In our Wellness Around the World series, us Talk to school leaders around the world to see how they are fostering positive well-being for staff, regardless of the challenges they may face.
In this article, we spoke with Ruth Burke, Director / CEO of Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai (SISD), and Mark Swaine, the school’s teacher and chair of its wellness committee, to find out why they give staff an extra day free every year.
Protect the welfare of teachers in schools
Why do you care about the well-being of your staff as an international director?
Teaching is the best job in the world – watching children develop and grow and staff thrive and achieve great results together is truly uplifting.
This is our lifeblood, but often, and certainly recently, that lifeblood is being squeezed out of the teaching; something all heads are aware of.
The pressure of goals, leaderboards, and test scores, along with the stress of handling a pandemic, has diluted the “magic” that is the very nature of a great teacher.
We all know that stressed or exhausted teachers have worse relationships with students and the quality of their teaching declines.
As such, we always want to prioritize the well-being of teachers, to create an environment in which teachers can thrive.
This will ensure that our students benefit from a better classroom climate and more productive learning, which inevitably translates to higher quality teaching and staff retention.
Is there a wellness issue unique to your region?
Dubai has always attracted young teachers from the UK and Europe who want to travel but ultimately want the flexibility to return to their home country whenever they want.
In the UAE, the pandemic has not affected us as much in the workplace as some of the worst affected countries, but it has still been difficult with various travel restrictions that have had an impact on the well-being of teachers, since that you have taken that feeling of travel freedom. far.
It has also been difficult to deal with new ways of working.
Last year, for example, staff juggled a new hybrid model of classroom and online teaching, embraced new ways of working and new technologies, and strove to continue teaching and supporting children amid the pandemic. .
The return to full-time classroom education has been welcomed by all this year as our teachers adjust to a life more like the pre-Covid era.
This has greatly helped the well-being of the staff, but the senior management team has certainly recognized how difficult and lonely the last 20 months have been for some of the staff.
What wellness initiatives have you introduced to combat this problem?
One of the key things we’ve done is streamline our hiring process and focus on making sure that new hires feel welcome and are part of the community from the start.
This is the new process we implemented that describes how we ensure that a new master can be installed quickly and happily:
- A buddy system gives new staff the opportunity to connect with a current staff member who acts as a guide and mentor and reveals the ins and outs of SISD life.
- Incorporating wellness-themed sessions into the introductory week allows new and existing staff to connect, share common ground, and build positive relationships.
- A basket awaits new staff members residing in the staff accommodation.
- The human resources department makes sure that the resident visa application process is smooth and easy for new staff members.
- New staff are also picked up at the airport by one of our team and escorted to their respective medical check-ups if necessary.
Then for all of the staff, we’ve come up with several ideas that aim to ensure that staff are happy as they continue their time with us, including:
- Encourage staff to use our facilities, including a lap pool and gym.
- We have a cafeteria and deli that offers organic food for staff at low cost. Staff can choose to have breakfast and lunch on site in our dedicated cafeteria, where the school kitchens prepare all fresh food on site each day.
- Be Good to Yourself Day encourages staff to take a mental break by providing an additional day off.
- A 12-member wellness committee has been created to focus on staff wellness.
- We handed out little gestures of appreciation from the senior leadership team, including free coffees, pastries, ice cream days, donut days, and fruit lunches.
- We conduct regular Pulse surveys to allow staff to provide details about their wellness status anonymously.
- We provide staff opportunities to voice their opinion to encourage staff to share ideas and discuss pain points and well-being.
How did some of these ideas come about?
As the school has grown significantly, this year we have many new staff.
Most have moved to Dubai from abroad, which can be an overwhelming experience, especially when moving to a new country and to school alone.
Feedback from staff who moved to Dubai and joined the school recently helped shape induction plans for new members.
Additionally, we are well aware of the implications, challenges, and often daunting elements of moving abroad to a new school, which is why our team wanted to support the staff during their move – set-up, furniture shopping, welcome gift packages , airport transfers, medical exams, visas and general settlement requirements.
Then, with our Be Good to Yourself Day, there is an additional day of leave that can be taken when chosen by the staff.
This was instigated with a desire to support staff with managing life in general or to enjoy the days of celebration outside of the usual peak hours of school holidays.
How involved were the staff in this work?
Our new staff wellness committee, comprised of 12 staff members from all areas of the school, has contributed to the plan and continually evolves the program.
Feedback from new staff is helping to shape the program, and we plan to evolve it further over the next year for subsequent new entrants.
Ideas currently being debated include places to relax, events to promote connection, opportunities to contribute, promote gratitude, yoga, exercise, and breathing.
How was this initiative implemented on a practical level?
Staff pre-book your Day to Be Good to Yourself to your immediate superior. As long as it is not a critical day, for example exam day, inspection day, etc., the senior team approves the day off.
The hedge team coverage is booked and arranged in advance and all parties know that the teacher will be absent that day.
We encourage staff to share what they did on their extra day off, as an incentive / motivator for other team members to follow.
Communication was and is key in all aspects of the program.
For example, we keep regular wellness committee meetings, handing out staff surveys for helpful feedback, and ensuring a clear and consistent flow of communication at all HR and management meetings.
What was the impact and how did you measure it?
Our findings reveal an improvement in staff morale and retention, a greater commitment to Pulse wellness surveys, and an improved culture in the workplace, where talking honestly about wellness is encouraged and normal.
Did you have to allocate financial resources to cover this?
Wellness initiatives for staff required collegial approaches rather than significant budgets.
Be Good To Yourself Day, for example, is all about good systems, sharing planning, communicating with coverage masters, and bringing joy back to the workplace in exchange for time for self-care.
The overwhelmingly positive response from staff demonstrates the success of this initiative. Our surveys also indicate the positive impact it is having on both individual well-being and collective morale.
Thank you cards, acknowledgments, coffee tokens, pizza events, and “15 Minutes with the Senior Leader” approaches further support a spirit of appreciation, shared gratitude, and mutual care and support.
What advice would you suggest to other people who are thinking of doing something similar?
To genuinely create a culture of staff wellness, it must be embedded throughout the organization.
Leaders must lead by example and show that they truly care about well-being. As an organization, we need to create an environment in which staff feel comfortable expressing their well-being and concerns. We also need to be able to openly discuss wellness, mental health, and general wellness issues.
Recruitment processes must ensure that employees genuinely care about well-being and that barriers to well-being are removed within the school setting.
At SISD, we now offer a regular Pulse survey to collect anonymous feedback from staff on wellness. We can provide support in any area where common themes are identified.
Our senior leadership team reviews this regularly, adjusting our approach to reflect the survey results.
How do you take care of your own well-being?
Taking time for yourself and making sure your cup is always full is important, whether that means taking quality time to spend with family and friends or finding time to indulge in your passions and learn new things.
It’s crucial to stay connected to the people and things that really matter to you, and finally make sure you’re interacting with positive people who enjoy a good laugh.
Ruth Burke is Director / CEO of Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai and Mark Swaine is a professor and chair of the school’s wellness committee.