Following on from my previous post, I've been taking a closer look at what Andrew Spells is doing. Certainly superficially it's great stuff. Here are the five main areas he puts forward as needing work on:
If you read my previous posts, you'll see that it's that complete lack of positive liaison between teachers and management that is the cause of the problem. In all the centres I have worked in there has always been a strong sense of "us" and "them". In fact, in Thailand we used to refer to the area where the management sat as the "Dark Side". Moreover, I have never worked in a centre where teacher morale was not low. At least, not since about 2007.
The problem is much deeper than any Head of Well-Being in a remote office in London can solve. The problem is the entire culture of the BC, which is based on applying procedures and is task orientated rather than people orientated. Almost all managers in the BC are career people thinking primarily about their own advancement. Their main concern is numbers and figures rather than actual people. That's how they will be judged. Did they increase revenue? Are student numbers up or down? How fast has staff turnover been, etc? As long as that is so, it does not matter how many directives come from above, the malaise will continue.
When I think back to my own case (see previous post) what I noticed was that my happiness was never even a factor. It was always simply about procedures. This was true of all the managers I worked under - Krystine Joyce, Ian Shears, Sam Stevenson, James Martin to name just a few. BC managers do not have proper training for managerial positions and are seriously short in people skills. Most would try to glass themselves off if they could. They also rely on procedures because they fear making real decisions and the possibility of being held accountable. You could be drowning in the river, and rather than pull you out, they would say "Have you seen your line manager?" So what the British Council needs to do is give proper management training courses with a large focus on the areas not only of developing people skills but also of taking responsibility. In fact, they need to be empowered.
As things stand, Andrew Spells is precisely the kind of manager creating the problem. He talks a great talk, but stumbles as soon as he has to walk. Basically, he is just virtue signalling. It's very easy to sit on high and proclaim that you care about your employees' well-being, but the real test is when you actually meet a person who is, let's say, distraught for some reason. I know from my own experience that he was completely dismissive of my case despite overwhelming evidence that I was in a bad way and needed real support. The only "support" I got was to be put on a PIP (see my last post) with the possibility of dismissal.
An interesting idea that Mr Spells suggested was employee networks. A good idea, but it would still be monitored by the management. What is really needed is a completely open forum, in which it is also possible to be anonymous. That way the management would get some idea of what teachers really think of them. At present, it is impossible to speak candidly for fear of reprisal. In fact, in the British Council it is considered a cardinal sin to say anything bad about anyone. Obviously, outright abuse should not be tolerated, but candid, frank opinions should be valued, even if they are painful.
In one of my earlier posts I recommended managers being put on a "Know Your Teachers" programme, forcing them to take a serious interest in those working under them, to know their strengths, their backgrounds, ambitions, etc. In so many centres the exact opposite is true. Ian Shears was a great example. He didn't speak to me once on a one to one basis until I left and always brushed me off with the mantric "see your line manager".
It's unlikely much will change in the British Council, particularly if Andrew Spells is at the helm, In many ways, he represents everything that is wrong with the British Council. Low morale and lack of well-being will continue, I'm sure.
Please do make comments.
- Improving support for staff in fragile states
- Providing effective response for staff affected by crises
- Improving policies and systems related to ill-health and absence
- Promoting good physical and mental health
- Improving line manager and HR support and understanding
If you read my previous posts, you'll see that it's that complete lack of positive liaison between teachers and management that is the cause of the problem. In all the centres I have worked in there has always been a strong sense of "us" and "them". In fact, in Thailand we used to refer to the area where the management sat as the "Dark Side". Moreover, I have never worked in a centre where teacher morale was not low. At least, not since about 2007.
The problem is much deeper than any Head of Well-Being in a remote office in London can solve. The problem is the entire culture of the BC, which is based on applying procedures and is task orientated rather than people orientated. Almost all managers in the BC are career people thinking primarily about their own advancement. Their main concern is numbers and figures rather than actual people. That's how they will be judged. Did they increase revenue? Are student numbers up or down? How fast has staff turnover been, etc? As long as that is so, it does not matter how many directives come from above, the malaise will continue.
When I think back to my own case (see previous post) what I noticed was that my happiness was never even a factor. It was always simply about procedures. This was true of all the managers I worked under - Krystine Joyce, Ian Shears, Sam Stevenson, James Martin to name just a few. BC managers do not have proper training for managerial positions and are seriously short in people skills. Most would try to glass themselves off if they could. They also rely on procedures because they fear making real decisions and the possibility of being held accountable. You could be drowning in the river, and rather than pull you out, they would say "Have you seen your line manager?" So what the British Council needs to do is give proper management training courses with a large focus on the areas not only of developing people skills but also of taking responsibility. In fact, they need to be empowered.
As things stand, Andrew Spells is precisely the kind of manager creating the problem. He talks a great talk, but stumbles as soon as he has to walk. Basically, he is just virtue signalling. It's very easy to sit on high and proclaim that you care about your employees' well-being, but the real test is when you actually meet a person who is, let's say, distraught for some reason. I know from my own experience that he was completely dismissive of my case despite overwhelming evidence that I was in a bad way and needed real support. The only "support" I got was to be put on a PIP (see my last post) with the possibility of dismissal.
An interesting idea that Mr Spells suggested was employee networks. A good idea, but it would still be monitored by the management. What is really needed is a completely open forum, in which it is also possible to be anonymous. That way the management would get some idea of what teachers really think of them. At present, it is impossible to speak candidly for fear of reprisal. In fact, in the British Council it is considered a cardinal sin to say anything bad about anyone. Obviously, outright abuse should not be tolerated, but candid, frank opinions should be valued, even if they are painful.
In one of my earlier posts I recommended managers being put on a "Know Your Teachers" programme, forcing them to take a serious interest in those working under them, to know their strengths, their backgrounds, ambitions, etc. In so many centres the exact opposite is true. Ian Shears was a great example. He didn't speak to me once on a one to one basis until I left and always brushed me off with the mantric "see your line manager".
It's unlikely much will change in the British Council, particularly if Andrew Spells is at the helm, In many ways, he represents everything that is wrong with the British Council. Low morale and lack of well-being will continue, I'm sure.
Please do make comments.
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