Taking Care of Your Staff (Appreciation)

By: Scott Stevens, Assistant Principal Cypress Woods Elementary

Everywhere in the media right now you can find articles, blog postings, and videos of experts talking about teacher shortages and burnout. I am not saying that we should ignore these truths, but instead I would rather focus on the staff members in front of me on my campus. I want to focus on taking care of the ones that I rely on every day to serve our students. So, I ask you, what are you doing to take care of your teachers and staff members?

I am fortunate to work with a principal that shares a vision of care for our teachers and staff members. Sometimes lost in the deadlines and overwhelming tasks are the simple gestures of appreciation that we all so often desire. Research­­ from the *University of Oxford tells us that 87% of those surveyed found that workplace wellbeing was an advantage for their place of employment. Their research also tells us that people who are happy at their workplace are more productive. Shawn Anchor in his book, The Happiness Advantage, states that happy employees will increase productivity by 31%. If your staff feels appreciated there is an increased likelihood that they will be all in for your students. At the end of the day, our work is for the students.

Showing your appreciation as a school leader comes in all shapes and sizes. You can send gratitude notes and e-mails to members of your staff. You can partner with your PTA to plan events that celebrate your staff. You can honor your teachers with the gift of time (cancel a meeting that really could’ve been an e-mail). You can provide a small snack that coincides with a national day (e.g. cupcakes on National Cupcake Day). There are plenty of social media sites, including Facebook groups and Instagram pages for Principal appreciation ideas. My mentor once told me, “We work too hard and sacrifice too much time to not have fun too.” Have you planned a fun event for your staff to show just how much you appreciate them?! Staff appreciation should not be a once-a-year calendared event. If not, I challenge you today to look at your calendar and plan some fun events, that show just how much you appreciate your staff. You can’t do this job alone; you need your staff right along with you moving your students forward!   

*Does Employee Happiness have an Impact on Productivity?

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Data_Integrity_Notice.cfm?abid=3470734

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