Taking time to address the stress that your employees face at work can improve the health of your business and the wellbeing of your staff. A stress-free working environment can lead to reduced staff turnover and sickness resulting in a more viable setting.
Nursery owners have a duty of care to assess the risk of work-related stress, defined by the Health and Safety Executive as, 'the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them'. For nursery practitioners this could be anything from a backlog of paperwork to covering for absent colleagues and dealing with a difficult child.
Rachel Dolman, owner of Farlington Day Nursery in Portsmouth, acknowledges the pressure that her staff can be under. 'Working with children is hard,'
she says. 'It only takes a couple of children who are not 100 per cent and they want to be picked up all day. Some days all the children cry at once or staff have off-days or stresses at home. It can be the hardest job ever.'
Vicious circle
Topping the bill of stressful situations is colleague sickness, says Angela McQuitty, manager of Lexden Lodge Kindergarten in Colchester. She calls it the 'bugbear of nursery life'. But, ironically, stress is the single largest cause of occupational ill-health, accounting for around half of all days lost to work-related ill health - it's a vicious circle.
Sinead Tennant, manager of Early Years Childcare's Brighton nursery, says, 'It can cause a lot of stress for the nursery workers when a staff member is unexpectedly off sick and they have to arrange cover early in the morning. A bank or agency person may not know the routine which brings extra pressure on the other staff in the room who have to go through the induction procedure and help them out.'
The nursery combats this stressful situation in several ways including monitoring sickness and having 'return to work' interviews. Staff are encouraged to report possible absences as soon as possible and there is a 'room buddy' system where they can ask a designated person to swap shifts for situations like an emergency doctor appointment.
Sinead Tennant adds, 'We also try whenever possible to use the same people from the bank staff so that there is consistency for the children and staff. We also have some "float roles" in our nursery, whose role is specifically to cover sickness and annual leave.'
Similar pressures can occur when practitioners are inducting staff. 'They can be wary about a new person's capabilities,' says Angela McQuitty. 'We prepare the new staff by getting them to work in each of the rooms so that they get used to the routines and all of the staff before being placed in a room. This helps them to blend in.'
Regularly refreshing all staff on policies and procedures can reduce the potential stress of daily work, such as caring for a child who has a food allergy. Having regular supervision time and an appraisal scheme in place will also help support staff.
Carol Cooper, owner of Coneygarth Farm Day Nursery in Haxey, South Yorkshire, highlights paperwork as an increasing stress factor for childcarers. She says, 'This is a Government-produced stress with the introduction of different qualifications and curriculums. For example, staff have got used to delivering Birth to Three Matters and the Foundation Stage but now that is all changing.'
To counteract this burden, she employs supernumerary managers to cover for colleagues while they plan sessions or get on top of paperwork.
She adds, 'Nursery nurses can be on their feet all day. It can be especially stressful in the baby room if all the children are crying. We tell staff to let us know if they need time out. The supernumerary manager is sympathetic.'
Take time out
Rachel Dolman agrees on the importance of regular breaks. 'I have talked to my staff about stress management and said that if they feel enough is enough then they should let me or the deputy know. We are supernumerary and can step in while they have a break and a cup of tea. It is important to tell staff this,' she says.
The tension of balancing work with home demands can be immense. Carol Cooper says it is important for nursery managers to be as adaptable as possible with working hours.
She explains, 'One lady was working full time but found that she could not juggle work with her family, so we changed her contract so that she could work three days a week. We would much rather her work three days and do her best than struggle with five days.'
Managers should also be aware of the potential for staff stress being passed on to children. 'Working with someone else's children is not like working in an office,' says Lynne Walden, owner of Ferndene Nursery, Darlington. 'We want children to feel safe, secure and happy, so on occasions when a member of staff is distressed we have advised them to go home and deal with it.'
Happy staff
Creating a nursery culture where the team share ideas and discuss issues, such as child behaviour, can help staff to tackle challenges and develop coping mechanisms before they become stressful.
Dealing with a difficult parent can be as onerous as dealing with a difficult child. 'Managers or deputies become stressed when they are chasing unpaid fees or tackling issues such as a child not wanting to come to nursery, when the parents think that it's because of a member of staff when actually it's a situation at home,' says Lynne Walden.
'Dealing with these situations can be difficult. Senior staff discuss them with me and if there are further difficulties I get the parents in to speak to me. It is key that staff know they are supported.'
Feeling valued is essential to creating a healthy workplace. Early Years Childcare has a 'Bright Sparks' suggestion scheme for staff to formally contribute ideas. Staff are given thank you letters and sometimes prizes for strong contributions. The company has an independent telephone counselling service that staff can use anonymously to talk through work or personal problems that contribute to stress.
Angela McQuitty runs weekly yoga sessions at Lexden Lodge for staff to join in if they choose. She explains, 'It is very good for relaxation after a busy day and can help staff to de-stress. One staff member has said that she always sleeps soundly after a yoga class.'
Above all, it is essential that staff know that there are senior colleagues that they can talk to. At Ferndene Nursery there isn't a door on the office so that staff can see managers at any time and there is a constant flow of information.
Judith Baxter, manager of St Mary's Nursery in Hexham, Northumberland, says, 'I think it is important to show staff that they are valued and that I take an interest in who they are. There are 16 of us working at the nursery and I have been able to build good working relationships with everyone. The teams chat among themselves and I have weekly meetings with the seniors so that we can try to address issues straight away. I also have an open-door policy and see everyone each day.'
Every couple of months St Mary's staff go on social evenings together to boost morale, encourage team working and 'let their hair down' - a fun way to tackle the stresses of nursery life.
Further information
Stress information
lACAS publishes a free advisory booklet on stress, download from www.ecacas.co.uk
* The Health and Safety Executive has a workplace stress website, www.hse.gov.uk/stress Stress awareness courses
* NDNA's Certificate in Stress Awareness, accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, see www.ndna.org.uk
* Direction Training and Management, e-mail paul.stanton@training-management.co.uk
* Acorn Childcare Training, see www.childcaretraining.co.uk.
* The Centre, see www.the-centre.co.uk
* Common Threads, see www.commonthreads.org.uk
