How happy are your staff? What do they really feel about their jobs, the quality of provision, the management team? These are questions that, as a manager, you should be able to answer. But establishing a fair and accurate overview of staff views can be difficult.
In most early years settings, staff meetings and an open-door policy are the main means of communicating with staff. Yet too often, the timid people within a team choose not to speak up, daunted by their own shyness and, on occasion, the bullying tactics of some other staff members.
As a result, managers may underestimate the level of staff frustration or overestimate the depth of any negative feelings. It is so easy to hear just the complaints of some and to miss the quiet satisfaction of others.
I was invited to undertake a needs analysis at a nursery after it was criticised by local authority advisers, and to devise an action plan based on the findings. Below are details of the questionnaire and findings, which can act as a guide for managers eager to establish 'the state of play'
within their nursery.
As a manager, you will need to be brave when undertaking such a process and realistic about the fact that you will encounter criticism. But as the findings of this case study demonstrate, the information that emerges is invaluable - and the false impressions and misunderstandings are striking.
Overall, such an exercise will provide you with a clear picture of where you are, where you are going and how to get there, while taking your staff with you.
The nursery that I worked with - let's call it High Hopes Nursery - responded to the local authority criticism by appointing a new management team and making significant improvements. However, the managers felt that staff remained dissatisfied, due largely to the lack of communication between them.
I organised a questionnaire and workshops using a format and approach that had worked well for me while a primary head teacher in schools in need of both renovation and a new management strategy.
NURSERY QUESTIONNAIRE
Confidentiality
* Demonstrate to staff that their responses will be treated in the strictest confidence.
* Give each staff member a questionnaire and envelope addressed to the collator of the forms.
* Include nothing on the questionnaire or envelope that will identify the respondent.
* Ask one staff member to tick off the envelopes as they arrive against a staff list, to ensure everyone participates.
COLLATOR
For the best results, hire an independent consultant to:
* collate the information - people often worry about their handwriting being recognised, and some staff may lack the computer skills to complete the survey 'anonymously'
* conduct the in-service feedback
* lead the discussion of the results.
The questionnaire could be organised in-house, but if so, the results and discussions will, inevitably, be less frank.
DISTRIBUTION
Involve everyone in the questionnaire to:
* avoid a division of 'them and us'
* demonstrate that everyone's opinion is of equal importance.
* Include all staff - the janitors, cleaners, cook and so on.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
Q.1. Are you a member of:
* the auxiliary staff (secretary, cook, janitor, cleaners)?
* the nursery team (qualified or in training)?
It is important that the collator can distinguish between the two groups, as their priorities will vary greatly.
Q.2. What, if any, professional qualifications do you hold? If qualified, when did you qualify?
An overview of training is important to establish whether staff are expected to undertake tasks beyond their capabilities or outside their remit, which can seriously affect morale.
Q.3. Are you studying at present?
* Yes No
If yes, what course are you studying?
This question helps assess staff aspirations.
Q.4. What previous jobs have you had in other nurseries, and for how long?
This question helps gauge staff experience of different management and organisational structures. A static staff team has the advantage of providing continuity of care but may have limited knowledge of how to solve management problems.
Q.5. Write down at least five things you like about High Hopes Nursery.
This is one of the two most important questions in the whole questionnaire:
* Write the question at the top of an A4 sheet of paper and 1 to 12 down the side to encourage staff to give as detailed a response as possible.
* Don't list possible answers, but encourage staff to write down their own ideas in their own words.
* Responses will highlight what staff value and expect to be nurtured and developed within the setting. All opinions, even if they are expressed by only one staff member, should be heeded.
High Hope results The results from 14 staff were:
* Friendly staff/staff team/happy place to work/homely (13)
* Children/great to work with (11)
* Large bright playrooms/ improvements/new decoration (10)
* Management works for improvement/ good organisation/like the way staff are treated, even students/new vision for the future/better working atmosphere (10)
* Good parents, good relationships, interaction, communication (7)
* Good location (4)
* Opportunities for training/new opportunities (3)
* Some good resources, construction, and so on (2)
* The work hours (2)
* Good healthy lunches (1)
* Pension plan (1)
* Good security (1)
* Good communication between room staff (1)
* Good continuity for children (1)
* Able to attend training at another nursery (1) These were excellent findings:
* over 90 per cent of staff mentioned the value that they attached to human relationships in the nursery, and in most cases, this topped staff's list of 'positives'
* 80 per cent mentioned the children
* 70 per cent valued the playrooms
* 70 per cent praised the efforts of the new management team in bringing about change.
This last finding proved a real boost to the management team, by then convinced that their efforts were 'never enough' and that there was a 'moping and moaning' atmosphere in the staffroom at tea breaks and lunchtimes.
Q. 6 Write down at least five things you would like changed at High Hopes Nursery.
Present this question in the same way as Q5, again to encourage full and detailed answers. This question will give all staff, including the more timid, the freedom to be open and honest, without fear of offending anyone.
HIGH HOPE RESULTS
The results from 14 staff were:
* Outdoor improvements (for example, climbing ropes, play frame, new driveway -potholes dangerous, garden at the front for parents, change outdoor playtime restrictions, larger play area) (8)
* Better pay, improved pay structure (6)
* More resources for children, more sensory equipment (4)
* More team-building sessions for whole nursery, not just 3+/more teamwork (4)
* Proper ventilation (4)
* More parental involvement/workshops training for trips (3)
* More outings for children and babies (3)
* Better hours, more holidays, longer breaks (3)
* More time for planning, assessments, general paperwork (3)
* More in-service opportunities (4)
* Management should have more control over staff behaviour/staff attitudes (2)
* More choices at lunchtime/menu (2)
* Visits to other nurseries/more interaction (1)
* Confidentiality vital at management level (1)
* Low morale (1)
* More qualified staff (1)
* Position of staffroom and cloakroom (1)
* Number of staff passing through baby room (1)
* Dirty carpets (1)
* Better access to resource centre (1)
* Better access for wheelchairs/ additional support needs children (1)
* Roof repairs (1)
* Patio doors and pram areas outside rooms (1)
* To be more appreciated (1)
* To be listened to, even the qualified staff(1)
* Better communication (1)
* Staffroom kitchenette (1)
Q.7. What in-service training would you personally like to receive?
Requests for personal in-service training may differ from those for whole-team training.
HIGH HOPE RESULTS
* Nought to 3 curriculum, staff management, hygiene, science, moving and handling, leadership skills, HIV, first aid, literacy, maths, child protection, managing behaviour, management, any relevant course about children.
* Sometimes personal in-service requests are different from whole nursery in-service.
Q.8. What in-service training do you think is generally needed in the nursery? (Please tick the six most important courses and suggest any others.) List a wide variety of courses to stimulate ideas and leave space for staff to add others to the list.
HIGH HOPE RESULTS In-service training No of votes
* Behaviour management 11
* Stress management techniques for staff and children 10
* Child protection 9
* Designing a policy to promote positive behaviour 9
* Overview of the nursery curriculum and curriculum framework for 3-5s 9
* Consulting with children to improve provision 8
* Inclusion and equality 8
* Dealing with angry adults 7
* Citizenship & the nursery curriculum 6
* Maths in the nursery curriculum 6
* Having a problem-solving approach in nursery 6
* Using music for different purposes 6
* Early literacy 5
* Child at the centre: looking at self-evaluation 5
* Creative thinking in the curriculum 5
* Helping boys to achieve 4
* Developing emotional intelligence in nursery children 4
* Outdoor play and the curriculum 3
* Integrating phonological skills into the curriculum 2 Other requests were the generally the same as those for Q7.
The results surprised the management team, which had already organised whole-team in-service training on subjects such as behaviour management and had mentally ticked these off as 'done'. However, staff felt that the courses had not always met their needs.
Q.9. Are there any new resources you would like to see in the nursery?
Sometimes staff feel that their requests for resources get lost in the distribution of funds, so this question allows staff requests to be noted.
Don't list any suggestions; treat it as an open question.
HIGH HOPE RESULTS
* More, large physical equipment for outdoor play area, climbing frame, chute, swings (8)
* More science equipment (3)
* Bouncy castle (2)
* More maths equipment (2)
* Better range of resources for age and stage (1)
* More books (1)
* Mobile gym (1)
* More dressing-up resources (1)
* New highchairs (1)
* More heuristic play (1)
* A safe playroom (1)
* More resources for the '2 to 3' room (1)
Q.10. How satisfied are you with your work at present?
* Very satisfied
* Satisfied
* Just OK*
* Unhappy*
* Very unhappy*
*If you have ticked any of the last three, how can things be improved for you?
HIGH HOPE RESULTS
Very satisfied 4
Satisfied 6
Just OK 3
Unhappy 1 (The respondent was leaving that week)
Very unhappy 0
If you have ticked any of the last three, how can things be improved for you?
* Certain areas need better staff control (2)
* Confidentiality needed (1)
* Wages reviewed (1)
* Feel it is time to move on to expand knowledge (person leaving) (1)
* By heeding some of the complaints in the questionnaire (1) This demonstrated that 70 per cent of staff were very satisfied or satisfied. If the managers heed staff recommendations, a good proportion of 'Just OKs' should move into the top two categories.
FEEDBACK
Feedback at a workshop is when the all-important communication and team building can begin. Workshops give staff the chance to discuss the results of the questionnaire and provide management with the opportunity to highlight improvements already underway.
The High Hopes management team had started to remedy many of the deficiencies within the nursery by the time the workshops took place.
INTRODUCTION
* Reassure staff about confidentiality by asking the management team to confirm that they have not seen the completed questionnaires.
* Explain that you will destroy the questionnaires at the end of the exercise.
* Provide staff with a copy of the results and go through the findings for each question. Stress any positive results.
* Ask for comments on the findings.
COMMUNICATION WORKSHOPS
Groupings
* Decide whether to include both staff and managers within the same group.
Will mixing managers and staff from the outset stifle or encourage debate?
* Organise groups in such a way as so have a balance of ages, qualifications and roles within each.
With High Hopes, I opted for one management and two staff groups with a balance of supervisors and 'under-threes' and 'three to five' staff in each group to improve the previously poor communication between the 'rooms'.
This arrangement may produce polarised views but will also highlight the different opinions and aspirations of staff and managers, provide points for future discussions and produce a greater understanding of people's roles within the nursery. The nursery planned to set up a staff/management council, so it was best for both 'sides' to understand the other's point of view.
PREPARATION
* Organise three workshops.
* Choose questions to discuss in detail in the workshops. In the High Hopes case, I started with Q9, to give staff time to become familiar with the discussion process before moving on to more the contentious Q6 and Q8.
* Create a set of cards for each question to be discussed. Print one result on each card. Use a different colour of card for each question so that the results can be identified easily.
* Mark three columns on an A3 piece of paper with headings: 'Very important', 'Not so important', 'Already started/arranged'.
* Collate the results from all the groups at the end of one workshop so that they can be discussed in full as part of the next workshop or in future staff meetings.
DISCUSSIONS
Give each group a set of cards and A3 piece of paper, ask them to discuss the findings fully and place the cards in the column that best reflects their views.
HIGH HOPES RESULTS
WORKSHOP 1
* Discussing Q9: Are there any new resources you would like to see in the nursery?
Outdoor equipment emerged the top priority for staff, while the managers were looking to buy more science and maths equipment. Through the discussions, the groups were able to agree an order for buying resources.
WORKSHOP 2
* Discussing Q6: Write down at least five things you would like changed at High Hopes Nursery.
Staff discussed every point raised in Q6 in great detail and took the whole process very seriously. Again, there was a marked discrepancy between what staff and managers viewed as essential and top priority.
The management team added an extra column headed 'Not in the foreseeable future', and listed under it 'Better pay structure for staff', 'new roof', 'kitchenette in the staffroom'.
WORKSHOP 3
* Discussing Q8: What in-service training do you think is generally needed in the nursery?
Again, there was a full discussion of the issues and a discrepancy between staff and management views.
FOLLOW-UP
The High Hopes management team:
* displayed, in full, in the staffroom, the feedback sheets from each workshop, as well as my collated results
* plans to discuss the findings in general staff meetings and in the staff council
* intends to write an action plan for further improvements, to be discussed with staff.
The staff team said that they:
* had learned a great deal about the problems facing staff working with particular age groups
* were able to state their priorities for improving their day-to-day work
* were now aware of the enormous amount of money spent on regenerating the nursery, and the high standards that the management were setting.
My hope for the whole process is that staff and management learn to compromise and blend their ideas about what is desired and what is practical, but I now think they are all on track for success.
* Shona Carmichael is an early years consultant in Glasgow. Contact Shona at shona.carmichael@ntlworld.com