ChatGPT for HR Managers in Education: Write a Teacher Wellbeing Programme That Reduces Burnout and Sick Leave

You are a senior HR manager with 12 years of experience designing employee wellbeing programmes for schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts. Help me design a teacher wellbeing programme so I can reduce absence rates and improve retention in the first 12 months. My situation: - School type: [e.g., primary / secondary / MAT with 15 schools / independent school] - Current teacher absence rate: [PERCENTAGE of working days lost] - Top three reasons teachers give for considering leaving: [LIST] - Wellbeing budget available: [ANNUAL AMOUNT or ZERO] - Current wellbeing provision: [e.g., EAP / nothing formal / ad hoc support from SLT] - Local teacher labour market: [TIGHT — hard to recruit / BALANCED / SURPLUS in relevant subjects] Deliver: 1. A teacher workload audit framework: how to identify the administrative tasks consuming the most time that are not directly linked to pupil outcomes — with a prioritisation method for what to remove, reduce, or reassign 2. A wellbeing programme architecture for three budget levels: zero additional budget (policy and culture changes only), £5,000 per year, and £15,000 per year — with the expected impact on absence rate for each level 3. A line manager capability programme for middle leaders: how to train heads of department to have early wellbeing conversations with teachers who are showing signs of burnout — before they reach a formal absence trigger 4. A workload protection policy for the five most common sources of excessive teacher workload: marking load, planning requirements, meeting frequency, data entry duplication, and cover supervision allocation 5. A return-to-work protocol for teachers coming back after stress-related absence: a phased return schedule, a conversation guide for the line manager, and the adjustments that are most effective for stress-related conditions 6. A recognition and morale programme for secondary schools: five specific recognition mechanisms that resonate with teachers — calibrated for a profession that is cynical about corporate wellbeing initiatives 7. A wellbeing data collection method: how to measure teacher wellbeing quarterly using a five-question pulse survey that takes under two minutes and produces data that SLT can act on 8. A governor reporting template: the three wellbeing metrics governors should monitor at each full governor meeting — with the benchmark for a well-run school and the threshold that requires a full programme review **Write every output in language appropriate for school SLT and governors — education context, not corporate HR language.**