How Leadership Can Build Morale
Although well-being is a shared responsibility of both the leaders and the individual staff members, one of the biggest factors that impact staff morale is leadership. Here are 12 well-being activities we’ve implemented in our workplace that have had a positive impact on people individually and the collective group as a whole.
1. The Fruit Box:
Every Monday morning, we have a fruit box delivered to our staff room and anyone can help themselves to the seasonal, fresh fruit. This has been very successful. You can google fruit companies that deliver in your local area.
2. Appreciation Box
We have a shoe sized box in our staff room with small note pads beside it. People write notes of appreciation throughout the week for individual teachers and place them in the box. On Friday, the notes are read out at morning tea and everyone celebrates that person with a round of applause.
3. Strength Emails
Using the Langley Group Strength Cards, I chose a card that was pertinent to each staff member, photographed it and emailed it to them with a message of how I see them demonstrating that strength at work. Note: This is time consuming and possibly not sustainable, but the staff LOVED them, and that is what matters. Find a way to leave a personal note to each staff member as often as possible.
4. Stationery Basket
This one was a big hit! We spent $80 on stationery from K-Mart: journals, pens, note pads, post it notes, etc. We placed them all in a basket in the staff room with a note that said, “Help Yourself to Something.” Teachers were thrilled!
5. FOOD – It’s Always a Winner!
Cheese & Cracker Friday
We put out a plate of cheese and crackers on a Friday morning for the staff to enjoy. It was well received and appreciated. I’m not talking fancy cheese – a big block of edam can last a few weeks. A packet of crackers costs $2. A good investment, I’d say.
Bubbles
Surprise your team! One Friday afternoon we went over our intercom and said that everyone had to come to the staff room right at 3.15pm. A notice like this is usually reserved for serious events. However, this time we had bubbles and strawberries ready to be served and once everyone was settled, the senior leadership team
said a big thank you to everyone for all of their hard work.
Hot Breakfast
One morning we had a big cook up before an early morning meeting. The bacon, eggs, hash browns and pancakes went down as a real treat.
Mid-Winter Christmas Drinks
Last year, we baked Christmas mince pies for our staff and served them with mulled wine after work. Make the most of festive occasions!
6. Pamper Packs
One of our teachers put together a small pamper package for our staff when they had to work late on site one evening. It was inexpensive – brown paper bags filled with a face mask, chocolates and a water bottle.
7. Postcards
I make my own thank you cards through Vistaprint. They are easy to design and I personalise them with messages that are specific to praising employees. I have a stash in my top drawer and from time to time, I write thank you notes that are specific to each individual. It’s lovely to walk by work spaces and see them pinned up behind their desks.
8. Time to Talk
Block out a weekly slot in your diary to head into classrooms before the children arrive to talk with teachers in their space. Get curious about how they are doing and what their current challenges are.
9. Quotes
I put a new quote on our fridge door in our staffroom every week. Quotes are little nuggets of self-help and inspiration. Sometimes I put up quotes about children and education, but mostly they’re about self-care and growth mindset.
10. Get Off Site!
I booked a night at a restaurant that holds pizza and pasta classes for a large group. This is a fabulous staff outing. Drinks on arrival, kneading your own dough and enjoying a pizza or pasta together. It’s an awesome team building event!
11. Affirmation Posters
One of our stationery providers sells A3 sized posters with inspirational affirmations. I left the brochure in the staff room for team members to browse and they could choose one poster each for their classrooms.
12. Release
Teachers love being released, as time is such a valuable commodity in a school. As often as you can, release teachers from duty or go and teach in their class, giving them the gift of time. It’s a win/win!