School board facing workload complaints

A school board overseeing multiple locations noticed that workload consistently resurfaced as a major concern in employee satisfaction surveys.

Teams felt insufficiently heard, and previous interventions had been too generic. The board therefore needed an approach that accounted for differences between teams and gave staff members greater influence over the solution.

The situation

Workload did not stem from the same causes at every location. Yet earlier efforts had primarily been organization-wide, meaning measures did not properly align with what teams required in their daily practice.

• Workload was a structural issue in employee satisfaction surveys;
• Teams felt insufficiently heard;
• Priorities and expectations were not always clear;
• Multiple tasks were running simultaneously;
• Agreements regarding boundaries and handovers were lacking.

The approach

Centrum voor Stressmanagement mapped out which factors contributed most significantly to the perceived workload for each team.

Assessments and team discussions were utilized for this purpose. Subsequently, practical agreements were established per team regarding priorities, boundaries, collaboration, and handovers.

Insights per team

By highlighting differences between teams, it became possible to determine more precisely where change was needed.

Practical team agreements

Teams formed agreements that aligned with their specific work practices, rather than adopting a single blanket solution for all locations.

Ownership and evaluation

Team leaders and location managers were given a clear role in monitoring the agreements. A brief review took place every six weeks, followed by a more comprehensive evaluation after three months.

What changed?

The approach fostered greater clarity and increased ownership within the teams.

• Perceived workload decreased across teams;
• Team agreements were implemented across all locations;
• Satisfaction scores regarding workload improved;
• Teams took greater responsibility for the agreements established;
• There was less noise and friction in day-to-day collaboration;
• Managers provided clearer frameworks.

Why this approach worked

The key shift was that workload was no longer treated as a single organization-wide issue.

By examining causes and solutions on a team-by-team basis, agreements were better aligned with reality. At the same time, the board remained involved through clear frameworks and regular evaluation points.

“We have returned to a sustainable rhythm – even during peak weeks.”

Location Director · anonymized

What other educational organizations can learn from this

• Workload can have different causes depending on the team or location;
• Generic measures do not always work for every situation;
• Involving teams in setting agreements enhances ownership;
• Simple agreements are sustained more effectively when integrated into existing consultations.

Recognizable within your educational organization?

When workload continually surfaces in surveys and previous interventions have yielded little change, it can be beneficial to assess team by team where the greatest strain arises.

Centrum voor Stressmanagement supports educational organizations in gaining a deeper understanding of workload and collaborating with teams to translate this into sustainable, practical agreements.