The Research Files Episode 50: Principal work hours and wellbeing

Australia’s school principals are overwhelmed by the amount of work they’re doing; they’re having great difficulty sleeping; and they are experiencing high rates of offensive behaviour and physical attacks, according to 2018 data collected for the Principal Health and Wellbeing Survey. The survey monitors school principals', deputy or assistant principals’ health and wellbeing annually. Since it first began in 2011, data has been collected from about 50 per cent of Australia’s 10 000 principals. Associate Professor Philip Riley from Australian Catholic University’s Institute of Positive Psychology and Education is the survey’s chief investigator and he is our guest in this episode of The Research Files. In today’s chat we discuss some of the interesting points to come out of this data collection, and why principals receive interactive feedback after completing the survey. We also discuss the impact that long work hours are having on principals’ wellbeing, their family life and their ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle.