Education staff at all levels are in the midst of a mental health crisis. As a leader, you're in the perfect position to help. There are several ways to reduce burnout at your school while taking care of your own wellbeing too.
Everyone experiences stress. To an extent, low-level stress can prompt you to avoid harmful situations. However, when that stress is persistent and unmanageable, it can cause burnout. Burnout is essentially physical and emotional exhaustion. It's chronic stress that arises when your workload feels unmanageable.
As your body continuously floods with the stress hormone cortisol, everyday functions such as sleep and relaxation start to feel challenging. In one study, employees who displayed signs of burnout had higher than safe cortisol levels.
According to the latest wellbeing survey, education staff anxiety is startlingly high. Some of the survey findings include:
With such results, it's clear that preventing burnout amongst education staff is a necessary task. When your teachers are at risk of burnout, so are you.
Some of the common signs of burnout incude:
Promoting greater staff wellbeing in schools usually requires a multi-pronged approach. As a leader, you're in the perfect position to implement change that minimises education staff burnout. By cascading down certain approaches, you can reduce education staff burnout and create a positive environment for teachers and pupils alike.
When those you manage don't have a voice or feel as though their leaders aren't taking them seriously, they're more likely to feel frustrated. According to a NASWUT wellbeing survey, 66% of teachers don't feel as though their schools are doing anything to monitor staff wellbeing in schools. As a leader, you have the chance to change that.
Make it clear to teachers that you're open to hearing about what is and isn't working for them. Doing so doesn't mean you need to take all their ideas onboard, but it gives you the information you need to effect change. More importantly, it ensures your teachers feel heard.
Remaining open to feedback from your teachers makes it easier for you to spot education staff burnout trends. While some problems may be unique to each individual, others are pervasive throughout the school. Along with your department heads, perform regular reviews of trending problems.
When you catch problems at the earliest opportunity, you can plan solutions before they get out of control. For example, if there's a particular group of students who require additional support and are placing a strain on your teachers, you can allocate resources rapidly.
While you can't remove teachers from stressors such as OFSTED inspections, parents' evening, and exam periods, you can offer resources to help them manage their mental health.
Some ways you can reduce teacher burnout include:
Offering guidance to your staff is almost always a positive thing. At the same time, you must allow them to use their training and experience. Teachers receive training in classroom management and giving them the agency to manage their classes can help them feel in control of their job. Preventing burnout may become easier when your education staff feel as though they're in control.
Although your teachers face restrictions in terms of curriculum outcomes and funding, there's still room for creative license. Providing they meet the desired outcomes, allow them to teach their classes in a way that works for them. By providing them with this freedom, you don't just make their lives easier. You lighten some of your own workload too..
Complaints can contribute significantly to education staff burnout. When a parent or pupil complains about a teacher, it can feel daunting for both you and them. However, in the interest of fairness, you need to investigate complaints with a fair and open approach. During any investigations, ensure teachers are aware of supportive resources. Depending on how experienced they are, you may want to encourage them to seek further support from another member of staff. Until a complaint investigation concludes, it's important that teachers receive adequate support.
At Welbee, we offer a free teacher wellbeing toolkit that helps with stress management and boosting staff wellbeing in schools. We're also available to provide bespoke guidance, so signup for a free 30-minute demo to help you and your staff reduce burnout at school.
