Work/life balance half-day workshop

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Work/life balance half-day workshop

• Spring 2006

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Content of todays workshop
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Approaching work/life balance in your schools
an overview
Stage three
Making the strategy work
Stage Two is composed of several steps
Getting started Setting the context of work/life balance
Identifying the key issues Using a card sort and week in the life of to identify issues that need to be considered
Understanding the challenge Exploring the causes of the issues and prioritising the issues that most need to be resolved
Developing strategies Applying a Problem Solving Team Building exercise to identify actions to address the issues
Action planning Using a visual and collaborative approach to planning
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First step Getting started
Stage two
Stage three
Approaching work/life balance in your schools
Making the strategy work
Getting started
Identifying the key issues
Understanding the challenge
Developing strategies
Action planning

• Objective
• Provide clarity to interested parties,
  particularly staff, over the objectives and plans
  for the programme such that all school staff
  understand what it is seeking to achieve, its
  potential impact and their involvement in it
• Approach
• Set the context for addressing work/life balance
  within the school
• Agree the objectives of the programme and how it
  will operate how, when, why, what, where. The
  logistics of a work/life balance programme are
  best evolved through discussion with all staff,
  or representatives of all staff groups
• Agree how staff representatives or staff groups
  will be involved and will input to the programme
• Ensure that all stakeholders are briefed and that
  there is a clear line of communication for any
  concerns or queries

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Second step Identifying the key issues
Stage two
Stage three
Approaching work/life balance in your schools
Making the strategy work
Identifying the key issues
Getting started
Understanding the challenge
Developing strategies
Action planning

• Objective
• To clarify the issues that most need to be
  considered within the work/life balance programme
• Approach
• Card sort identifying statements or beliefs
  that most ring true regarding a school or a
  teams current attitude towards work/life balance
• Day in the Life of (DILO) consider the way time
  is currently spent, identifying issues that need
  to be addressed

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Remember, there is a natural emotional curve that
will take a dip before the schools motivation
picks up
Getting started
Identifying The key issues
Understanding The challenge
Developing strategies
Action planning
and sustain!
Confidence
ve

• We have a plan to success
• We have an answer

Emotional State

• Made the right decision
• We have some news

We have a solution

• There is a solution
• We have some options

• Its difficult
• It is not the best news

• Not sure how to solve
• It looks like this.

-ve
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Third step Understanding the challenge
Stage two
Stage three
Approaching work/life balance in your schools
Making the strategy work
Under-standing the challenge

• Objectives
• To develop a better understanding of the issues
  and their root causes, thereby identifying
  whether there are any hidden issues that need
  resolving
• To prioritise those issues or causes that need
  immediate attention
• Approach
• Five whys investigating why a particular issue
  exists and the factors that are leading to the
  current situation identifying any hidden
  issues
• Prioritisation once a full understanding of the
  issues has been reached, a matrix is used to
  identify the most appropriate prioritisation for
  addressing them

Getting started
Identifying the key issues
Developing strategies
Action planning
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The Five Whys
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Fourth step Developing strategies

• Objectives
• To identify actions that could be undertaken to
  tackle priority issues
• To build consensus and commitment to those
  actions
• Approach
• Problem Solving, Team Building (PSTB) an
  inclusive, short, sharp and structured way of
  identifying possible work/life balance solutions,
  selecting the most appropriate and developing a
  high-level implementation plan with a defined and
  agreed timeframe

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Problem Solving Team Building
The process has 7 steps for the team to work
through
30 min example
Problem Statement
5 mins
Background
Idea Generation
10 mins
Idea Selection
Benefits/ Concerns Analysis
10 mins
Work Critical Concerns
Action Plan
5 mins
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Fifth step Action planning
Stage one
Stage two
Stage three
Setting the scene
Approaching work/life balance in your schools
Making the strategy work

• Objectives
• To bring together the implementation strands in a
  single and coherent plan that delivers the target
  benefits within appropriate timeframes
• Through this, to demonstrate the technique so
  that delegates feel confident using it in their
  own schools
• Approach
• To work together to develop a brown paper plan,
  plotting actions within implementation strands,
  phases and timeframes

Action planning
Getting started
Identifying the key issues
Understanding the challenge
Developing strategies
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Using Brown Paper to plan