enlightened employers: new ways of working

by Wendy Moore

Anyone can feel under stress at work. It doesn't matter whether you are an over-worked junior doctor, a cashier at a busy supermarket check-out or a teacher in charge of 30 teenagers. Whatever your job, your employer can make a big difference to how you cope.

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Lots of employers – in the private and public sectors – are now beginning to take stress seriously. Many are now taking steps to prevent and reduce stress. We take a close look at two initiatives pioneered by enlightened employers.

supporting teachers in Norfolk

The Well-Being Programme is a joint initiative launched by Norfolk county council and the national charity for teachers, the Teacher Support Network, in 1999. It aims to reduce stress affecting staff throughout the county's education service – not just teachers – by identifying and tackling the root causes of work pressures. . Now in its fourth year, more than 240 schools and education services – out of the county's total 450 – have joined the scheme, as well as seven educational services such as adult education. Now the Teacher Support Network hopes to extend its initiative across the country.

how did it all begin?

Norfolk county council launched a counselling service for all its 22,000 staff after a survey revealed high levels of stress. But as stress levels were particularly high among teachers, it wanted to do more in education. Two working groups separately came up with the same idea – a stress-busting strategy designed to weed out and tackle the root causes of stress in a pro-active way.

The Well-Being Programme was launched with two part-time workers and funds from TBF, the county council, the local health authority and the Health and Safety Executive. A team of people with education and health experience steers the project. It was initially co-ordinated by Ray Rumsby, a former teacher working three days a week on the scheme, helped by a headteacher seconded for 40 days of the year. But as Ray Rumsby has now moved to the Teacher Support Network, to extend the scheme nationwide, a new Norfolk co-ordinator, David Saunders, has been appointed.

how does it work?

The focus of the programme is on general wellbeing rather than solely on stress, explains Ray Rumsby. This makes it relevant to all staff and helps to prevent stress happening in the first place. The key is an organisational approach – tackling the stressors embedded in the system rather than focussing on individuals, he says. 'There is no way we can wave a magic wand over everyone,' he explains. 'It has to be a belt and braces approach.'

Each school or organisation appoints a facilitator – usually a teacher – to lead the work. All staff in the school complete a questionnaire answering 36 questions designed to measure stress levels and identify causes. The survey focuses on issues such as staff involvement in decision-making, communication and – the teachers' big bugbear – workload. Results can be compared throughout the county to give schools an idea of how they are doing. Ray Rumsby talks through the results with heads at participating schools and together they draw up an action plan. Surveys are repeated one year later to gauge improvement.

what happens in practice?

The key to the Well-Being Programme is that each school develops its own plan of action to meet its own needs. Much of the focus is on changing attitudes – persuading staff that their welfare is important, ensuring everyone is involved in initiatives and improving communications – but there are down-to-earth practical measures too.

One small school, with only 30 staff, had never previously brought its whole workforce together. Now all the staff – teachers, dinner ladies, crossing patrols – meet as a team. Similarly, many schools previously confined training courses to teachers or failed to realise training was inaccessible to other staff but have since made sure all staff have access to training.

In one school, says Ray Rumsby, the lunch-time supervisors – who are mainly local mums working on an hourly rate – had had no training in dealing with difficult behaviour. This meant they sometimes dealt inappropriately with children misbehaving which frequently led to teachers being called to intervene, both disrupting the teachers' break and upsetting pupils. Now the supervisors have been encouraged to undergo training in behaviour management and lunchtimes are more peaceful for all.

The programme also provides training in coping with stress which covers time management, and attempts to reverse the frequently prevailing 'blame culture'. In some schools, Ray Rumsby says, years of poor communications have led to staff feeling cynical, mistrustful and negative. But by looking at typical 'wet blanket' comments – and getting staff to laugh at them – the pendulum can start to swing back.

Some issues – like communications, staff participation and training – are relatively easy to change, he says. Others, like teacher workload, which is commonly recognised as a major cause of teachers' stress, are fairly intractable although some steps can be taken in this direction. One school set up a bureaucracy working party which pinpointed many time-saving changes. Training in time management and stress management – rarely offered to teachers – also helps with rising workloads.

'Some small changes make a big difference,' says Ray Rumsby. But ultimately, he believes, government and LEAs must take action to reduce teacher workload. 'We must never lose sight of the long term goal.'

how does it help?

The surveys show that overall schools' scores have improved by 2% across the county since the project began. But this modest change is 'significant', Ray Rumsby argues. Indeed, the best performing school records a 29% rise in its score – although the worst shows a 5% drop – but scores have generally risen across most measures.

Individual schools have found recruitment also improved. One primary school had only eight applications for two posts two years ago. This year – after making a point that it was part of a scheme which valued staff well-being – there were 42 applications for one post, yielding six ideal candidates. Schools have also found that the well-being of staff on a range of fronts is improving, and that staff absences from ill-health are reducing.

Feedback on the scheme has been enthusiastic. One teacher said: 'This is the best thing Norfolk has ever done.' Another commented: 'This has given me real hope for the first time.'

how it helped us

Mike Douglas, deputy head of King Edward VII High School in King's Lynn, says: 'The Well-Being Project has been really a positive way forward for us.' The survey of staff at the school, which has 80 teachers and 1330 pupils, uncovered two clear areas for improvement: communications and valuing staff. The school set to work to tackle both, introducing training reviews and more involvement for non-teaching staff and stronger emphasis on acknowledging contributions of all staff. 'It is a change in approach,' says Mike Douglas. A year later survey results are better, with the exception of problems balancing workload between school and home.

could it work elsewhere?

Ray Rumsby is now heading moves by the Teacher Support Network to spread the Well-Being Project across the country. Several LEAs are keen. Meanwhile, Norfolk is extending the scheme to all its schools. In addition to Norfolk, a further 15,000 school staff from different parts of the country will be participating in Well-Being within the next year – including people from Suffolk, Wirral, Kent, Derbyshire, Derby City, Lewisham and Lancashire. The Teacher Support Network also recently worked on a booklet commissioned by the Health Development Agency's National Healthy School Standard entitled 'Staff Health and Wellbeing'. The Teacher Support Network is also establishing an action-research database of information on well-being issues and progress and is setting up a national network to share best practice on 'what works'.

'There is huge interest across the country,' Ray Rumsby says. 'I believe we are really on a roll.'

help and info

Teacher Support Network
England
Mabledon Place
London WC1H 9BE
Teacher Support Line: 08000 562 561
E-mail: enquiries@teachersupport.info
Wales
Sandringham House
Australian Terrace
Bridgend CF31 1LY
Teacher Support Line Cymru: 08000 855 088
E-mail: cymru@teachersupport.info
Website: www.teachersupport.info
Offers practical and emotional support to improve the well-being and effectiveness of teachers, including the Well Being Project.

Concerned Spouses of Suffering/Stressed Teachers
Helpline: 0114 287 3087
E-mail: antifession@aol.com
Offers a confidential listening ear to partners of stressed teachers.

National Union of Teachers
www.teachers.org.uk
The National Union of Teachers, which is a professional association and trade union, makes available to its members a direct personal service providing legal and professional advice, guidance and support. Membership is open only to fully qualified teachers.

flexible working at Lloyds TSB

High street bank Lloyds TSB introduced its flexible working scheme, Work Options, in 1999. The aim is to give staff the chance to come up with practical options to achieve a better balance between work and home. Already 22% of the bank's 77,000 workforce work flexibly but the Work Options scheme offers a different approach.

what's on offer?

Any member of staff can put forward a request to work in a different way. Options include job-sharing, working from home, and working variable hours, reduced hours, or only in term-time. Or individuals can come up with another idea which suits them. The onus is on the employee to make a business case for their proposal.

what happens in practice?

There is no right to flexible working but so far 95% of requests have been approved. More than 2,000 staff have taken up the deal to date. Staff at all levels can apply. A total 19% of successful applicants are managers. Although 80% of successful applicants are women, the scheme is not aimed solely at helping staff cope with family responsibilities. People can apply for the scheme to give them more time for study, sport or any other pursuit. They need not give reasons for their request.

how does it help?

Lloyds TSB says the scheme is a 'win-win' initiative which meets the needs of both company and staff. Sally Evans, head of equal opportunities, says surveys show staff on the Work Options scheme feel more motivated, more likely to stay with the company, less likely to take time off sick and more productive. Managers of these staff confirm the findings. Staff satisfaction has risen 10% since Work Options was introduced, according to the company.

Research for Lloyds TSB has shown that for both men and women in senior positions, finding the right balance between work and home is the most critical factor in deciding whether to leave their job for a new organisation. A study for the company this year, on behalf of the alliance Employers for Work-Life Balance, reveals that 70% of people believe they would be better motivated if their employer offered flexible working. This is particularly important to the 18-24 age group, where 80% say they would feel more motivated by work-life balance schemes.

how it helps me

Tony Rugg, is an IT security manager who has worked for Lloyds TSB for 13 years. In 1999 his wife suddenly became deaf. Tony wanted to change his working hours so that he could be with his wife in the house more often to offer her support. Although his job was mainly office based, he discovered that tele-working – working from home – would offer him the flexibility he needed. He now works from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays and in the office the rest of the week.

'Flexible working has really helped me. Since I have been working at home two days a week, I feel better in myself and more motivated about my work. Tele-working means that I am immediately available for my wife when she needs me but still able to concentrate on my job.'

could it work elsewhere?

Lloyds TSB has led the way in encouraging other employers to take work-life balance seriously. Peter Ellwood, the bank's chief executive, chairs the alliance Employers for Work-Life Balance which was set up in March 2000 with government backing to promote good practice. A total 22 companies are involved including Asda, the BBC, Sainsbury, Marks and Spencer, Shell and management consultants KPMG. Many of these organisations – and others – are introducing flexible working to help reduce stress and retain staff.

The reasons are clear. Surveys show that finding a better balance between work and life is increasingly important to people in work, especially younger recruits. More and more workers are looking for flexibility in their jobs to help them manage other responsibilities. More women – 12 million – now work in the UK then ever before and 78% of women with school age children have jobs outside the home. More than 12% of people in Britain – six million – are carers.

'There is huge interest across the country,' Ray Rumsby says. 'I believe we are really on a roll.'

help and info

There are several organisations and websites offering more information about flexible working.

Working Families
1-3 Berry Street
London EC1V 0AA
Helpline: 0800 013 0313 (times vary, please call for availability)
Website: www.workingfamilies.org.uk
Aims to change the culture in the workplace to give real freedom of choice and support to people who, for whatever reason, cannot or do not wish to work in traditional patterns.

Employers for Work-Life Balance
3 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5DG
Tel: 0870 165 6700 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
Website: www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk
Alliance of organisations committed to better work-life balance. Produces a convincing fact pack, Getting the Balance Right: UK working life in 2001, which includes a guide for small businesses.

Department of Education and Employment's work-life balance team
www.dfee.gov.uk/work-lifebalance
The government's team promoting work-life balance.

(updated November 2002, resources updated May 2005)