Staff Well-being Policy

Duck Street, Cerne Abbas, Dorset, DT2 7LA

Tel: 01300 341319     e-mail:office@cerneabbas.dorset.sch.uk         Website: www.cerneabbas.dorset.sch.uk

Staff wellbeing policy

 Aims

This policy aims to:

• Support the wellbeing of all staff to avoid negative impacts on their mental and physical health
• Provide a supportive work environment for all staff
• Acknowledge the needs of staff, and how these change over time
• Allow staff to balance their working lives with their personal needs and responsibilities
• Help staff with any specific wellbeing issues they experience
• Ensure that staff understand their role in working towards the above aims

 Promoting wellbeing at all times

 Role of all staff

All staff are expected to:

• Treat each other with empathy and respect and remember our values of friendship, peace, trust, forgiveness, courage and joy with each other.
• Be committed to educational practices which Protect, Regulate, Relate and Reflect 
• Keep in mind the workload and wellbeing of other members of staff.
• Support other members of staff if they become stressed, such as by providing practical assistance or emotional reassurance.
• Report honestly about their wellbeing and let other members of staff know when they need support.
• Contribute positively towards morale and team spirit.
• Use shared areas respectfully, such as the staff room or offices.
• Take part in training opportunities that promote their wellbeing.

Role of line managers

Line managers are expected to:

• Maintain positive relationships with their staff and value them for their skills, not their working pattern
• Provide a non-judgemental and confidential support system to their staff
• Take any complaints or concerns seriously and deal with them appropriately using the school’s policies
• Monitor workloads and be alert to signs of stress, and regularly talk to staff about their work/life balance. This will include mental health and well-being discussions as part of all Appraisal meetings (3 times a year
• Make sure new staff are properly and thoroughly inducted and feel able to ask for help
• Understand that personal issues and pressures at work may have a temporary effect on work performance, and take that into account during any appraisal or capability procedures
• Promote information about, and access to, external support services
• Help to arrange personal and professional development training where appropriate
• Keep in touch with staff if they are absent for long periods
• Monitor staff sickness absence, and have support meetings with them if any patterns emerge
• Conduct return to work interviews to support staff back into work
• Conduct exit interviews with resigning staff to help identify any wellbeing issues that led to their resignation
• Ensure a staff health and well-being survey is conducted annually.

Role of senior staff

Catherine Cresswell is the trained Senior Mental Health Lead.

Senior staff are expected to:

• Lead in setting standards for conduct, including how they treat other members of staff and adhering to agreed working hours
• Manage a non-judgemental and confidential support system for staff
• Monitor the wellbeing of staff through regular surveys and structured conversations
• Make sure accountability systems are based on trust and professional dialogue, with proportionate amounts of direct monitoring
• Regularly review the demands on staff, such as the time spent on paperwork, and seek alternative solutions wherever possible
• Make sure job descriptions are kept up-to-date, with clearly identified responsibilities and staff being consulted before any changes are made
• Listen to the views of staff and involve them in decision-making processes, including allowing them to consider any workload implications of new initiatives
• Communicate new initiatives effectively with all members of staff to ensure they feel included and aware of any changes occurring at the school
• Make sure that the efforts and successes of staff are recognised and celebrated
• Produce calendars of meetings, deadlines and events so that staff can plan ahead and manage their workload
• Provide resources to promote staff wellbeing, such as training opportunities
• Promote information about, and access to, external support services, and make sure that there are clear routes in place to escalate a concern in order to access further support
• Organise extra support during times of stress, such as Ofsted inspections
• Maintain any leisure areas (eg the staff room) in a welcoming and pleasant state.

Role of the governing board

The governing board is expected to:

• Make sure the school is fulfilling its duty of care as an employer, such as by giving staff a reasonable workload and creating a supportive work environment
• Monitor and support the wellbeing of the headteacher
• Ensure that resources and support services are in place to promote staff wellbeing
• Make decisions and review policies with staff wellbeing in mind, particularly in regards to workload
• Be reasonable about the format and quantity of information asked for from staff as part of monitoring work
• Ensure that staff are clear about the purpose of any monitoring visits and what information will be required from them
• Identify a Staff Wellbeing link governor

Managing specific wellbeing issues

The school will support and discuss options with any staff that raise wellbeing issues, such as if they are experiencing significant stress at school or in their personal lives.

Where possible, support will be given by line managers or senior staff. This could be through:

• Giving staff time off to deal with a personal crisis
• Arranging external support, such as counselling or occupational health services
• Completing a risk assessment and following through with any actions identified
• Reassessing their workload and deciding what tasks to prioritise

At all times, the confidentiality and dignity of staff will be maintained.

 Monitoring arrangements

This policy will be reviewed annually. At every review, it will be approved by the full governing board committee.

 Links with other policies

This policy is linked to our:

​​​​​​​

• Appraisal policy
• Relationships Policy
• Behaviour policy
• Capability procedure
• Staff code of conduct