Investing in staff wellbeing improves school performance AND saves money

by Claire Fuller

​During recent weeks I have had some fascinating conversations with a variety of people who work in quite diverse organisations. We all know that there is never enough money to support all the needs of an organisation, so choices have to be made carefully, with all demands being considered.

This is especially true in schools, there are so many requests for cash yet often cuts are being made instead of funds being received.

When I work with people who want to feel less stressed, more fulfilled, better about themselves, more in control, I don’t consider that they are expecting too much, to have these desires. Working in a school, it is very easy to become stressed and overwhelmed with all the juggling of tasks that has to take place, the numerous needs of so many people around you and the innate desire to have a fulfilling home life as well as a satisfying work life.

When you have the basics well and truly in place, any school can save money and thrive.

These basics revolve around taking great care of your people so that they can take great care of making the school and the students an overwhelming success.
​
When all is flowing smoothly, people remain in their roles, they function at a higher level, they feel good about themselves and this all rubs off positively on the students.  The students therefore also perform at a higher level.

When you take great care of your people, vast recruitment costs become a thing of the past, long term sick leave is minimised, the requirement for supply teaching is hugely reduced and thus, a lot of money is saved.

So how easy is it to take great care of your people?

During my 14 years of working with and supporting busy professionals who struggle to find enough time to enjoy life (without feeling guilty) I have discovered that doing the following will often lead to staff feeling highly valued:

1. Ensure that your staff feel appreciated - “Thank You” goes such a long way yet it can be often overlooked
2. Provide small physical treats for staff e.g. cakes, healthy snacks etc. These don’t cost a lot but the impact of providing them boosts morale, team spirit and of course energy levels!
3. Listen to your people – properly, with no agenda of your own

• E.g. ask how they feel, find out how things are at home, how is their workload, are they coping well?
• Being genuinely interested in people and properly listening pays dividends in the way someone feels as a result of this – we all love to feel valued and cared about (it is a human requirement) and this is a gesture towards achieving that.  Note: make notes about specific staff situations if necessary so that you can recap and enquire at later dates to find out any progress.

 
    4. Involve your people fully, keep them informed as to the plans you have in place for the next week, month, year and more – they will feel valued at this inclusion and it is very easy to do.
    5. Discover the strengths that each individual has and really work hard to ensure that their role fully utilises these strengths. Working to strengths ensures a motivated and happy work force because they feel they can do their job well.
    6. Invest in your people – provide wellbeing training to support their needs.  Being on output for a large part of each day is exhausting and they will need incoming support to build them up to full strength.

Sometimes people quote a lack of funds as a reason not to invest in wellbeing training, yet the reverse is actually true – can you afford NOT to invest?  When you DO invest in your people, you will make substantial savings and increase performance - all of which will translate into more positive learning outcomes for children.

I have always been a big believer in prevention rather than cure.  If we can prevent overwhelming costs from occurring, a school is always going to be in a better, healthier position.

---

If you would like to put a system in place to provide support for your people, do get in touch with Claire.  She can provide effective, proven resources that support staff wellbeing, building their resilience and improving their life both at work and at home.  This support does not take your people away from work, therefore cost is kept to a minimum and it integrates well into a standard week.

---