Blog · Staff wellbeing
Wellbeing weeks and staffroom treats are kind gestures. But how staff feel at work is shaped far more by the everyday decisions leaders make about workload, messages and meetings.
Most schools mean well when it comes to staff wellbeing. There is a wellbeing week, a cake in the staffroom on a Friday, perhaps a session on mindfulness during INSET. None of these things are wrong. Colleagues usually appreciate them.
But if you ask teachers what actually affects how they feel at work, they rarely mention cake. They talk about the email that arrived at nine on a Sunday evening. The new spreadsheet that needs completing by Thursday. The meeting that could have been a message. The feeling that nobody above them has noticed how much they are carrying.
After more than twenty years in education, I have come to believe that staff wellbeing is shaped far more by the daily decisions of leaders than by any programme. That is uncomfortable, because it means the problem is partly ours. It is also hopeful, because it means we can do something about it.
Every request a leader makes lands on someone's desk. On its own, each one seems reasonable. Together, they can become a weight that nobody planned and nobody can see.
Try this. Before you send your next request to staff, ask three questions. Does this need to happen at all? Does it need to happen now? Is there a simpler way to get what I need? If you lead a team, look back over the last month of requests you sent. How many would you still send today?
Taking one unnecessary task away often does more for wellbeing than adding one new initiative.
Be thoughtful about when you send messages. If you work in the evening, schedule your emails to arrive in the morning. Colleagues should not feel they need to reply at night because their leader is online.
Give every meeting a purpose. If a meeting has no clear decision or discussion, cancel it and give people the time back. They will notice.
Notice the quiet ones. The colleague who never complains is not always the colleague who is coping. A short, private "How are you finding this term?" can open a door that a survey never will.
Model what you ask for. If you tell staff to rest during the holidays and then send messages throughout them, they will believe what you do, not what you say.
Leaders are not counsellors, and we should not try to be. When a colleague tells you they are struggling, listen, take it seriously and thank them for telling you. Then make sure they know where to find proper support, whether that is an employee assistance service, their doctor or another professional. If you are worried about someone's safety, act on it and involve the right people.
What you can do is make it easier for people to speak up. In a school where staff feel safe to say "I am not managing", problems tend to be noticed earlier and handled more kindly.
And remember that this applies to you too. Leaders who neglect their own wellbeing rarely lead others well for long. If you are carrying more than you can manage, please talk to someone.
Think about the last request you made of your team. Did it make their week easier or harder? And what is one thing you could stop asking for, starting tomorrow?
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