Virginia O’Mahony IPPN Work/Life Balance

“Each of us here today has a role in developing working environments that are supportive of work - life balance. My message today is to ask each of you to play your part in making work life balance an everyday reality in workplaces throughout Ireland”. (Mr. Tony Killeen, Minister for Labour Affairs, at the “Work Life Balance day 2007 – 1 st March”)

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Limited Choices for Principal  Job-sharing?  Flexitime?  Annualised Hours?  Part-time?  Term time working?  Sabbaticals?

Work/Life Balance A principal’s life is taken over by stealth, incrementally, steadily and very quickly. We will only be able to reclaim our lives if we consciously plan to do so

 The key to positive work/life balance lies in one’s Attitude

Attitude [ Charles Swindoll]  ‘The longer I live, the more I realise the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

Attitude We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude….. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you….. We are in charge of our ATTITUDES’ _ Charles Swindoll

Self Care Attitude ‘Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it’. Personal Health

Balance  Balance is the key to getting it right.  Working under stress will hamper judgement and lead to flawed decisions.  Stress can negatively effect staff relations.

Personal Health  In this area also we will plan to fail if we fail to plan  The plan could include: (a) The development of a hobby and a set time for that hobby (b)A time at which you must leave school every day (c)A rule of not taking work home?

Personal Health  (e) Work free week-ends. Could this include a family contract?  (f) A daily plan and a time for physical exercise  (g) Regular checkup with G.P., Optician, Dentist.

Reclaim the Summer  A limit to the amount of holiday time I will spend on school related work  A dedicated time for family holidays

Professional Health  Two opportunities are now arising to get increased support: 1.New Boards of Management 2.New ISM circular

Boards of Management  See IPPN/CPSMA document: ‘A Framework for Good Practice’  Delegate/Avoid  Recording Secretary  Post of Treasurer  Paying Bills/Writing Cheques  Fund Raising  Health & Safety Officer  Maintenance Officer  Out of hours Key Holder  Fire & Security Alarms  Hire of School Facilities  Managing the Appointment Process of Staff

Distributing Leadership 1. Shared leadership requires a shared vision 2. Leadership is not something you do ‘to’ people – it is something you do ‘with’ people 3. Effective leadership cannot be realised in the absence of good communication

Distributing Leadership 4. Leadership involves management and more 5. Leadership requires a team 6. Effective leadership involves role review, appraisal, affirmation

In-school Management  The new circular on ISM creates an opportunity to review existing posts.  The distribution of leadership also includes other colleagues, not on the ISM team, who respond to your willingness to share responsibility with them.

Possible Areas of Accountability  Managing Special Education Needs  Managing Ancillary Staff  Management of Roll Books/Registers  Timetabling of Curricular areas  Yard supervision rota  Managing and timetabling SNA  Managing teacher absences and substitution

 Induction of Newly Qualified Teachers  Standardised Test Co-ordinator  Policy Development  Liaison with outside agencies  Represent Principal at Parent Association meetings

Conflict  Much conflict is the result of misunderstanding  Let Professional rather than Personal Issues define the course of conflict  Disagreement on Professional Issues is sometimes healthy

The only way forward…..  Plan, Organise, Lead  Avoid doing the work of others  Give back the monkeys! [ Prof. John West Burnham]

Time to tip the Balance  Time to be proactive  ‘ We must become the change we want to see’ - Mahatma Gandhi