4. Encourage Staff Wellness

Encouraging staff to pursue healthy lifestyles is an important part of school wellness on a number of levels. First, next to parents, teachers are children's most important role models. Staff eating habits, their activity levels, their response to stress and other health-related issues make a big impression on children. With greater energy and a positive outlook, teachers are better able to cope with classroom demands and may be more able to assist students in promoting health and developing their own stress management skills. Second, attention to wellness improves the overall school environment: studies show that staff morale is higher, health care costs are reduced, and staff are more productive and miss fewer days, promoting continuity and learning. The resulting “culture of health” helps overcome barriers and promote positive change throughout the school.

Challenges
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For the most part, schools have overlooked the link between staff wellness, quality instruction and student achievement. Staff development programs mainly emphasize the content of curriculum and instructional techniques. Helping staff become healthier, happier, better role models for students has yet to be widely embraced within the educational community. Workplace wellness and employee assistance programs are not available to most school personnel, either. But they should be: with increasing work loads and performance requirements, teachers are under increasing levels of stress, which is taking a toll on their physical and emotional well-being. Overworked staff can have difficulty making time for wellness-related activities during the school day, taking adequate time for lunch or finding opportunities to exercise, leading to illness, “burnout” and high rates of teacher turnover.

Standards

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There are no applicable standards for staff wellness. However, a number of programs address workplace wellness in general and schools in particular. See Box or Documents and Resources.

SCHOOL STAFF WELLNESS

Recommendations of The National Association of State Boards of Education [pdf]

A staff wellness plan could include the components listed below. Schools should not be expected to implement all these elements at once. Starting with just a few of the elements listed below can provide the foundation for evolution to a more comprehensive program.

Educational activities for school staff members on healthy lifestyle behaviors, eating, physical activity, and injury prevention.

Installation of convenient walking tracks and fitness equipment, or making arrangements for staff use of public recreation centers or private fitness facilities with organized programs and incentives to encourage their use.

Application of nutritional standards for foods and beverages in vending machines available to staff members.

Policies to prohibit all tobacco use on school grounds by students, staff members, and school visitors.

Establishment of peer support groups for weight management, stress management, tobacco-use cessation, family guidance, and other identified issues.

Time during the school day, such as “release time,” during which teachers and other staff members can participate in health-promoting activities.

Administration of flu shots at school.

Periodic screening at school for blood pressure, blood cholesterol, body mass index, and other health indicators.

Annual administration of individual health-risk appraisals to help staff members establish personal health-improvement goals.

Encouragement of staff members to set medical appointments for screening for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases.

Linkages to established Employee Assistance Programs.

An ongoing assessment process to update and improve the effectiveness of the staff wellness plan.

For a copy of these recommendation, see Documents and Resources.

Guiding Principles

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(Click on any of the items listed below to read more)

Educate

Teachers and other staff need to be educated about the connection between their eating and exercise habits and their health. Teachers also may not realize how much influence their physical and mental response to stress influences their students’ habits and behaviors. Offering an educational session on stress management and healthy lifestyles at school can be a good way to open up a dialogue about this subject.

Involve unions

Teachers’ unions have a vested interest in improving working conditions for their members, and ensuring that schools provide an environment that promotes staff wellness is an appropriate issue. They may also see wellness programs as a potential benefit that they can facilitate on behalf of their members. Be sure to include the union representative on the school wellness team and involve the representative in the process of planning any staff wellness initiatives.

Provide ample support

Just telling staff to “shape up” is ineffective unless you provide tools and support to assist them. Obviously, not every school can provide facilities or equipment specifically for staff use. A staff membership to the local YMCA or health club could be a good incentive for staff who may be uncomfortable exercising on-site. There are a number of weight-loss, smoking cessation and fitness programs available for the workplace that can be adapted to the school environment. Some of these programs have newsletters, magazines and websites that give staff access to information and support. For specific suggestions, see Documents and Resources.

Engage healthcare providers

Along with the school nurse, local hospitals and the school's health insurance provider can be great allies in promoting staff wellness. Hospitals and clinics may be able to provide voluntary screenings, educational programs, stress management resources and access to support services in the local community – some of which might be covered by health insurance.

Offer rewards and incentives

With our demanding schedules, most of us need help staying with a healthy eating or fitness program. Offering incentives or recognition for individual or team achievement, or even initiating contests and competition can build esprit de corps and keep staff involved and interested.

Action Areas

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(Click on any of the items listed below to read more)

Health Screening

School nurses can function as an internal health resource for the whole school, including the adults who work there. Some school nurses are including teachers and administrators in their routine health screenings and including that information in an overall assessment of the school community's health. Of course, staff screening must be approached with the same sensitivity and confidentiality applied to student testing. For assessment and wellness screening resources, see Documents and Resources.

On-Site Support

Partner with a local hospital, fitness center, insurance provider or YMCA. In addition, numerous weight-loss, smoking cessation and fitness programs are available for the workplace that can be adapted to the school environment. Some of these programs offer workshops, stress management programs, or support groups, or you could start a staff wellness support group of your own. See Documents and Resources for links and information.

Adopting Healthy Lifestyles

A number of these organizations offer newsletters, magazines and websites containing information that can help school staff adopt healthy lifestyles. These materials can be used in handouts, reprinted in the school newsletter, posted in the teachers’ lounge or included in the school intranet site. See Small Changes/Big Payoffs below, view our Tip Sheet or visit our Documents and Resources for more information.

SMALL CHANGES/BIG PAYOFFS

Adults, like children, can improve health and fitness just by making small changes in their eating and activities throughout the day. For instance, substitute three cups of air-popped popcorn for two ounces of potato chips twice a week. Or take a brisk 30 minute walk rather than sitting on the couch watching TV after work. For a Tip Sheet containing more of these suggestions and how they affect your health, see Documents and Resources.

Physical Activity

A number of schools have started walking programs and other efforts to encourage physical activity by staff. Consider creating a “wellness team” that focuses on health and fitness for employees. Popular activities include walking clubs, running teams, and periodic testing of health issues such as high blood pressure screenings.

JUST RELEASED: SCHOOL EMPLOYEE WELLNESS

A Guide for Protecting the Assets of Our Nation's Schools has just been released by the Directors of Health Promotion and Education. The comprehensive guide provides information, practical tools and resources for school employee wellness programs. It will help schools, school districts and states develop and support the implementation of school employee wellness programs that promote employee health, improve workforce productivity and reduce the costs of employee absenteeism and healthcare. This report can be viewed in our Documents and Resources section.

Click here to find out more on School Health’s website

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