Staff struggling at work report being shouted at by some managers while 'inappropriate and racist language' was sometimes used, a new inspection report said.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspected Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service in January, having last inspected the service in December 2021.
It was rated adequate in seven of 11 areas but “requiring improvement” in four - best use of resources, promoting values and culture, promoting fairness and diversity, managing performance and developing leaders.
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In a report published yesterday (Thursday, July 25), inspectors said: "Although not widespread, some behaviours we saw or were told about didn’t meet the standards expected.
The service was inspected in January and report published yesterday (Image: Oxford Mail)
"Some of the poor behaviours staff told us they had experienced at work included inappropriate and racist language.
"And staff described managers who shouted at them and others if they were struggling."
It said the dashboard used to monitor performance "hadn’t been available since March 2023 due to the expiry of its software licence".
"Some staff didn’t have the confidence to challenge poor behaviour or report this to their line managers," inspectors said.
"Disappointingly, we heard from one member of staff that they had been told to stop raising issues."
Some staff reported that their well-being is being affected by "excessive workloads" and while some staff "are invested in increasing awareness of diversity" in the service "others described this as only ticking a box" and "skipped through the training materials as quickly as possible".
Inspectors said the service needs to improve "how it develops leaders and identifies high potential staff" as in their staff survey "only 41 percent (50 of 123) of respondents agreed that the promotion process is fair".
Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: “Across the UK, cuts and failures of leadership have left fire and rescue services in desperate shape.
“Firefighters have the right to work without fear of being mistreated, and yet fire service leaders are failing to address systemic issues of discrimination, harassment, and bullying.
“Chief fire officers must listen to firefighters and start investing in the service.”
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Rob MacDougall, chief fire officer for Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service, said: "There are many positive findings in the report, including our performance in the extremely important role of keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks.
"This will always be a priority area for every fire and rescue officer.
"Since January, we have already completed work to address many of the areas of improvement identified in the report, including our new policy on unwanted fire signals, the roll out of our fire evacuation management tracker, and the assurance of fire protection visits to businesses.
"We already have improvement plans that will resolve many of the areas identified."
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