How to create a culture of positive staff wellbeing

This article was originally published on the EduCare website. EduCare is part of Tes.

Mental health issues cost the UK economy an estimated £35 billion per year.

The three main components of this cost are:

• Staff turnover, which accounts for nearly a tenth of the total figure (£3.1 billion). This is the cost of replacing staff that have left their job due to mental health issues.
• Sickness absence, which accounts for just under a third of the total (£10.6 billion). This is the cost of employees being absent from work due to mental health issues.
• Reduced productivity, which accounts for over half of the total (£21.2 billion). This is the cost to employers of employees being present in the workplace but not performing at full capacity.

Whoever we are and whatever our role, we all need support from the people around us.

Taking a holistic approach means looking after the whole person, respecting and supporting them, and valuing their unique experience and contributions – the opposite of a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

In practice, this means:

• Providing support for colleagues to meet their individual needs
• Being a role model for wellbeing wherever possible
• Removing stigma attached to concern for wellbeing
• Talking openly about wellbeing and mental health
• Asking for help and encouraging others to do the same
• Positive thinking and believing the best about others

Encouraging wellbeing is in everyone’s interest. Senior leadership teams and governing bodies have a responsibility to mitigate the risks of work-related stress.

As part of the leadership and management judgement, leaders are expected to recognise and engage with their staff and be aware of and take into account the main pressures on them. Leaders are expected to protect their staff from bullying and harassment.

Does your school have a culture of wellbeing?

Our new online training course on Staff Wellbeing in Schools has been released to mirror Ofsted’s updated inspection framework. The course provides some specific suggestions for keeping yourself healthy in each of the five ways described above, both in and out of school.

Find out more about our Staff Wellbeing in Schools online training course.