As you know each half term we focus on a key HR issue to further support schools and academies in managing their extensive HR responsibilities. This half term, we are focusing on culture and conflict resolution, including grievances, mediation and people strategy.
A school’s culture reflects its ethos and collective values. A positive culture promotes inclusivity, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose. Staff who feel respected and supported are more likely to create an environment where students thrive.
A people strategy refers to the employer’ philosophy about its relationship with its employees. It is the approach taken to build and develop the team in order to meet goals now and into the future and where the employer defines its ambition for its people and the culture it wants to operate within.
Prevention is better than cure and setting expectations and providing appropriate training, for example on equalities, bullying and harassment are essential. We will focus more on establishing a positive culture and people strategy next half term.
For now, sadly we have seen a significant rise in workplace conflicts and grievances over recent years. This is not exclusive to schools – a Personnel Today survey last year reported that 30% of employers had seen a significant rise in grievances. The top three reasons for employee grievances are bullying or harassment (67%), relationships with managers (54%) and relationships with colleagues (49%). In education, workload, parental complaints, pupil behaviour, financial and performance pressures all contribute to pressure on staff which in turn can lead to relationship breakdowns.
As with all HR issues, early intervention is essential to prevent issues from escalating. While it is essential to have and follow robust procedures, formal grievances rarely have a positive outcome. Once a judgment is made, the impact of whatever has occurred remains and relationships have to be rebuilt. Better then, to seek to resolve matters informally wherever possible. This involves:
- Encouraging and supporting the parties to talk things through and seek resolution
- Facilitating such discussions where necessary
- Mediation
And of course, management action to tackle inappropriate behaviour as soon as it observed or reported.
Our supporting resources can be found below:
