Three years ago, I left the classroom. My frustrations about presenteeism and navigating the boundaries of work and life had left me teetering on the edge. So, it was with tempered joy that I read the government’s proposals about ‘the right to switch off’ and to request flexible working.
Some deem teaching to be unsuitable for such initiatives, but if we don’t try, we’ll be missing out on an important lever for attracting and retaining teachers. The latter is especially important, given the government’s plan to recruit an extra 6,500 teachers is likely to take years.
When I joined the profession almost twenty years ago, it was already struggling with a teacher shortage. I was greeted with a ‘golden hello’ and a student loan pay-off, but despite countless bursary schemes and other incentives over that period, the problem has only grown.
One of the key drivers for this is workload. It affects the decisions of those who leave (or don’t join in the first place) and it can have drastic effects on the mental health and effectiveness of those who stay.
It’s clear we can’t recruit our way out of this, and so we need to be open to innovative solutions even though they may seem counter intuitive.
Don’t get me wrong. There’s been no shortage of well-meaning attempts by schools to care for, motivate and support their teachers. As a veteran state-school teacher, I’ve born witness to lunch time finish on Fridays, wellbeing days, free onsite Pilates and access to school facilities for sports and exercise. Doubtless these were good for some, but teaching is competing against other employment opportunities and the terms are not equal.
Teaching professionals are being asked to deal with worsening behaviour and have less support in the classroom for an increasing number of children with complex special educational needs. Indeed, teachers say behaviour and pastoral care are the primary factors in managing their workload.
It sends a powerful signal about the boundaries of work
School-based staff wellbeing activities might help, but not if the work displaced by them just follows teachers home – which it invariably does.
Schools are dealing with the normalisation of unhealthy working habits, and it’s not acceptable to keep saying that we can’t do the job any other way. Clearly, a great many are responding to their working conditions by choosing not to do the job at all.
That’s why the right to switch off proposal is such a powerful one. It is exactly what weathered teachers and school leaders need, and it’s easier to implement in many ways than free after-school Pilates.
Promote email etiquette; tell parents and colleagues to stick to office hours (unless it’s urgent or a job-specific must). Set clear expectations that work should only rarely happen outside of work hours, and support staff who are regularly working into the wee hours. Celebrate work completion and not just presenteeism.
The ‘right to disconnect’ already exists in many countries including Ireland and France. It sends a powerful signal about the boundaries of work. To stave off a paroxysm of burnout and its inevitable upheaval, clearer parameters should be set that recognise teachers have lives outside of school.
The other part of the solution, of course, is more flexible work practices. But this has been a focus for years and is more challenging for schools to deliver. This is why the new government’s ‘right to disconnect’ is a perfect adjunct to help the profession fashion a better path.
Allowing teachers to complete PPA at home is the perfect wedge with which to start dismantling an unhealthy behaviour that only allows staff to catch fleeting glimpses of daylight from their classroom windows during the winter. Necessary staff-to-pupil ratios will require a degree of flexibility, but the willingness to address the longstanding presumption is an important lever to start shifting practices.
It’s not breaking news; teachers have lives: caring and childcare, medical conditions, domestic duties and a desire for health and happiness. Being on leads to teachers being on edge, and it’s time we got serious about resolving that.
Together, these two proposals reflect an awareness that flexibility and a metaphorical line in the sand are elemental to a more effective and more contented workforce.
So no, ‘the right to disconnect’ isn’t the best thing to happen to schools, but it is the first step in stalling that revolving door.
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