Creating a culture that supports balance

We often talk about work-life balance as a personal responsibility – something we need to manage, protect, or prioritise. And while there’s truth in that, it can also create a quiet burden: as if balance is just about individual choices, regardless of the system you’re working within.

But balance isn’t just personal. It’s cultural.

And culture starts at the top.

As school and trust leaders, we don’t just shape policies and plans. We shape the norms – spoken and unspoken – that guide how people feel they should behave. The messages we send (and the ones we model) set the tone for whether balance is seen as possible, acceptable, or even valued.

Why this matters now

The pressures in education are immense – high accountability, tight budgets, complex pupil needs, recruitment challenges. It’s tempting to push harder, stretch further, and hope others will do the same. But that approach is neither sustainable nor effective.

Creating a culture that supports balance is not about lowering standards. It’s about building a team that can sustain those standards without burning out.

As the Education Support charity and the CIPD have both highlighted, organisational culture plays a far greater role in staff wellbeing than isolated interventions or individual self-care strategies. If we want high-performing teams, we need healthy teams.

What does a balance-supporting culture look like?

Here are a few hallmarks of schools and trusts where balance is part of the culture:

1.  Boundaries are respected

Staff are not expected to reply to emails outside of working hours – and leaders model this. Meeting times and deadlines are planned with human capacity in mind. Personal time is seen as legitimate, not indulgent.

2. Leaders talk about wellbeing as a leadership responsibility

Rather than focusing solely on staff resilience, leaders ask: What are we doing (or not doing) that impacts our team’s workload, energy, or wellbeing?

3. Systems are built with people in mind

From curriculum planning to performance management, processes are regularly reviewed for their impact on staff time and mental load. Efficiency and clarity are prized over volume and perfectionism.

4. Rest and joy are part of the language

Leaders talk openly about their own wellbeing choices – whether that’s switching off, time with family, or something they love outside of work. They create permission for others to do the same.

5. There’s psychological safety

Staff feel safe to say, “I’m struggling,” or, “I need to reprioritise,” without fear of judgement. Feedback is invited. Solutions are co-created.

Questions for reflection

If you’re a leader reading this, consider:

• What unspoken messages do our habits and systems send about balance?

• Where might we be unintentionally rewarding overwork or presenteeism?

• How can we design a rhythm of work that reflects our values as well as our goals?

A culture is what we permit – and what we protect

Creating a culture that supports balance is not a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a leadership imperative. When we protect space for people to rest, reflect, and reconnect with life beyond the job, we’re not just doing the right thing. We’re laying the foundations for a resilient, purpose-driven, and high-performing organisation.

Because when people feel seen, supported and safe, they don’t just survive – they thrive.