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Watching the Watch: The UK Fire Service and its Impact on Sexual Minorities in the Workplace
Author(s) -
Ward James,
Winstanley Diana
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
gender, work and organization
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.159
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1468-0432
pISSN - 0968-6673
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0432.2006.00304.x
Subject(s) - diversity (politics) , service (business) , work (physics) , public relations , sociology , gender studies , political science , engineering , business , marketing , anthropology , mechanical engineering
This empirical study in one UK Fire Service explores the experiences of sexual minorities in the workplace, an under‐researched area of diversity, but one that has a growing focus of interest. The article aims to show that the organizational culture has an impact on sexual minorities in a number of different ways. The UK Fire Service is an organization which is fragmented into regional brigades, fire stations and watches (shifts) and it is at the level of the Watch that firefighters interact very closely. This article shows the complexities and dynamics of sexual minorities living and working in the Watch culture in the Fire Service. In particular, it highlights the different dimensions of the Fire Service culture which have an impact on sexual minorities. These are: the work environment, discourse, ways of working, rules, association, signs and symbols.