There are six areas to be considered here, which we label by the acronym CRUISE. Each of these relates to a cause of stress at work, a dimension along which stress can be measured, and a management competency which is required to reduce that cause (and, as an obvious corollary, an area where lack of management competency may increase the likelihood of stress:
1. C is for Control: the issue of micro-management is a recurring feature of stress in schools. This includes trying to control what is being taught and how it is being taught, but also controlling what is done outside the classroom (what data is provided, how stakeholders are managed)
2. R is for Roles: clearly defining the role of a classroom teacher is not difficult, but unless there is clarity of responsibilities between heads of department, pastoral roles, teaching support staff, administration teams, and leaders, then ambiguity, uncertainty and conflict can result.
3. U is for Unrealistic or excessive work demands: this relates primarily to workloads and deadlines, but also to patterns of work and the working environment (both classroom and office space).
4 . I is for Interpersonal conflict: conflict - this includes bad behaviour - is a frequent and major source of stress in teaching. This is, in fact, a logical source of stress in the context of students, but it may be compounded by poor relationships and conflict with colleagues and parents.
5. S is for Support: all teachers need support, from their management, from their colleagues, and from 'the school' - this means that the governors, parents and leadership should foster a nurturing culture of encouragement.
6. E is for Excessive change: ...or - to be accurate - excessive impact of change; this implies that change that is poorly communicated, poorly scheduled, or poorly implemented.
[This material is based on the HSE Management Standards relating to Stress at Work]