A member of staff, who is generally good at her job, is having personal problems. Her stress and tearfulness is now creating an uncomfortable atmosphere within the nursery, with other staff members trying to avoid her. What should we do?
The consensus view is that an effective manager should be able to intervene to stop a problem deteriorating to this level, because they know their staff well enough via team-building exercises and staff appraisals to be able to spot the early warning signs.
As Jane McKeown, manager of the Kids & Co Nursery in Darlington, says, 'Given the average age of nursery staff, 20 to 30, there are bound to be emotional ups and downs. They have so much going on in their lives: forming relationships, getting married, having children, buying a first home, possibly splitting up and getting divorced.'
June O'Sullivan, operations and training manager of the Westminster Children's Society, says young staff may be homesick. 'Often after a weekend, homesickness can kick in. We have girls who have moved away from home for the first time and London can be quite daunting if you do not know your way around.'
A manager working with a close-knit team may be seen as a 'mother-figure' with a comforting shoulder to cry on. However, it is advisable to be supportive but a little detached.
Diane Sinclair, employee relations adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, says, 'The manager, unless they are trained, is not a counsellor. The reality is that managers have to take on some kind of counselling role at times, but they should not get involved in the detail. It is not necessarily appropriate.'
Rosie Pressland, principal of Pocklington Montessori School, supports an employee through a traumatic time by scheduling daily meetings. 'Perhaps we will meet at the beginning or end of the day or I'll bring in sandwiches and we'll have lunch together in my office. I will outline the various options for where they can go for advice and help so they can work out what to do. The next day we re-cap and talk about what they have decided to do and go on from there. People can be very resilient if they know there is someone there supporting them.'
Jane McKeown will reorganise someone's work roster for a few days to take them off the front line. 'When someone's granny dies, for example, they will come to work the week of the funeral and be feeling low and perhaps not up to talking to the parents. There are always jobs that need doing. I say, "Come and work with me in the office today" and let them get absorbed in an administrative job.'
Further information
- The National Day Nurseries Association runs courses on all aspects of nursery management in conjunction with Early Years Partnerships. Contact your local partnership for information.
- The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is the professional body for those involved in the management and development of people. It runs courses and operates an extensive bookshop. Details can be found on its website: www.cipd.co.uk
- Action points: managing staff personal problems
- Never ignore the problem and allow it to develop until it impacts on the other staff, children and parents.
- If there are enough staff available, take the person outside for a chat. If not, say, "Take ten minutes out to settle yourself and we will talk later".'
- Try to find ways to support the person. If they are homesick, run a team building exercise or organise a staff night out, or try to link them up with another staff member from the same area.
- Point out that the children can be confused and upset by a staff member crying, and if it happens frequently they will avoid that adult, thus increasing the workload on the rest of the team. Someone who is constantly miserable is depressing for everybody else.
- Consider running a staff training session on personal skills, showing how to present oneself in a positive manner and reminding them that negative body language such as hunched shoulders and poor eye contact fosters a negative response.
- If someone is acting out of character and seems stressed, take them to one side and find out if there is a problem. But balance your desire to know if your staff are performing properly with the individual's right to privacy.
- Support the staff member by outlining the range of help available. If necessary offer to rearrange shifts to enable someone to attend an appointment.
- Citizens Advice Bureaux offer advice on legal and financial issues. Private counselling is expensive but many GPs now offer counselling services. Voluntary organisations such as Relate deal with relationship breakdown, while Cruise offers bereavement counselling.
- Be flexible about allowing staff to take unpaid leave to sort out problems, while you keep closely in touch and encourage the person's colleagues to do so too. This will help the employee feel that they have not been forgotten and make it easier for them to return and fit back into the team. A person on unpaid leave is still an employee so service entitlements such as maternity leave and pension provisions still apply.
- If the problem persists, take account of your resources, that is, whether you can continue to operate effectively while this person is not performing properly. Consider disciplinary action. Invite the staff member to an interview on performance and point out the impact their behaviour is having.
- If the behaviour becomes a very long-term problem you may have to consider dismissal on the grounds that the employee is not performing. If you take this course, consider your legal position carefully and be sure you follow the proper procedures. Remember, how you treat a member of staff sends out messages to your other staff and parents.
