Positive Staff Relationships
What Are They?
Anyone who has spent time working knows how much of a difference relationships with colleagues can make. Oftentimes, our collegial relationships—i.e., how well we get along and work together with our coworkers—can make or break our enjoyment of a job, in school settings as much as anywhere else.
We all have a sense of what positive relationships among school faculty and staff might look like, but here’s how they have been defined in research:
- Teachers who report positive connections with their colleagues say that their coworkers are friendly and care about them.
- They say that their colleagues respect and trust each other.
- They see their coworkers as accepting and encouraging, as well as collaborative and supportive of each other’s success.
- They feel that they can communicate openly with colleagues, and can go to them for help if needed.
A teacher who is struggling to take care of elderly parents is starting to have a hard time meeting all his commitments at school. Rather than make assumptions that he is just falling down on the job, two of his colleagues approach him with kindness to find out what’s going on. As they hear this teacher’s struggles, they offer him their compassionate understanding, and together the three of them make a plan to help him through this difficult time.
A principal actively cultivates trust among staff members by asking for their input on decisions that affect them, by admitting her own mistakes, by not shying away from difficult conversations, and by expressing appreciation and gratitude for her staff. As a result, the staff feels comfortable taking risks, offering ideas, expressing concerns, and supporting one another.
Why Are They Important?
Research shows that when school staff, including teachers and administrators, have positive relationships with each other, everyone benefits—staff and students alike.
Positive collegial relationships increase teachers’ commitment to and satisfaction with their jobs.
- Student teachers who feel that colleagues at their placement schools get along well with each other are more likely to want to work at that school in the future.
- Support, both from principals/administrators and, especially, from their peers, makes teachers feel more committed to teaching as a profession.
- When teachers perceive their colleagues as compassionate towards them, they show higher levels of organizational commitment, positive emotion, and job satisfaction; they are also better able to cope with stress and less likely to experience burnout.
When teachers get along and trust each other, they help each other improve.
- Trust between colleagues—being able to count on each other, particularly in difficult situations—is important for the formation of professional learning communities.
- Teachers who received one-on-one mentoring from experienced colleagues at the beginning of their careers are more cooperative with other teachers later on.
- When teachers in learning teams have good relations with each other, they are more likely to work collaboratively.
- Interestingly, when educators develop authentic, self-driven collegial relationships based on mutual support and trust, personal and curriculum development are likely to result; on the other hand, little growth is seen when collegiality is contrived, i.e., forced by administration.
Positive relationships among staff help make student social-emotional well-being a priority.
- Teachers who feel more connected to and supported by colleagues are more likely to implement prevention programs and feel comfortable intervening in bullying between students.
Students do better academically when staff get along well.
- Research in urban high schools shows that positive staff relations lead to better school climate, which, in turn, contributes to students’ academic achievement.
- Similarly, collegial behavior between staff is one of the important factors that distinguishes high-performing from low-performing middle schools.
Practice Collections
Practices
A fun counting and clapping activity to build positive group energy and to say “thumbs up” to mistakes.
Ask and respond to a set of questions in pairs to get to know your colleagues better.
School staff connect with each other through empathy and understanding.
Foster positive relationships by speaking kindly about someone “behind their back.”
Take a few minutes to relax your body and calm your mind.
Staff members lessen their stress through an experience of awe.
A reflection tool to help leaders cultivate a positive and ethical school climate
Re-evaluate your thinking patterns to become more emotionally resilient at work.
Use the Circle process to build a sense of connection among students and staff by sharing moods, feelings, and moments of joy and pain.
Teachers examine 13 specific beliefs about ethnically diverse students, reflect on those beliefs and outline action steps for better serving their students.
Students explore their thoughts, emotions, or ideas by freewriting on a topic of their choosing, an academic-related question, or an ethical dilemma.
Teachers reflect on and discuss the various dimensions and impact of their identities on their relationships with students and their families.
Practice slowing down and bringing your full awareness to a sensory experience.
A reflection tool to help school and teacher leaders cultivate qualities of moral leadership within themselves
Think about a time when you felt close to another colleague to foster a personal sense of belonging at school.
Say “thank you” to other staff members for small favors or kindnesses.
Staff members express gratitude for others in the school community.
Learn to comfort yourself in the ways you would comfort good friends.
Acknowledge the faces of everyone in your classroom or meeting to deepen a sense of group connection.
School staff highlight which SEL skills were used during a meeting and share with others.
Mentally cultivate kindness toward yourself and consider how you might be of service to others
Mentally cultivate kindness toward yourself and others.
Staff modify school spaces to subtly induce kindness, particularly in students.
Become aware of the movement of your breath through your body.
A daily mindfulness and music appreciation practice for the whole school or a single classroom
A daily mindfulness and poetry appreciation practice for the whole school or a single classroom
Teachers engage in a mindful reflection process that creates space for checking their assumptions about student behavior.
A practice to cultivate calmness, connectedness, and physical awareness.
A short practice for mindfully exploring your emotional experience when you help a student
Staff members brainstorm how they will intentionally model SEL in their interactions with students.
School staff discuss what opens and closes their hearts in the classroom using Focused Listening and Speaking with each other.
A tool to help school staff reflect on their own SEL strengths and areas for growth
Build your well-being by keeping a journal of your pleasant feelings throughout the day
A reflection tool to help leaders develop positive schools and staff
Observe how time and contemplation can influence your ability to gain important insights about your work.
Lead a brief choral reading practice that fosters community and connection.
Key steps for discussing issues collaboratively.
Educators reflect upon their SEL teaching practices and their own social-emotional competencies for implementing those teaching practices.
Use the Circle process to encourage self-care among staff and students in all dimensions.
Learn how to comfort yourself during stressful times.
Practice understanding and acceptance for yourself rather than self-criticism.
A way to foster feelings of safety, consistency, and joy amongst school staff.
Discussion prompts that guide teachers to reflect and collaborate on effective SEL implementation.
Staff members explore the connection between healthy boundaries and an open heart in order to maintain caring relationships.
A tool for fostering a supportive and equitable classroom and school environment and for promoting SEL.
A brief mindfulness exercise to help ground you during a stressful moment or day
Teachers unearth stereotypes and examine privilege while reflecting on the impact of systemic discrimination.
A quick welcoming activity in which everyone’s voice is heard and valued
“To awaken compassion at work, recognize moments of incivility, bullying, or shame as sources of suffering and act on your shared humanity to alleviate them.”
Do you want to dive deeper into the science behind our GGIE practices? Enroll in one of our online courses for educators!