7 Ways to Manage Staffroom Conflicts in School

Employee Onboarding

Teaching is a calling, they say. Truly so, as much as we may disagree. Teachers who like teaching and value their role as classroom teachers understand that the interests of their learners come first before their own interests. The staffroom is often taken as a station for office folklores and stories. When taken positively, such conversations can lead to improvements in staff relationships and student performance. Positive engagements in the staffroom create room for building trust and respect among teachers. However, negative staffroom stories can breed conflict and misunderstanding in the workplace. Here are 7 strategies to manage staffroom relations and minimize conflicts among staff members.

1) Open communication: teachers should be open in their discussions. Head of institutions play a critical role in fostering open communication among teachers by allowing them to speak their minds and give their opinions without intimidation, blackmail or prejudice. Teachers should regularly engage in open communication to encourage information sharing and minimize misunderstanding.

2) Active Listening: Active listening involves hearing what others have to say and responding proactively to such information. Learn to listen to your fellow teachers rather than dismissing them; doing so will discourage bonding and promote division in the office.

3) Collaboration: to avoid conflict in the staffroom, teachers should work together towards a common goal. Having a shared vision and sharing responsibilities helps teachers to bond and create a healthy working environment.

4) Positive work relationships: teachers should encourage positive work relationships among themselves in the workplace to increase teamwork and achieve group goals. Having positive attitudes towards work and colleagues is necessary to increase work ethics and improve team performance. Teamwork is an essential tool for teachers to increase their knowledge and develop effective teaching skills.

5) Common grounds: some teachers may fight in the staffroom because they disagree on certain issues. Engaging in various staffroom folklores may also lead to gossiping and negative energy. Thus, teachers should always focus on common interests and goals to ensure that they always think within the same line.

6) Conflict Resolution: conflicts are always common in any work environment. In fact, conflicts encourage effort and improvement in the workplace. However, they may escalate to a point where they yield negative outcomes such as fights, quarrels, and absenteeism.

7) Risk Management: sometimes risks occur in the staffroom, leading to health and safety problems to teachers. To mitigate such risks, teachers should work closely with school administration to predict negative events and mitigate uncertainties.

By and large, managing staffroom conflicts and teacher relationships is important in building healthy relationships and fostering a positive work environment. This ensures that teachers have the right conditions for effective delivery of content to learners.

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B. Economics & Finance, B/ED, Writer, Educator with experience of 12 years in research and writing.

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