Supporting employee wellbeing

00:00 – Why are we talking about educator wellbeing?

01:30 – Building your team is a labour of love

02:20 – You’re not interviewing just an educator but a human being

03:30 – Bringing your whole self to work

04:50 – We care for our employees – without your team you don’t have a nursery

05:20 – You have to be the pillar of strength 100% of the time as a leader

06:45 – Leaders should show their vulnerability

08:40 – The team supporting the leader

09:40 – Why did you create Edufeel?

10:25 – Daily check-ins

11:55 – Unspoken dialogue is important

12:45 – Baboons and humans – what do they have in common?

14:00 – Educators come across as unicorns with no problems

15:15 – Stress is contagious – both for other adults and children

16:15 – It’s not always about offering solutions all the time

17:30 – Stigma is suffocating

18:30 – The cycles of mental health

19:40 – The ‘Sunday scaries’ and seasonal depression

21:30 – Leaning into mental health cycles and patterns

22:20 – But are we opening up a can of worms?

22:50 – Focus on the long term with your team

24:20 – Don’t allow bottling – create space for challenging conversations

25:10 – A wellbeing category for every staff meeting

26:00 – Staff meeting tip 1: What do you admire about yourself?

26:50 – Staff meeting tip 2: Silent human knot challenge (constant unspoken problem solving)

27:55 – Staff meeting tip 3: The power of play for adults and not just children

29:00 – Staff meeting tip 4: Show and tell

30:39 – Self-care is not always the nice fluffy stuff

31:50 – Help your team to get things off their shoulders

32:40 – A wellbeing evening: Allowing your team to take time for themselves

35:00 – Employees, ask yourselves: Is this a healthy place for me to be? Does it have a detrimental effect on me?

36:07 – Employers, ask yourselves: What is making people stay here? How consistent are you with your wellbeing approach?

37:00 – Is your wellbeing approach embedded?

37:40 – 1 in 4 of the early years workforce are considering leaving the sector due to stress or mental health difficulties

39:00 – If you can’t self-regulate then how on earth are you going to co-regulate?

39:50 – Passionate, well qualified, amazing educators are leaving the sector

43:30 – Sharing your feelings or your mental state provides a sense of relief

45:15 – Knowing your team’s love language

46:00 – Praise and feeling valued is vital: Send a letter of appreciation

48:00 – A happy team is good for business

49:00 – Knowing your team’s individual needs, just like the unique child

50:50 – Identify emerging patterns in the team e.g. do you need to arrange a sleep workshop for your team?

52:00 – Looking at individualised and wider team data you can rely on as an owner or manager

54:00 – Does this feel intrusive?

54:50 – Return on investment? The proof is that your team is staying: You can’t put a figure on wellbeing and mental health

56:15 – The need to feel heard and know that people are aware of how you are feeling

01:00:50 – Supporting new members of staff to settle and feel welcome

01:02:40 – You are within your rights to have wellbeing support from your employer