Support Team Well-Being
Every member of the team strives professionally and thrives as a person!
Try the empathy lens:
Be a fly on the wall: Go and do a home visit or shadow a support team member to understand what their day looks like.
Step into the shoes: Replace a support team member and do their work for a day.
We experienced...
When new members joined our support team, they often shared how wonderful it felt to be trusted and respected, and how different this was to their previous schools.
Watch Kiran share the incident which sparked the design of the support team well-being support program.
Our Insights
- Over the years, time and again, our support team shared with us that the simple acts of care that we showed like inviting them to play games or have food with teachers and students went a long way in making them feel a sense of belonging.
- They shared with us how in other setups they had experienced that people doing the intellectual work were valued more and that they felt a sense of exclusion and no emotional ownership of the school they served.
- It became increasingly clear that what we found as common sense had long term manifestations and now needed to be time-tabled. Thus, it transformed from just a good intention to the structured ‘Thrive and Strive’ calendar with the foundational belief that there is no hierarchy in our work.
we could design a support team well-being program such that every member of the team strives professionally and thrives as a person?
We designed
A well-being program that offered diverse opportunities such as the Strive calendar which included skill and competency building workshops and trainings. This helped the team to sharpen their practice and achieve benchmarks.
The Thrive calendar time-tabled exciting events such as bonding over lunch, meditation sessions, or games to enhance physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being. The support team was also cared for ‘beyond the school’ in terms of health and educational needs.
A clear expectation from children to interact with the support team with respect and kindness.
The fallout of this was that the support team felt a sense of belonging to the school and to each other, and ensured that work as a team was of high quality. We saw that they then took charge of maintaining a safe and happy school environment!
Here is What we Do
This process video helps make visible the actioning of the ‘Thrive & Strive’ calendar for support team well-being.
In this video you will understand the relevance behind the program, and see glimpses of the different cognitive, physical, socio-emotional and spiritual investments made throughout the year. Support team members also share their feedback on the program, and the impact is made visible!
Meet the Stakeholders
Eduhero Ritu Agrawal has been an energetic administrator at The Riverside School for more than a decade now. She is a natural at multi-tasking and her love for children drives her to do her best everyday!
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4:42
a) FAQ Video
Watch how the Support team well-being program helps Ritu to invest in the Cognitive, Social, Emotional, Physical and Spiritual well-being of her team.
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2:15
b) Impact Video
Watch how being the support team well-being manager impacts Ritu’s practice and helps her to make the school ecosystem more inclusive.
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4:35
Support team voice
Here the support team share their insights on the program, and the impact that is has had upon them!
Tips for the Leader
- Ensure that the support team well-being is time-tabled for and that there is someone who champions their cause.
- Mindfully look for opportunities to listen to your support team and make sure that they feel heard.
- When there are events, make them feel special by highlighting and spotlighting their work.
- Keep asking, “What’s next in the well-being calendar?”
Be sure to help your support team shine and smile :-)
Share with us your experience of how you have used this process in your context, any challenges you might have faced or just inspire us with your story :-)
Still Curious?
Write us any questions you have about this process, and we’ll get back to you.
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