‘We work in the shadows’: Re-framing respect and recognition for the invisible public safety professionals at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service

The work of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is mysterious and obscure to those outside the service. There is little documentation of CSIS employees' work experiences in the extant literature, for good reason, as confidentiality-keeping is paramount to intelligence and security work. Employees of CSIS perform high-pressure, high-necessity work that is vital to the safety and national security of Canadians, despite their roles being essentially invisible to the public. Through semi-structured interviews conducted with CSIS employees (n = 38), we explored how CSIS work and public/employer perceptions shape their understandings of respect and recognition, or lack thereof and what implications these constructs are thought to have on staff mental health and well-being. We found participants felt, to varying and sometimes conflicting degrees, undervalued and unappreciated by CSIS and/or the public for their service and described the pains and deprivation of recognition for their efforts being redirected to other public safety professionals. Findings are discussed through a lens of diagnostic and prognostic ‘frames’ and situated alongside considerations aimed at improving employee mental health and well-being for CSIS employees, enhancing staff morale and demystifying how respect and recognition can be achieved in the intelligence sector.