EDUCATOR WELLNESS
Introduction
In the years since the pandemic, educators have been experiencing increased levels of stress, anxiety, burnout, and other mental health issues. This is due to the changing circumstances we have found ourselves in the last few years, staffing shortages, and just the overall state of our country.
It is very important that we take care of ourselves so that we can take care of our students, who are also experiencing some of these very same issues. Most contracts are incomplete when it comes to language protecting our members’ mental health. This document will highlight some existing contract language that can be used in future negotiations, some additional model language, and other ideas for how to promote member wellness.
Model Language
There are a few ways to add language to your contract as a new Wellness Leave provision. The first would be to include a key provision to existing leave policies, such as:
Leaves
Employees may use any of their existing leaves, whether sick leave, personal days, or earned paid leave for purposes of personal wellness or mental health.
Another example would be to add a separate Wellness Leave Category:
Wellness Leave
Each employee is granted X number of days leave for their own personal wellness or mental health. Regular sick leave notice provisions shall apply to any leave taken for this purpose. Wellness or mental health leave is defined as time needed for the employee to maintain focus, rest, and positive mental health.
Existing Contract Language
Existing language does not need to be complicated, just a simple mention that sick leave can be used for mental health purposes, such as these:
Kittery Education Association
Article 7(A)(1)
Sick leave may be used for both physical illness and mental health purposes…
Another place where the insertion of a simple phrase can make a difference is in the sick leave bank
MSAD 49
Article XV
Sick Leave Bank
- The sick leave bank is available to eligible teachers who are required to be absent from work due to a serious physical or mental health condition that requires treatment from a licensed physician.
Personal Days may be an area of existing contract language that can be used for wellness purposes. However, there are often additional conditions placed on using Personal Days. The following is a typical example:
North Haven Teachers Association
Article III(E)
A Personal Day is a day, which the teacher shall take for any reason, for activities
not able to be conducted outside regular school hours. Personal days shall not be used
prior to or immediately following vacation periods except when agreed upon among the
teacher, the Superintendent and the Principal due only to specific circumstances (e.g.
weather, flight problems beyond the individual’s control, important appointments or
events that cannot be scheduled at another time and religious holidays) without loss of
pay (vacation periods are defined in the school calendar).
Application for a Personal Day must be made a minimum of five (5) working
days in advance (except in emergency situations), using the standard M.S.A.D. #7
Personal Day Application Form. Teachers must submit Personal Day Application Forms
for the Principal’s review for communication and planning purposes. The Principal must
review all applications and respond to the request within two days.
The new Earned Paid Leave law is another place to look for existing language to use as wellness leave. Many contracts, memoranda of agreement, and board policies contain language similar to this:
Quamphegan Education Association
Memorandum of Understanding incorporated into collective bargaining agreement.
- Allowable Uses and Notice Requirements
Earned paid leave may be used for any purpose, but the notice requirements and restrictions differ between emergency and non-emergency purposes.
Emergency Purpose: Earned paid leave may be used for an emergency, illness or other sudden necessity, for which the employee does not have advance notice and is beyond the employee’s control to schedule and is otherwise unforeseeable…
All these examples provide flexibility in how to use the leave provisions already in your contract to take time off for your own well-being and mental health, subject to some notice and approval provisions.
Promoting Member Wellness
Because our members are committed to their jobs and their students, they may need some encouragement and reassurance that it is OK to take time off for themselves. Some ideas include:
- Promote member wellness by highlighting existing leave provisions in communications to the membership and at meetings.
- Organize, plan, and carry out a local organizing campaign around staff wellness to inform the membership, administration, and community of the issues members face.
- Include provisions in your next contract negotiations to specifically address member wellness and mental health and sharing that work with the membership is another way to show your members you are working for their well-being.
- Advocate for members who are struggling. Administration is not always the most understanding and often focused more on the inconvenience to them. Look at anti-bullying language to advocate for members who are being pressured not to take time off when they need it.
- Talk to each other. Look out for members who may show signs of anxiety, stress, burnout, or just not feeling like themselves. Be their friend. Show that you care.
Additional Resources
Most employers have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that is confidential and can be used to help members who are struggling or just need someone to talk to. Encourage your members to take advantage of this program if they need help.
Also, many group insurance plans cover psychological and mental health treatment. This is another resource for your members who need it. For example, MEABT has a Wellness Program, including a Member Assistance Program that provides counseling, dependent care referrals, and other resources.
By talking about these programs more openly, and encouraging members to take advantage of them, hopefully we can normalize mental health treatment so that it is seen on the same level as physical health treatment.
Conclusion
Member wellness is an ongoing concern and only more so given all that our public schools have been through the last few years. There may be contractual ways to allow for members to take the time they need for themselves, and there is always something that can be done to help someone who needs help. By making member wellness a priority, we can be better colleagues, unions, and educators.
If you have any questions please contact your UniServ director.
