As we enter the holiday season, many educators are counting down the days and even hours until the break. In addition to celebrating with family, the holiday break has become critical to combating exhaustion and burn out.
Unfortunately, according to a recent paper published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, teachers’ well-being doesn’t fully recover over the winter break. The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Sheffield and City, University of London, looked at primary and secondary school teachers’ levels of anxious mood, depressed mood, and exhaustion before, during, and after the winter break and found that they were still experiencing high levels of exhaustion by the time school starts again for the January term.
Here are a few statistics that show the gravity of the situation:
The top teacher burnout statistics of 2023:
- K-12 teachers are the #1 most burnt-out profession in the United States. This is 14% higher than in other industries (Gallup).
- 44% of teachers in K-12 report often or always feeling burnout.
- About 28% of educators experience symptoms of depression, almost double other professions (Forbes).
- 55% of teachers reported plans to leave the education field sooner than planned (Wall Street Journal).
- 30% of teachers were found to be chronically absent (SEF, Southern Education Foundation).
- 37% of senior leaders in education experience signs of burnout, the highest among all categories in education staff (Teacher Wellbeing Index 2022).
Why are our educators this tired and worn out?
Teachers are the backbone of our school communities and are key in the development of our next generation, yet schools all over the country struggle with staffing their communities with qualified people. When they do, they struggle to take care of them–either because of resource issues or because they don’t know how. Without this care, the great passion and idealism of the new educators evaporates in a few short years.
Telling our teachers to engage in “self care” is not enough; school communities must proactively and aggressively support them in targeted and consistent ways to help them keep their passion alive as they face the daily challenges of their profession.
There are several things we can do to prevent teacher burnout. Most importantly, we can proactively create a culture of belonging for our staff, in which they feel valued, cared about, and supported. This will not eliminate concerns about resources or how often educators are faced with incredibly challenging situations, but it makes a remarkable difference in how staff feel as they come to work each day.
How much difference can this make? According to The Value of Belonging at Work, Harvard Business Review, 2019, the benefits of a strong culture of belonging include:
- 56% increase in job performance
- 50% drop in turnover risk
- 75% reduction in sick days
Unsure how to create a culture of belonging that supports your staff’s well being (and curbs burn out), not just during the holidays, but all the time? There is so much we can do. Read on for one research-backed tip that you can incorporate in your school community immediately!
Get Close!
Research shows that physical proximity matters. Human beings tend to feel connected with people they share physical space with. In offices, those who have desks close together speak more often and feel a stronger sense of kinship. Yet teachers and educational staff are often siloed in classrooms and offices, leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness. This fuels burnout and decreases morale. If you want to prevent burnout in your staff, the first thing you need to do is intentionally combat this isolation.
We have many tools for supporting educators, the first of which is called “collisioning.”
“Collisions” are personal interactions between team members that promote connection and give the message that we are in this together. These are not planned meetings and have no purpose other than reinforcing connection, psychological safety, and helping to build a culture of belonging. Collisions occur when a leader or others in the community walk around the community and stop to talk to the teachers and staff they bump into, taking a few minutes to hear about their lives, their triumphs, and their challenges.
These precious collision moments are important, particularly for employees to have a leader in their community focus on them as an individual, investing time and energy in them, even for a few minutes. Remember, the amygdalas in our brains are wired to sense danger at all times, and often even thoughtful, kind bosses can fall into the “dangerous” category for those who work under their leadership.
As school communities, we have to be intentional about creating these opportunities for our staff. These collision moments can be at arrivals, during lunch, and after school. Whether you are helping during morning carline, heating up your lunch in the community kitchen, or watering plants in the hallway, this is a chance to ask about your team’s personal life, and help your teachers feel connected with you and the school community as a whole.
It’s tempting to “talk shop” during these precious moments, but research shows that if we can connect on a personal level instead, it supports employee morale by helping your staff see that you value them as a person, and not just as a cog in the machine.
We know school leaders are busy, but if you’re committed to preventing burnout in your school community, scheduling just an hour a week for collinsioning will make a big difference in your community!
Want more practical tips for cultivating a culture of belonging? Attend our workshop Building a Staff Culture of Belonging: A Vehicle for Organizational Growth, Satisfaction, and Investment. During this workshop, we’ll teach you how to prevent teacher burnout and improve employee retention by providing dozens of strategies and practices for building a culture of belonging in your community.
