Are schools doing enough to look after their staff?
\nThey say that by your works shall ye be known. Actions, reportedly, speak louder than words. Don\u2019t announce what you will do to improve things, or describe your good intentions: just do it, to coin a phrase.
\nSo, if it is a school\u2019s intention to do all that it can to improve the happiness of its staff and students \u2013 or are those two aims mutually exclusive? \u2013 what exactly does it do about it?\u00a0 What action does it take? Or, more likely with such an ambitious aim, what actions?
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\nThe thought is prompted by a press article about a start-up firm, run by young people in their early 20s and phenomenally successful. The company is called \u2018Social Chain\u2019 and it uses social media accounts to advertise, influencing trends and buying patterns in their young devotees.\u00a0 It has 100 employees, and one of these is \u2013 wait for it \u2013 the Head of Happiness.
\nIsn\u2019t that wonderful? The very idea in the first place, then the appointing of the holder, and the financing of the post, which presumably has quite a budget, because this Head of Happiness organises nacho days and gin and tonic days (I know, I find it hard to imagine too), as well as mentoring staff and celebrating their birthdays and anniversaries. It\u2019s all a very long way from what \u2013 I fear \u2013 most schools do. Which is not a lot. I admit to a shiver of recognition when I read the young boss\u2019s opinion that many companies say that they are passionate about valuing their workforce but, in reality, that translates into a solitary suggestion box for grumbles and complaints \u2013 which, of course, may or may not produce action.
\nThere is probably a halfway house between, \u2018They always complain about that, and we\u2019ve tried to fix it but they are never happy \u2013 next?\u2019 and actually appointing a person, seriously, whose job is to make people happy. But there is something inherently attractive, seductive even, about a company which goes the whole hog. Happiness matters. We believe it matters. Here is what we will do to try to make people happy. Make it someone\u2019s job. It is a real responsibility, as important in a school, perhaps, as Examinations Officer. Arguably, more important.
\nIn these difficult times, when we read daily of headteachers leaving their posts in droves and deputies and other senior staff being reluctant to step up to the top job, we must surely question the processes by which schools aim to foster and retain talent. Taking real, identifiable action to make or keep people happy. Be prepared to report to governors: we did these things to help keep our staff happy. And we started with a happiness survey, perhaps?
\nOf course, the major difference between this sparky and innovative start-up company and any school is that Social Chain only has to worry about its employees. Schools need to worry about employees and pupils, which adds a layer of complication. You can bet that most schools attend very closely to pupil happiness: there has been real, positive growth in this area in recent years. Children are encouraged to consider happiness overtly and purposefully, with an expectation that whatever befalls them they can be happy, with the right mind-set, with appropriate exercise, mental and physical, and diet and company and support, including readily available professional counselling where necessary. We have come a very long way from the days of expecting a child to square up \u2013 shoulders back, stiff upper lip \u2013 to misfortune or mood, and get on with the homework. I once saw a school reluctantly appointing its first counsellor for just a couple of grudging hours a week. These days, a counsellor is likely to be one of the most valued \u2013 and busiest \u2013 members of staff. Now it is commonplace to find schools with a counsellor on tap half a week and probably wishing for more.
\nBut the Counsellor may well be seen as a resource for students \u2013 what of staff?
\nThe physical things are fairly simple \u2013 most of the battles for decent refreshments to be available in the staffroom are surely won. Such a trivial thing, but like a stone in a shoe, often a cause of irritation. Good coffee, fruit as well as biscuits or cake, are now commonplace. I remember days of having to bring a mug, wash it up, dry and put it away because catering staff were far too busy to cater for staff \u2013 who did they think they were, that someone should tidy up after them?
\nSo far so good. But employing someone to remember birthdays and arrange cards and birthday bashes? Many a Head already manages a card for all members of staff, indeed, takes pride in doing so, and perhaps a member of staff would value such a card more than one provided by the person employed to do such things. Arguably, it\u2019s the fact that the Head does remember you personally and writes the card accordingly, that adds to your happiness quotient \u2013 it suggests you matter to the Head, which is what matters. You might not care at all about being remembered by the Head of Happiness\u2019 spreadsheet\/app which keeps them up to speed with important personal dates and pokes them into action. If the truth is that the Head never did remember, but had a super PA who kept an eye on such things and presented the Head with a card \u2013 \u2018sign here!\u2019 \u2013\u00a0 well, perhaps the effect was the same. It may not have been truly personal, but it appeared so, and that was the trick of it.
\nAppoint someone to do the happiness bit, and what are you saying? \u2018This matters so much to us, we are going to make it a real job.\u2019 Or \u2018Having someone employed to do this will make you think you matter to us and we really care about your happiness \u2013 we don\u2019t, but we want to give the appearance of doing so.\u2019 Tricky stuff.
\nThe other problem, of course, is the money. The sheer hard cash in a tight economy. Techie start-ups may have the spare cash, but schools? Every penny is accounted for. But, honestly, how much was left at the end of the year? Might some of the surplus have been ploughed back into a broad-brush intention to help everyone in the school to be happier, however that might be effected? I quit one school where I taught in a temporary classroom so far flung from the main building and the cosy staffroom that I wore out wellington boots tramping through mud and grew to hate the enormous green mac I wore four or five times a day just getting to class in a dreadful winter. Happy?\u00a0 I was simply livid most of the time. The creation of a new school while the old one was still in use by some 800 students and their dogged staff created an environment so dreadful that if I had received a birthday card from the Head \u2013 and I remember that I did not \u2013 I think I\u2019d have torn it up.
\nAnd funnily enough, just doing so might have made me \u2013 for a moment \u2013 quite happy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Are schools doing enough to look after their staff? They say that by your works shall ye be known. Actions, reportedly, speak louder than words. Don\u2019t announce what you will do to improve things, or describe your good intentions: just do it, to coin a phrase. So, if it is a school\u2019s intention to do\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13],"tags":[83,104,107,137,200],"class_list":["post-425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ie-today","category-independent-education-today","tag-employees","tag-happiness","tag-headteachers","tag-morale","tag-staff"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/j-moriarty.co.uk\/hilarymoriarty\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/j-moriarty.co.uk\/hilarymoriarty\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/j-moriarty.co.uk\/hilarymoriarty\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/j-moriarty.co.uk\/hilarymoriarty\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/j-moriarty.co.uk\/hilarymoriarty\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/j-moriarty.co.uk\/hilarymoriarty\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/j-moriarty.co.uk\/hilarymoriarty\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/j-moriarty.co.uk\/hilarymoriarty\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/j-moriarty.co.uk\/hilarymoriarty\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}