At Kaiser Permanente, we are grateful for the educators and school personnel who empower students and provide them with tools to help shape their future and foster personal growth.
However, we know it is not always an easy role to play, and that burnout among school staff can – and does – happen. That’s why supporting the health and well-being of teachers and staff is the goal of this year’s Thriving School back to school campaign.
While being overworked is the top cause of workplace stress, staff can also experience burnout for a variety of reasons, such as encountering toxic behavior at work, being tasked with unmanageable workloads, working within difficult time constraints, receiving poor communication and lack of support from their leaders, and experiencing diminished sense of control and flexibility.
By taking steps to support a psychologically healthy workforce, school leaders can help all staff – classroom teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, substitute teachers, and many more – create a healthy work culture.
A psychologically healthy work culture is a work environment where people feel connected, engaged, and supported. School district leaders can help create that environment and reduce the risk of workforce burnout by acknowledging the problem, helping employees minimize and manage work-related stress, promoting mental health and wellness resources, and developing strategies to prevent and address burnout at the individual and organizational level.
To create a culture of well-being, Kaiser Permanente recommends teachers and staff:
- Have a healthy work/life balance
- Feel seen, heard, and included
- Understand their roles and responsibilities
- Feel appreciated, recognized, and valued
- Know how to get support when they need it
Addressing teacher burnout
To support teachers and staff, analytics and advisory company Gallup shares some steps leaders can take, including:
- Listening to work-related problems
- Encouraging teamwork
- Giving meaningful recognition
- Feel seen, heard, and included in discussions and decisions relating to work
- Creating a culture of well-being
- Reshaping teachers’ experience at work
- Making work purposeful
Leaders can also create supportive work environments through staff well-being spaces. These areas can foster environments that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The spaces can also be a place to promote staff connection and collaboration, which is essential to a healthy and resilient school community. To encourage staff engagement and participation, consider starting an employee wellness committee. This can help maintain a healthy school environment.
Back to school campaign: supporting teacher and staff well-being
We’ve got your back this school year and want to spread awareness about tools included in our 2024 Back to School tip sheet that can help prevent teacher and staff burnout.
- The “Get Connected” guide focuses on building community bonds and promoting healthy habits through activities that staff can try together during or outside of school time.
- You can also learn more about “Building a Sustainable Gratitude Practice in Your School Community” to implement a regular culture of gratitude at your school sites.
- Lastly, check out the Thriving Schools Integrated Assessment to see how your District/School can identify strengths and opportunities to improve policies and practices related to staff well-being.
Together, we can help support teacher and staff well-being. Remember, we don’t have to burn out to shine bright.
