How to manage behaviour and improve staff wellbeing: 5 teacher wellbeing ideas
In a 2024 wellbeing survey by NASWUT, 84% of teachers reported experiencing more work-related stress in the past 12-months that previously, whilst 85% reported that their job has adversely impacted their mental health.
As staff wellbeing has gained prominence as a key feature in school planning, senior leadership teams are seeking to make changes to better manage behaviour, not only to support better academic outcomes and but to also improve teacher wellbeing.
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How bad behaviour impacts staff wellbeing
It’s no secret to those in the education sector, that teachers and education staff report high levels of job-related stress. The 2024 Teacher Wellbeing Index reported that 77% of education staff experienced physical, psychological or behavioural symptoms due to their work, whilst 35% have experienced a mental health issue in the past year. Another 35% of the same group thought their symptoms could be a result of burnout.
Educators reported student behaviour as a key factor in workplace dissatisfaction, with lack of policy and senior leadership support contributing to ongoing issues of low-level disruption, absenteeism and verbal abuse and intimidation between students.
76% of teachers have recently said that pupil misbehaviour stopped or interrupted teaching, whilst 74% said that misbehaviour had a negative impact on their health and wellbeing (up from 62% in the previous year).
5 teacher wellbeing ideas
It’s clear that behaviour has a direct correlation with staff wellbeing, but what can be done to help manage the situation? Below you’ll find five strategies to help improve teacher wellbeing in your school.
Create effective behaviour policies & strategies
An effective behaviour management policy or strategy should set clear expectations, provide a clear framework for discipline and outline consequences. When this is implemented across the school, it should create a uniform approach to behaviour management that is, ultimately, more manageable.
Learn how to create an effective behaviour management policy by downloading our free guide.
Offer wellbeing training and resources
Give your staff the time and resources they need to manage their wellbeing. Whilst the SLT have a responsibility for staff wellbeing, with the right knowledge, training and access to resources there are a number of things that staff can do that may help them to stay above water and better manage their mental health.
Create a positive school culture & environment
Does your school offer a positive environment for staff? Is there a dedicated space where they genuinely take time out? Do senior leaders provide good working practices and conditions? These are just a few crucial questions to ask yourself in regard to culture and environment. Additionally:
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Do staff feel safe?
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Do they feel safe and/or comfortable voicing concerns?
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How are staff consulted about change?
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Is the clear and transparent communication?
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Is there a culture of promoting or shaming certain behaviours?
Understanding how your staff feel about such concerns can help you address the things that impact their wellbeing. You don’t necessarily need to tackle each and every concern all at once, though. Prioritise actions that will have the biggest impact.
Run wellbeing surveys (and action them)
Following on from the above point, running a staff wellbeing survey is a great way to understand how your staff feel and what’s impacting their wellbeing. However, it’s essential that feedback is taken on board rather than getting defensive about points that you might disagree with. It’s only natural for this kind of feedback to hit hard.
Tes Wellbeing Survey software helps schools to create and send anonymous surveys to staff with custom questions as well as offering easy-to-use dashboards to analyse results. Learn more today
Reduce staff workload and after-school commitments
At their 2024 Annual Conference, the National Education Union asked 8000 members about their personal experiences of workload and other factors affecting their wellbeing, only 1% of respondents said that their workload was manageable.
However, it isn’t the sheer volume of work that causes this, more the “fluffload” – the additional tasks that teachers are expected to do that inflate their workload but don’t directly make any difference to students’ education.
Reducing these “fluffload” tasks, either by eliminating them or finding a suitable way to manage them more effectively, may help to reduce the feeling of an unmanageable workload.
How Tes Class Charts can help with behaviour and staff wellbeing
Class Charts is a simple classroom management tool designed to help teachers reclaim teaching time lost to administrative tasks, transform behaviour management and improve communication with parents. With simple and easy-to-use tools, Class Charts makes it easier for teachers to focus on what really matters – pupil success.