BCTF Teacher Magazine

Workplace well-being in the time of COVID-19

THE CASE for workplace well-being is well documented. We know from research and experience that workplace stress has an impact on the health, happiness, and success of the individual, and it also affects their families, their co-workers, and, in the case of educators, their students.

Traditional health and wellness initiatives in the workplace have focused on physical health and safety issues, but we need to look at workplace health and well-being in a more holistic way that includes social, emotional, and mental health as well. Nurturing these aspects of our health is especially important as teachers return to their classrooms this fall, and we find ourselves dealing with new sources of stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the easiest ways to look at health and well-being in the workplace is to consider three interconnected parts: self, other, and system…