Create a positive and healthy working environment

Listening to staff voice is a critical element of developing a wellbeing culture at your school, as it makes staff feel valued and respected. You can do this via a number of techniques:

• Hold regular staff forums where staff can constructively air concerns and explore any areas that need to be addressed.
• Provide an (anonymous) suggestion box in the staff room where anyone can submit their comments and ideas.
• Ask staff to fill in surveys that invite their views.

Use the information you collect to drive forward change, creating happier, more motivated colleagues who feel valued and heard. Obviously it’s not possible to implement every action that is suggested, but it’s important to consider the suggestions carefully and implement good ideas where possible.

Top tips

• Ensure that any information you gather is acted upon. There is nothing more damaging to staff morale than the sentiment ‘they made us fill in a survey, but nothing happened’.
• Share responses and actions with staff via regular updates in meetings, staff newsletters, emails or a board in the staffroom.
• Keep the feedback about findings short and factual.
• Use the format ‘You said… we did’ to keep staff up to date with progress.

Further resources

• Get more tips about listening to employee voice and its benefits.

A wellbeing team can act as a body for positive change across the culture of a school. There is no set number for the amount of people in the team, but it’s a good idea to make sure there are enough staff involved to ensure that being on the team does not create a burden. Alternatively, you can rotate membership to the group so that ideas and impetus remain fresh and the workload is shared.

Representatives for the team can come from each phase’s teaching staff and from other staff such as midday supervisors, governors, TAs, etc. Consider how often they should meet – once every half term might be a good starting point so again, being a member of the team doesn’t impose a burden on staff time.

If possible, the team should be given a dedicated budget to help them implement ideas for social events that promote mental health and wellbeing.

Asking staff what they want to do is important at this point. There’s no point introducing initiatives that won’t be well received. Obviously, any ideas should be checked with the leadership team before being implemented!

The team should also consider:

• The current morale in your school. If it’s positive, what social activities helped make it that way? If it’s in decline, what are the reasons for that and how can they be addressed?
• How to plan and implement events that include every staff member and contribute to friendship, collaboration and fun.

Top tips

• If you are completing the intention: Listen to staff voice and implement actions where possible, then you will already have a good idea as to the type of social events that staff might like to see. If not, you should engage with all your staff to find out what’s important to them from a social perspective.

While many schools have already introduced mindfulness into their curriculum for pupils, some schools are now realising the benefits of mindful activities for staff too. It’s well known that mindfulness – the ability to stay in the moment and to focus on what you have control over – can help a person cope much better with stress. It does this by training our minds to become more aware of our inner and outer experience and learning how to manage our emotions.

Mindfulness itself can obviously be an activity for individuals to carry out on their own, but there are benefits to doing them collectively too. A group meditation, relaxation session, yoga or Pilates class can all introduce an element of mindfulness that can help individuals deal with the pressures of their day.

Top tips

• Check with your staff what their preferences might be for mindful activities. They might prefer outdoor tai chi or an early morning meditation session.
• Look for an instructor in your local area who will be willing to deliver classes in the school at a time convenient to your staff – maybe before school, after school or during lunchtime.
• Try to run the sessions regularly (that is, once a week) to get the most benefit. Staff will hopefully find the activities help them both personally and in their classroom practice.

Further resources

• Look at seven ways mindfulness can help teachers.

Social activities can bring teachers together as a community, and building a sense of community can be an important way of boosting morale and team spirit within a school. Clubs and interest groups can offer invaluable relaxation opportunities, while connecting staff together with others that they normally would not have much involvement with and who share similar interests or hobbies.

Aim for a mixture of activities that represent both physical and mental wellbeing.

Physical wellbeing
There are so many group activities that you could introduce (for example, walking, running, badminton, football, netball, aerobics) but make sure you listen to your staff first about the kind of exercise that works best for them. Maybe trampolining is top of their list or they’ve always wanted to try Zumba!

Mental wellbeing
You should aim to provide opportunities for staff to participate in activities with colleagues that are not linked to their work and don’t focus on physical exercise – perhaps ones that offer mental stimulation and intellectual relaxation? Here are some suggestions but there are many more that might suit the staff within your school:

• book clubs
• cinema clubs
• choirs
• wine or gin tasting
• cookery classes.

Top tips

• Be sure to consult with staff first before implementing any new ideas. Listening to what will work for them is the most important step.
• Try to provide a mix of groups that both male and female staff can participate in and enjoy!

It’s really important that staff are able to take time out from the hectic school day and find quiet, safe spaces where they can relax, work and meet with others if needed. Is your staff room a visually attractive place to unwind? Are staff facilities as aesthetic as possible? Making sure your school has a comfortable working environment will reassure staff that their wellbeing is considered important by your school leaders.

Asking staff what they think about the working environment is a great place to start – but this doesn’t need to be anything too formal. They may want more comfortable chairs in the staffroom, to redecorate the toilets or have a dedicated quiet space. Other ideas include:

• Surround your staff spaces with greenery, plants and nature. The colour green is an effective stress-buster and natural elements such as plants can help create a calmer workplace environment.
• Maximise staff exposure to sunlight, which is known to have a positive effect on wellbeing. If your school has little access to natural daylight, brainstorm ways that you can change this.
• Think about outdoor space and if somewhere can be created outside to fulfil this brief.
• Enhance your staffroom with things like a TV, fridge, coffee-maker, toaster or microwave.
• Provide small items like hand cream and nice towels in the toilets.
• Offer free tea, coffee, toast, biscuits and fresh fruit in the staffroom.

It’s important that senior leaders across the school ‘walk the talk’ when it comes to wellbeing by modelling a range of healthy behaviours. Whether it’s speaking openly about mental health problems, going home early, self-reflection, prioritising workload or taking part in wellbeing activities, senior leaders who openly demonstrate positive wellbeing behaviours will help create a positive and healthy working environment where wellbeing thrives. More importantly, those whose wellbeing habits aren’t as strong can give across the wrong message about a healthy work–life balance.  

Further resources

• Watch this video about the importance of role modelling for leaders.