Leadership for educator wellness: an exploratory study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of gender and job on educators' perceptions of the personal wellness. Wellness was defined as an integrated pattern of living focused on six dimensions: emotional, intellectual, environmental, physical, spiritual, and social. Data were collected in a mid-size urban school jurisdiction in Western Canada using a specially developed questionnaire. The results show that although gender did not affect perceptions of wellness, job type did affect the respondents' experiences and perceptions of employee wellness within an educational organization. Administrators were generally more positive about their wellness conditions than were teachers or support personnel. It was concluded that educational organizations in general, and work in schools specifically, have become more complex, which no doubt has affected the wellness of education workers, teachers, administrators and support personnel. A number of leadership implications were noted including the need for employee input into system decision making processes and attention to employee relationships.