Gather the Components
As a first step in crafting an organization’s comprehensive wellness initiative, consider the wellness resources and services you currently provide. They may include:
• Employee assistance programs.
• Wellness incentives.
• Fitness activities.
• Behavioral services.
• Student counseling.
• Crisis counseling.
• Wellness fair.
• Financial counseling.
• Crisis hotline.
• Emergency social work services.
Peer-to-peer communication can build energy and interest in the resources available.
Although stand-alone services are important in supporting employee well-being, they are only components of an organization’s overall approach to a culture of wellness and well-being. Research into the interdependencies between mental health and work itself is growing. In fact, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) classifies burnout as an occupational phenomenon: “Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
Similarly, leading burnout researcher Christina Maslach, in a 2012 article in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, identifies six main causes of burnout: (1) unsustainable workloads, (2) perceived lack of control, (3) insufficient rewards for effort, (4) lack of a supportive community, (5) lack of fairness, and (6) mismatched values and skills—all elements of the workplace.
Organizational wellness is a key component of human capital management. Education leaders must respond to workforce needs to attract, retain, and develop employees. Employee well-being will lead to improved employee performance management and, in turn, to better organizational performance.
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Recognizing that school boards, district leaders, staff, and members of the public all have a role in creating the foundations for wellness, bring stakeholders together for a wellness assessment. What components for wellness do we have, and how are they used?
Ensure that the review is unbiased and not politically driven. What recent organizational data surveys and transitions can inform your assessment? Using data can establish quantitative starting points. Consider qualitative data as well, assessing the organization’s wellness from various stakeholders’ perspectives.
Organizations have seen tremendous changes in staffing, leadership, and demographics over the past five years. In fact, turnover has led to a desire to implement “out of the box” wellness initiatives that may or may not address your district’s needs.
Employee and student populations may have shifted. And with the impending expiration of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding, now is a perfect time to assess your organization and gather data about what would constitute a comprehensive approach to wellness for staff and students.
Assess organizational dynamics. Identify any significant changes in leadership, areas of stability, and the impact of current strengths and weaknesses to address student, staff, and other employee wellness needs. For example, a district with significant leadership turnover might consider its effect on the well-being of senior-level staff. Conversely, significant turnover in bus drivers may indicate a need for a specific mental wellness initiative to support drivers in managing students and interacting with parents.
Build from the Assessment
Upon completing an assessment, focus on what will make organizational wellness a priority. Leaders sharing their own wellness stories can normalize struggles and promote healthy, safe, and normative wellness in the workplace.
Determine which wellness issues the district can address with a focused solution. For example, an organization without outside resources for supporting cabinet-level administrators confidentially and responsively could look beyond an employee assistance program (EAP) and delve into the root causes of leadership stress.
You may want to dig further into wellness initiatives to establish overlaps or connectedness between programs. For instance, if an employee reports being harassed by a supervisor, what resources should the EAP provide that employee and, if necessary, other employees, including the supervisor? If the employee only files a report with the EAP, the issue may or may not be addressed over the long term. How do you map a comprehensive option to resolve the issue for all employees?
Consider the stress associated with individuals reporting fraud or fiscal mismanagement. How does the district ensure that all employees are heard and receive the support they need to maintain wellness? Research on nurses in Western Australia indicated that 70% of whistleblowers and 64% of non-whistleblowers experienced stress-induced physical problems. What are your options for a continuum of confidential mental and physical health assistance for such employees?
After wellness resources are developed on the basis of self-assessment, it’s critical to train personnel to provide them and communicate to all stakeholders that the resources are available. Ask key employees with diverse backgrounds (education, job requirements, and longevity) to identify the best approach to communicate and train individuals on available resources.
Peer-to-peer communication can build energy and interest in the resources available. In addition to testimonials, other models of leadership or case studies can encourage staff members to view a part of their job performance by ensuring that they address mental health and other wellness issues that can negatively affect performance and the well-being of the overall organization.
An effective strategy for organizational wellness looks at the organizational structure, reporting relationships, and internal and external factors and seeks to advance the organization, not the individual.
Everyone in the organization should have a support network and be supported. They should be encouraged to attend to self-care and prioritize their wellness needs.