Resources for understanding working in unsafe conditions
September 23, 2020 5:27 AM Subscribe
I’m looking for books or other resources to help me develop through the experience of being forced back to work in conditions I don’t consider safe (I work frontline in a university library in the uk and now realise my role is mostly being part of an advertising scheme to get money from students and rent for landlords rather than education). I’m interested in books that explore broadly similar topics for instance could be about workers rights, disability studies, or even harm mitigation in domestic violence.
I’m particularly interested in how to understand being in an environment in which harm is foreseeable and calculated but being unable to do anything about it. I say books but could also be articles or films. I am not really interested in generic guides about dealing with stress or uncertain times so much as exploring the power imbalance involved and any resistance or survival strategies.
I’m particularly interested in how to understand being in an environment in which harm is foreseeable and calculated but being unable to do anything about it. I say books but could also be articles or films. I am not really interested in generic guides about dealing with stress or uncertain times so much as exploring the power imbalance involved and any resistance or survival strategies.
Perhaps look into texts on risk management for police/military (as opposed to financial risk management, which seems to otherwise own that search term). Police/Military have to do dangerous things where NOT doing the thing itself isn’t an option, and have many strategies to mitigate risks without waste a whole chapter on trying to convince you to just not show up in the first place.
There’s a saying in the policing world that “public safety starts with officer safety”, meaning you can’t save anyone if you’re already dead yourself.
In the context of a pandemic and a library I would say you might look to adapt that to say “patron safety starts with librarian safety”, as the fastest way to do the most damage to your patrons is to have a sick librarian infecting them. This allows you to pivot the conversation and put demand/requests about your own safety into the context of good customer service. E.G. in the labour world the “best” reason for employee safety from the company’s point of view is that downtown costs money. So if you’re an advertising scheme find a way to make safety part of that advertising scheme.
In terms of resistance or survival strategies, you might want to look into Verbal Judo (article) (book)... this is based on my guess being that your two biggest conflict points will be
a) getting your boss to stop telling you to do something unsafe (or telling you to do something in an unsafe way) and
b) getting someone who isn’t wearing a mask to leave or put a mask on.
The art of “Verbal Judo”, often taught to police, is simply the art of active listening and some proactive communications skills that allow you to deal with high stress situations without losing your cool or flaming out. Even someone with extensive front line public-facing service experience can get a lot out of the books/videos on Verbal Judo, and it’s very well suited for the two use-cases described above.
Good luck, stay safe!
posted by BlueSock at 7:58 AM on September 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
There’s a saying in the policing world that “public safety starts with officer safety”, meaning you can’t save anyone if you’re already dead yourself.
In the context of a pandemic and a library I would say you might look to adapt that to say “patron safety starts with librarian safety”, as the fastest way to do the most damage to your patrons is to have a sick librarian infecting them. This allows you to pivot the conversation and put demand/requests about your own safety into the context of good customer service. E.G. in the labour world the “best” reason for employee safety from the company’s point of view is that downtown costs money. So if you’re an advertising scheme find a way to make safety part of that advertising scheme.
In terms of resistance or survival strategies, you might want to look into Verbal Judo (article) (book)... this is based on my guess being that your two biggest conflict points will be
a) getting your boss to stop telling you to do something unsafe (or telling you to do something in an unsafe way) and
b) getting someone who isn’t wearing a mask to leave or put a mask on.
The art of “Verbal Judo”, often taught to police, is simply the art of active listening and some proactive communications skills that allow you to deal with high stress situations without losing your cool or flaming out. Even someone with extensive front line public-facing service experience can get a lot out of the books/videos on Verbal Judo, and it’s very well suited for the two use-cases described above.
Good luck, stay safe!
posted by BlueSock at 7:58 AM on September 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
Your union has advice for you: https://www.ucu.org.uk/coronavirus#what-responsibilities-do-institutions-have-regarding-my-health
If you're already not a member, there's an easy fix for that: https://www.ucu.org.uk/join
posted by rd45 at 8:17 AM on September 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
If you're already not a member, there's an easy fix for that: https://www.ucu.org.uk/join
posted by rd45 at 8:17 AM on September 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
Came in to say what rd45 said.
posted by unicorn chaser at 8:35 AM on September 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by unicorn chaser at 8:35 AM on September 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
Ask for a risk assessment.
And listen to what it says -- if it says your risks at work are not so terrible then believe it.
Brief contact appears to be low risk, but think about the risks from other staff when taking a break.
posted by Idcoytco at 12:18 PM on September 23, 2020
And listen to what it says -- if it says your risks at work are not so terrible then believe it.
Brief contact appears to be low risk, but think about the risks from other staff when taking a break.
posted by Idcoytco at 12:18 PM on September 23, 2020
Sara Ahmed's work on complaint and use is written in a more theoretical tradition than most of what's being recommended here, but might be valuable nonetheless. She writes beautifully about the forces that led to her resigning her position at Goldsmiths, and is in generally very thoughtful about the particular pressures that structure work within the neoliberal university. You can read a lot of this work on her blog, feminist killjoy, but her books are also wonderful (and hopefully your library has them!).
posted by dizziest at 3:31 PM on September 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by dizziest at 3:31 PM on September 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
> patron safety starts with librarian safety
I work in a unionized public library, and staff have already mostly given up on trying to enforce the "rules" that management instituted when we re-opened (no food and drink, mask wearing mandatory, etc.) because the mask requirement is undercut by a municipal bylaw which states that all anyone has to do is say they have an exemption (for any reason) and we can't do anything about it, so that rule is therefore unenforceable. As for no food and drink, well...the public of course has decided to ignore that, the building is full of people eating and drinking, and it would be a full-time job for multiple staff members on every floor to enforce that rule, and even if that were the case we would have to have the support of management if we were constantly kicking people out for violating these rules, and we absolutely would not; we know it, patrons know it, and we know that the patrons know it. So, once again...these rules are unenforceable, but management has "done something" to help protect the safety of patrons and staff so from their standpoint that's enough.
Incidentally, members of the public and staff have started testing positive.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:25 AM on September 28, 2020
I work in a unionized public library, and staff have already mostly given up on trying to enforce the "rules" that management instituted when we re-opened (no food and drink, mask wearing mandatory, etc.) because the mask requirement is undercut by a municipal bylaw which states that all anyone has to do is say they have an exemption (for any reason) and we can't do anything about it, so that rule is therefore unenforceable. As for no food and drink, well...the public of course has decided to ignore that, the building is full of people eating and drinking, and it would be a full-time job for multiple staff members on every floor to enforce that rule, and even if that were the case we would have to have the support of management if we were constantly kicking people out for violating these rules, and we absolutely would not; we know it, patrons know it, and we know that the patrons know it. So, once again...these rules are unenforceable, but management has "done something" to help protect the safety of patrons and staff so from their standpoint that's enough.
Incidentally, members of the public and staff have started testing positive.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:25 AM on September 28, 2020
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posted by crocomancer at 5:44 AM on September 23, 2020 [1 favorite]