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Treat Your Staff
Treat Your Staff

Supporting staff as the schools reopen

Advice by David Price, Workplace Wellbeing Expert and CEO, Health Assured

Schools are now open and children across the UK have headed back to education after many months at home.

For many, who are anxious about childcare as they return to work, this is a blessing. But to others, itโ€™s a worryโ€”coronavirus is still an issue, and thereโ€™s uncertainty in some circles about the return. After all, the safety of staff, pupils, parents and the wider community must come first.

The official guidance on reopening schools is reasonably robust, with assessments, systems of control and contingency measures in place. But not everyone is going to have the time to read themโ€”or even really, know that theyโ€™re there.

Itโ€™s essential to make sure that people are reassured and convinced that their children and families are safe in the event of a full return. As an employer, you should be taking steps to assure and minimise anxiety, allow for worries that may affect peopleโ€™s ability to work, and leading by example. Here are some ways to navigate the return to schoolโ€”and workโ€”for everyone.

Communicate
People, as we say, may be anxious. Sending a young child to school, when youโ€™re not 100% certain that their safety is guaranteed, can be challenging. But there are plenty of resources which serve to reassure. For example, the guidance for parents and carers of children attending out-of-school settings during the coronavirus outbreak is regularly updated and applies to the autumn term. It includes explanations of risk assessments, protective measures, and expectations that are set in place for all school and school-related activitiesโ€”and importantly, these measures are stringent. PPE, testing, tracing and distancing are all recommended, with face coverings to be made available if required.

Talk openly about this. Regular updates, in which these measures are promoted and celebrated, will reach far more employees than the dry press releases that accompany these measures. Thereโ€™s some confusion over mixed messaging, which is contributing to the air of anxiety around reopeningโ€”you can reduce this by presenting the facts.

Listen
A lot of people are going to have concerns. After all, family and wellbeing are the most important things on most peoplesโ€™ minds, and some of the mixed messaging around is doing little to reassure.

The best way to handle this is by being open, caring, and listening. Let people voice their worries and concerns. A lot of the time, people want their voice to be heardโ€”and when theyโ€™re allowed to speak freely, much of the time thatโ€™s reassurance enough.

Act
As you listen, youโ€™re going to hear a lot of different stories from a lot of different circumstances. This is a positive thingโ€”the best way to build a resilient workplace is to understand everyone who is a part of it. But listening doesnโ€™t mean anything if you donโ€™t listen carefully and act upon the things you learn.

Some people will be clinically vulnerable or have children in the same circumstance. Some will be nervous about available childcare. Many will have concerns about the safety of the workplace.

Advice, guidance, and reassure. Schools have, as mentioned earlier, stringent guidelines in place, and are as safe as can be. Your workplace should have had risk assessments, plans in place, and measures to stop the potential spread of coronavirus.

The trick is to be confident, to be truthful, and walk it as you talk it. Lead by example, and as September rolls around, and the kids go back to their routine, your own routine will follow suit.