Insight

Leading and containing in higher education Institutions during COVID-19

14 May 2020

Organisational and system change Leadership development

By Charlotte Williams

This article attempts to offer some practical ways in which professionals can increase emotional containment for other staff and students in universities during the COVID-19 crises.

Introduction

Individuals and groups experience emotion in their work life. These emotions motivate and inspire us, as well as disable and distress us.  During times of change or crises, anxiety and distress intensifies across an organisation and in response the level of containment provided within an organisation needs to be increased. Containment is key to supporting the members of the organisation to manage emotions and continue to function and is typically provided through organisational structures and relationships.  Alongside clear, relevant and adapted structures the relationships of leaders, managers, academics and support services with staff and students create a containing and supportive environment within which staff and students can continue to work.

Individuals and groups experience emotion in their work life

One of the key roles of leaders and managers working within Higher Education is to absorb the distress of students and staff, process it and work together to find a way to manage or live with it. Those who simply pass on the negative emotions or deny them don’t offer containment but contribute to creating a more stressful environment for others. Many professionals will be containing others on a day to day basis without particularly noticing that is what they are doing.

Leadership is paramount in containing the people of the organisation so whether you are the Vice Chancellor, Head of Department, Academic Registrar, Team Leader in Estates and Facilities, Head of Counselling or an academic, think about the importance of your role as a container for the people you lead, manage and support. Think about the impact you have when you connect with students, colleagues and the people you manage, listen to them, and get to know them. Think about how it impacts them when you are clear about goals and expectations and provide them with the knowledge, structures and procedures to guide them. Now reflect on what happens when for whatever reason, you don’t.

Practical steps

Given the present circumstance and the impact COVID-19 is having on students, staff and universities there are a number of practical steps leaders and managers can take to create a containing environment:

• Be present – despite not being able to be physically in the building we can be present remotely, this means not only scheduling more contact with people but ensuring you are psychologically present when you meet them (i.e. not attending to your emails whilst chairing the meeting).
• Communicate regularly– it is particularly important when working remotely to make time for both group and individual meetings with staff and students. All of those corridor conversations are important and are not currently available. Arrange additional meetings, coffee breaks, social activities, and check-ins.
• Communicate clearly – whilst there are so many communications coming online try not to send out long emails with lots of information as people tend to miss things. Send out regularly short and punchy communications with key messages and links to further information.
• Make space for the personal – spend time checking in with your staff and students both personally and professionally, get to know them, find out what are they dealing with and how life is for them now. What worries them? Do they have space both physically and psychologically to work / study? How are they structuring their day, managing boundaries? Are they getting exercise? Do they meet up with friends and family online? Use a coaching style approach to help them to think through how best to manage, be flexible and understanding, and help them be creative in finding ways to support themselves. If you don’t hear from someone don’t assume you no news is good news, drop them a line. Don’t think that personal matters and wellbeing are not your business, they are everyone’s responsibility in a crises. If you are concerned about someone don’t ignore it speak to it and if you can’t ask a colleague for help to do so.
• Raise awareness – acknowledge that we are living in challenging times and the impact this can have on people. Raise awareness to the support services, apps, resources that are available for staff and students within and external to the institution.
• Avoid being ‘always on’ – during a crises people often forget to do the things that keep them well. Role model taking time out, taking breaks, maintaining boundaries, connecting with others, making time to connect with others socially (online)
• Be mindful of difference – we are all in the same storm but only some of us have a boat. Be aware that everyone’s circumstances are different, some people have spare rooms to work in, undisturbed time and space, are good at setting boundaries for themselves, keeping a routine, exercising, connecting with others. Others will have a whole range of difficulties with this.  Don’t expect everyone to be able to operate at the same pace. Some people thrive off change and adrenaline and will be adapting, creating and streaking ahead of the curve. Others will be bereft, struggling to adapt and suffering with depression and anxiety. The majority of us will be somewhere in the middle. Change is hard, we manage it at different paces and in different ways – be patient and kind.
• Create psychological safety – creating an environment within which people feel safe to talk about their wellbeing and to be vulnerable is paramount. Revise and revisit how you communicate both overtly and covertly in your day to day interactions that this is a safe place to be vulnerable.
• Ensure physical safety– work together to ensure accommodation needs are met for those unable to leave the country or return to a home (care leavers / refugees / international students/temporary staff / those experiencing domestic abuse).
• Identify and address risk – regardless of how supportive the organisation is there are some people who will become unwell during this crises. As we face multiple losses as a society those who have not previously been unwell may well experience their first encounter with mental health difficulties and those who already have mental health difficulties or condition susceptible to relapse or deterioration. Increase mechanisms that help staff identify and reach out to those at risk – signs of this might include absenteeism, perfectionist behaviours, changes in communication styles or behaviours, or you may have information already about students who are vulnerable. Provide guidelines to staff on what to do if risk to self or other is suspected – tackle these matters together.
• Resource services – we know that the full impact of this crises on the mental health and wellbeing of the nation is yet to be seen. Those suffering as a result of this period are likely to increase as time goes on. Some staff and students will lose family and friends, some will be working on the frontline. It is important at this time that the support services are ready and sufficiently resourced to be able to respond in a timely manner even in the face of staff sickness.
• Amend and adapt structures and processes – during times of great uncertainty, some certainty where available is well received. Take the time to review your structures, processes and procedures and communicate them clearly.

Although structures and frames have pros and cons and we all like to complain about deadlines, marking, exams, policies and procedures, this is also part of what keeps us contained and safe.

So Higher Education Institutions have the task of maintaining, adapting and renewing these structures and processes at speed during the current situation. So many things have had to change, lectures postponed, assessments changed, terms cancelled increasing levels of uncertainty and anxiety as a result. It is important for leaders within institutions to work together to adapt the structures and processes to create an amended frame for those within the organisation. Such adaptations and amendments need communicating clearly and regularly to the whole community of staff and students.

• Setting your own structures and processes – when working or studying from home it is important to take care of yourself and to encourage staff and students to create their own structures and boundaries in relation to their work / study.

• Don’t expect business as usual –be flexible, kind, understanding of yours and others situation
• Set a routine – maintain a regular time for waking up, eating and going to bed
• Dress for the day. If you are working, put on your work clothes and start on time.
• Take regular breaks – pace your online meetings.
• Mute your social media apps and news updates.
• Link in daily with colleagues / fellow students.
• Switch off when you finish – if you can’t move rooms, tidy your things away and cover your workstation.

Conclusion

In my work across sectors during COVID- 19, I am struck once again by the simplicity of things that contain and support human beings in crises. The most important seems to be connection with others, and I mean real connection, where we talk from the heart of our experience and have a chance to share that experience with others. Despite all of the changes we have and continue to face, there are things that contain us and  if we dare to connect and acknowledge our power, responsibility and potential to contain others as leaders, managers, academics, support staff then functioning and learning can continue within our universities and our wellbeing supported, even in times of crises.