Communication with your Employer

 You are expected to inform your employer of all relevant developments and you should expect to have meetings with your Headteacher or a member of the Senior Management Team, such as your Faculty Head.  You should keep a copy of all correspondence and it is also helpful to keep a written record of meetings.

All meetings should follow the suggested guidelines as set out by the 'Health and Safety Executive' (HSE) in their publication entitled 'Management Standards for Tackling Work-related Stress'.  These voluntary guidelines for tackling WRS are available at the HSE website.   

All 'support' meetings should be constructive, supportive and positive, enabling the employee to successfully return to work after an appropriate period of assisted recovery.  You may wish to be accompanied to meetings by a colleague, such as a friend, your union representative, etc. 

If you repeatedly fail to attend meetings then you may find that decisions will be made in your absence.  It may be necessary for a 'Risk Assessment' of your job to be carried out by your school and the 'problem' areas confronted by yourself and your employer to ensure that your WRS does not re-occur.

You can ask your GP to write to your employer detailing any changes in work practice that would be beneficial and would help you to return to work sooner than otherwise. Such changes would also help to prevent the WRS condition from becoming acute once more.

Does your Employer Communicate with you?

Decision-making, management style and the workplace culture should encourage good two-way communications and close employee involvement, especially at times of change.

Additionally, all employees should be able to contribute ideas and have some influence over decision making, especially as regards their own work.

The McCrone term for this is 'collegiality' and it has proved to be an area fraught with difficulties where old style' management styles are entrenched.