Tips for Promoting School Employee Wellness

Getting school staff involved in your employee wellness program.

Wellness is more important than ever for school employees. In a March 2020 survey,1 teachers were asked to describe the emotions they felt most often each day. Anxiety was the most common.

Wellness activities can be simple and don’t necessarily take a lot of time or resources.

Physical activity is an activity you can implement to help lower stress and anxiety.2

A school employee wellness program can be organized by administrators, school health teams, or even a single school staff member wanting to make a difference.

School employees who model good physical and mental health behaviors help support students’ health and academic success.

Outdoor Bootcamp Fitness Class

Try these employee wellness activities to support physical and mental health.

  • Remind staff about employee assistance programs with access to resources, referrals, and counseling.
  • Recognize staff contributions and achievements and celebrate milestones with others.
  • Hold exercise challenges (e.g., steps challenge, exercise minutes challenge).
  • Find and share stress management and mental health resources and information.
  • Build in physical activity breaks during the school day (can be done along with students).
  • Have mindfulness meditation breaks for staff and students during the school day.
  • Provide or attend professional development on social-emotional skills, trauma-informed approaches (understanding the impact of trauma on the individual), and resilience.
Watch what teachers and school staff have to say about the importance of employee wellness.

If you, or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available now. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

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