I am delighted to be sharing this fortnightly news and insight blog, offering short summaries of the latest news and studies, reports, and opinions across the education arena. If there is a topic, report or event you would like QELi to explore, please email your thoughts to marketing@qeli.qld.edu.au.

Neil McDonald
Chief Executive Officer, QELi

How happy are people at work?

Results from the newest Greater Good Magazine quiz reveal there’s room for improvement in happiness at work. Most of us would like to be happier at work—to be able to say that the hours and effort that we dedicate to it truly contribute to how happy we are in life. How do we get there? Like happiness overall, happiness at work does not mean trying to be cheerful and enthusiastic all the time. According to research, workplace happiness is much deeper. This article from Greater Good Magazine explains further.

Team-building exercises: a better approach

Team-building exercises can be a waste of time. You achieve more by getting personal. This article from The Conversation argues that there is a better approach to team-building events. Julien Pollark, Associate Professor, University of Sydney and Petr Matous, Associate Dean, University of Sydney explain the approach is about understanding that teams are social networks built on connections between individuals. It involves deep one-on-one conversations, designed to get people out of their comfort zones. 

Workplace gossip or a ‘confirmation expedition’? 

Gossip or a ‘confirmation expedition’? While most employees agree that gossip is toxic to a positive workplace culture, most of us at some time or other have engaged in a ‘confirmation expedition’ whereby we ask a colleague to confirm their own negative or challenging experience with a third colleague who is not present, or we welcome a similar line of confirmation inquiry from another colleague about a third colleague who is not present. Most admit that this is, in fact, a regular part of their daily work life. In this article from Harvard Business Review, Deborah Grayson Riegel explores why gossip happens, the toxic impact on the workplace and what you can do to stop it in it’s tracks.

Staff wellbeing: Teacher targeted bullying and harassment

Thinking about your school context, could a policy outlining the expected behaviour for parents be beneficial? How would you go about developing the policy? This article published in Teacher Magazine explores recent findings suggesting educators felt that when they reported an incident of bullying or harassment, it was often downplayed or ignored by management. As a school leader, how could you improve how you respond to instances of teacher bullying and harassment? What are you already doing well? Dominique Russell shares recent research into teacher wellbeing.