School leaders’ response to teachers’ non-work related stress

Abstract

Stress, an emotion arising from challenging and demanding life situations, threatens the physical, behavioural and emotional well-being of an individual. The effects of stress ripple their way through both the professional and personal aspects of an individual, thus threatening the serenity of the person while having repercussions on relationships and work performance. A supportive, safe and dignified work environment has been proven to offer reassurance to the employee while endowing him/her with the necessary skills to deal with the stressful situation. In the case of educators, the role of a school leader is therefore critical in helping nurture such a culture at school. This qualitative study was carried out with five Church school leaders. The principal aim of this research was to listen to the school leaders’ voices in order to identify support strategies that proved to be most effective when helping educators overcome periods of non-work related stress (NWRS). Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (IPA). The results revealed that school leaders encounter educators experiencing stressful periods in their life on a daily basis. Effective school leaders work closely with the educator to develop an individualised support framework, wherein they show compassion while offering concrete support. Furthermore, they feel that their position as leaders within Church schools places a moral obligation upon them to be of assistance. As the school leader accompanies the educator through this journey, where the person is helped to heal, act and grow, school leaders themselves may require support from individuals and entities working close to them. This research study may provide an opportunity for thought, reflection and evaluation of different approaches adopted by school leaders when supporting members of their staff experiencing periods of NWRS and of obligations of a school leader to ensure effective leadership.