Corporate wellness programs are becoming very popular to reduce absenteeism, boost productivity and improve morale. According to survey results released in December, 2005 health promotion programs were being implemented by seventy-five percent of large employers, which is up from 2003 by almost twenty five percent. The increase in these programs suggests that they have been successful in reducing workplace stress and the negative consequences associated with that stress.
Although every job comes with a certain degree of stress, it has been well documented that many professionals in social service jobs (i.e. teachers, nurses, social workers) become emotionally exhausted due to the high degree of stress associated with their jobs. Freudenberger (1974) was one of the first people to write about this "burnout" which leads to a lack of energy and overall loss of sense of purpose and accomplishment. Clearly, schools need to provide supports to buffer stress in teachers.
A visit to almost any public elementary school will yield a sobering view of the current supports in place to buffer teacher stress. One of these supports includes "the teachers' lounge". If you've ever been in a teachers' lounge you will surely recall the mismatched chairs, fluorescent lighting, and hand-me-down coffee maker and microwave. The teachers' lounge is virtually a spa getaway.
It seems to me that for very little cost, school districts can at least spruce up the lounges so they are actually relaxing places to regroup between classes. In addition, I would like to see school districts take some of the initiative that the corporate world has taken to support wellness in their staff. How about weekly meditation workshops, subsidized gym or yoga memberships, even a healthy cooking workshop might be nice. The bottom line is that school districts must do more to support teachers so that they do not suffer burnout and lose their sense of purpose.
SOURCES: Bruce Kelley, Ph.D., practice leader for data services, Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Minneapolis; Doug Evans, Ph.D., director, Center for Health Promotion Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, N.C.; Sept. 12, 2005, press release, RTI International; Dec. 6, 2005, press release, Watson Wyatt and National Business Group on Health; March 2006 issue brief, National Business Group on Health's Center for Prevention and Health Services, Ten Recommendations for Promoting Prevention. Freudenberger, H. J. (1974). Staff burn-out. Journal of Social Issues, 30, 159-165.
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