the public's safety.
'Gareth' said when issues first came to light about bad behaviour at South Wales Fire, he was relieved that he wasn't alone in thinking there were problems.
He told us he had witnessed people making "racist jokes, racist comments about people’s skin, people’s religion, people fleeing horrendous situations."
"There was a story about someone in charge of a watch who had taken the brave step to come out as part of the LGBTQ+ community", he said.
"Then a picture of their face was put on top of a Christmas tree fairy and that was put on top of the Christmas tree. I can just imagine if you were part of that community how that made you feel and how you didn’t think you were accepted as part of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service."
'Gareth' said, "it’s not something that I thought I would have to contend with joining a public service".
When a review was announced into the culture at the service, 'Gareth' says he was hopeful that it would lead to meaningful change.
He said he was "really excited for this prospect of change. I knew a lot of people really didn’t think that anything would come of the report but I was one of those minority that thought: ‘Yes, this is going to lead to something productive and useful and help us’."
However, more than eight months later, frontline staff told us a very different story. 'Gareth' says "everything seems to have just not moved along at all." He told us he is looking for ways to leave the fire service. "Morale is really low, I don’t want to work there anymore".
"Nothing is happening, nothing is changing. The same old things on station are still being said, people are still gaining advantages because of people they know and I’m back to the point where we were a year ago, where I’m just not proud anymore."
'Gareth' wants to see change soon, but he says without accountability, things cannot improve. “There needs to be a wider conversation about how we have let things get to this stage”, he said, “and how do we go about learning from the mistakes of the past and making sure they are never repeated and no one ever has to suffer unnecessarily again”.
COVID a significant factor especially for ambulance and NHS staff.
Improving Morale
When increasing morale, small things can make a big difference.
- Important to take breaks (especially meal breaks).
- Take time to decompress after shift (ideally as a team).
- Team social activities.
If you're interested in having a team day at a Go Ape Adventure Centre, there are 37 across England, Scotland, and Wales (and no, we're not being sponsored by them, we just think they're brill)!
They also offer a 10% discount for Blue Light and NHS workers.
Have a look at their website here: https://goape.co.uk/