Priority: Well-being

REPORT BY THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

The main focus of the work carried out by the HR section of the administration has been focussed on putting the well-being of the staff as a priority. This is not the section where one goes into the well-being of the students as that is handled by other sections and staff of the college. Over the past year, this office homed in on the wellness of the staff, all the staff. After a period of two years where the efforts made by all to keep not just the College ship afloat but to keep it sailing on course were, to put it succinctly, heroic, it was time to recognise the efforts and create a balance. Adaptation on the fly, a blurring of lines between teaching time and personal time, new techniques to suit new realities – all these, for two years, became part of the ‘new norm’. The college administration observed all that was happening, all the effort put in and all the changes people made.

Sometimes people complained – who would not? It was more of a human need to vent than a real complaint though, in most cases. This set the college thinking: how can people off-load when they need someone to listen to them? Not simply a friend, that is a personal matter. Sometimes one need the ear of someone knowledgeable, who can give tips on how to handle difficult situations. For, make no mistake: our staff is human: They come to college and do their job but they are happy, sad, bereaved, exhausted, worried and whatever else anyone may feel. And they too need a shoulder, a bigger shoulder than HR can provide. The college therefore initiated a process to try and find a support system which would give the staff professional assistance while respecting their need for confidentiality. This process is on-going and is currently being put to staff for consultation.

Another aspect which we thought might promote well-being was the introduction of a Health Insurance for all staff. This was a major exercise which took several months of compilation, comparison and eventually negotiation. The exercise came at a cost but the college felt it was only right to invest in the health and peace of mind of the staff which make it the great place to work at that it is. We now have a health insurance system in place which comes in packages and one is pleased to note also that many have opted to upgrade the packages offered. This indicates that the staff not only appreciate the initiative but also feel they can build on it and personalise it.

Many suffer from the ‘Morning Blues’. This the college is aware of since it is a syndrome not restricted to the education sector. However, the college felt it could do something about it and it did. After considerable discussion, it was decided that the college day would be shortened. Balance was the key word here: the need for balance between work and professional development for the staff and the balance between academia and learning through doing (extra-curricular) for the students. This necessitated some manoeuvring as we were not envisaging any decrease in teaching time: lessons are lessons and they are the seed-bed for the future of the students. We addressed this issue by reducing break times and to compensate, created a raft of extra-curricular activities which are both structured and educational as well as being a good outlet for the energy of young students. In the meantime, this time shift has also enabled the teachers find time to put in meeting times to discuss professional issues. In a day of full contact, as the teaching day is, professional development and discussion often falls by the wayside, a victim to more pressing issues. The shortening of the college day has enabled a redress of this balance which, we believe, will be a trendsetter to other educational institutions.

With that, one comes naturally to the issue of recruitment, another major operation for the human resource section. Judging by the number of adverts, one can conclude that the college has a normal turnover of educational staff. Also, the college seems to be looking for the same kind of staff as other educational establishments. This underscores the great lacuna in the employment section which is beyond the competence of the college. Calls for various posts were issued and matching the candidates to the positions was a long and delicate process. It has to be if one is to ensure that the ‘best fit’ is obtained. Taking time in this phase reduces the possibility of staff leaving due to unmet expectations on both sides. On top of all these initiatives comes the day to day running of the college, a monumental task in itself. From replacements of teachers to replacements of equipment, from co-ordinating the senior management team to coordinating team building, from Student files to staff files, the day is a busy one and the routine never lets up. One of the more touching moments of the year is the production of the School leaving Certificate for the Year 11s. With each certificate that is printed, one sees, in the mind’s eye, the student as they developed through the years at college, frequently from a tiny tot to a strapping young adult. It is a bitter-sweet moment as these youths finish their arc of compulsory education and move on to work on their future. However, the mind rests easy in knowing that one has done one’s duty by these children.

And so, on to the next year, with undeterred optimism.