The #1 Reason Education Support Staff Give Up

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I’ve turned into a Game Show host – let’s call me Eddie Schreck or Cate Denyer or…is there a female Game Show host???

The game show I’ve been hosting is called – “What stops you … ?”

I’ve surveyed thousands of Education Support Staff from all kinds of schools across Australia; from Perth to Port Fairy, Melbourne to Mildura, Geelong to Gippsland, Brisbane to Ballarat and beyond.

When I finish the sentence as “What stops you… from providing excellent customer service to every customer at your school, every day?’ the responses come at me fast! It takes no time at all for the attendees in my Onsite Training sessions to confirm their roadblocks, and here are just a few:

  • Time – So much to do and pressure to do it all as well as balancing the customer needs

  • ‘Chatterboxes’ – Customers who like to chat and chat and chat

  • Rudeness – Customers who speak down to staff, use offensive language, etc.

  • Fatigue – Years and years of doing the same thing and not being offered new things to do at work

  • Coworker conflict – It’s hard to remain positive when you don’t ‘like’ who you work with

  • External Concerns – Things outside of work making it hard to concentrate and be positive

  • No/Low Teamwork – Some ESS bother and some don’t, so why should I?

That’s quite a list, but I could go on and on. 

Ultimately, ESS often feel like they are the ‘bottom of the ladder’ when it comes to their needs being met. No, not all attendees feel this way, but many, many do.

It’s a feeling of being underappreciated and when given the chance, they want someone to know how they feel. The good news is, they are also quick to confirm what they feel would help them improve their service.

They often present the above roadblocks as things outside their control, things that others need to stop, start or fix for them. In reality, if you re-read the above list, all the roadblocks are within their control to stop, start or fix.

Everything on the list is related to Emotional Intelligence. Low levels of EQ is the #1 reason ESS want to give up, leave a role, stop trying, etc. etc.

EQ is related to how we recognise and manage our emotions, as well as being empathetic to the emotions of others. The roadblocks above exist because they elicit a negative/challenging feeling.

Ask your ESS, “What stops you from providing excellent customer service all day, to every customer at the school?”

Listen first, and if necessary, remind ESS that the question is what THEY can do as individuals, not what they want other people to do to remove the roadblock.

  • Time – We can’t get more time, but we can learn how to spend it wisely. The first step is to note where time is spent each day and then review for ways to use it better.

  • ‘Chatterboxes’ – Practice delivering this phrase with professional body language/tone of voice “It’s been so great to speak with you, but I need to move on, so none of our customers are kept waiting.”

  • Rude Customers – This requires self-care. Take time every day to reflect on how well you handle those situations and share your challenges with the team, so others can learn from you and support you.

  • Fatigue – Take your leave, your RDO’s, and your breaks each day. Look for new things to learn, and share your skills with new staff.

  • Coworker conflict – This requires assertiveness (respecting the rights, needs and feelings of the other person as well as yourself). Speak to the staff member involved with the goal of a win-win outcome.

  • External Concerns – Acknowledge your challenges to your direct School Business Manager/Leader. They are there to help. Saying nothing makes it harder for you and everyone around you.

  • No Teamwork – Start the conversation with the Manager/Leader. Bring them a positive attitude and be armed with solutions, as nothing breaks a team faster than negativity and blame.

All of the above solutions require a degree of skill, and ESS without the skills of negotiation, communication, assertiveness and prioritising will struggle to implement them.

Just For Schools provides Professional Development to develop those skills.

CLICK HERE to see our full list of training topics. ESS with high levels of EQ, regularly self assess and self regulate. They start their days feeling confident, and they end their days feeling the same way. It’s EQ in action – all day.

Contact us today to help improve the EQ of your customer service staff.

By Cate Schreck – Service Excellence Coach and Author