WHY Your School Organization Should Care About Boundaries
Healthy boundaries protect teacher wellbeing and prevent burnout.
BUT:
It can be stressful to set boundaries if no one else in your community is doing so.
It can be stressful to set boundaries if you fear coworkers will react negatively.
It can be stressful to set workload limits if unreasonable work expectations are normalized in the school culture.
What we need is for whole organizations to come together to practice healthy boundaries as a community, starting Day 1 of the school year.
I understand the fear of asking educators to do less with student outcomes on the line. So if the benefit of staff wellbeing isn’t compelling enough, check out a few other powerful benefits of setting intentional, staff-wide boundaries below.
If your organization does not have a specific plan to protect teacher wellbeing and prevent staff-wide burnout this school year yet, make sure to attend our free upcoming webinar.
WHY Your School Organization Should Care About Boundaries.
I.
Practicing boundaries as an organization INCREASES EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND SATISFACTION.
Boundaries provide clear expectations to help teachers feel safe, supported, and respected in interactions with their coworkers. As that professional trust is built, teachers feel comfortable asking for help, giving help, and innovating together.
II.
Practicing boundaries as an organization REDUCES CONFLICT AMONG STAFF.
When your coworkers practice healthy boundaries, they practice clear, kind communication. When there’s a conflict it is quickly and respectfully handled between the people who have a conflict. Fewer conflicts means lower stress and more focus on the next task at hand.
III.
Practicing boundaries as an organization leads to HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY.
That’s right. The fear that work boundaries will lead to lower productivity/outcomes has been debunked. Boundaries mean there’s clear communication of expectations and of the needs of each individual. This means that fewer deadlines are missed, there’s greater trust and collaboration among employees, and there’s less stress to stymie the creative process.
2 Quotes from Others
I.
“Culture is what motivates and retains talented employees” - Betty Thompson
II.
“How management chooses to treat its people impacts everything for better or for worse.” - Simon Sinek
1 Question For You
What intentional systems is your school community putting in place to protect teacher wellbeing in the school year to come?
To get started with a plan that works, make sure to join us for our upcoming webinar.
If you found this week’s 3-2-1 helpful, share it with an educator you care about :)
Until next week,
Emily Hemmingson
Health Coach for Teachers
Founder of The Teacher Wellness Center
Protect Teacher Wellbeing at Your School by Attending Our Upcoming Webinar!
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