‘Trying to survive’: Staff facing burnout at Ottawa Catholic schools

Many staff, teachers and assistants are facing increasing stress and burnout in Ottawa Catholic schools, a survey by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) shows.

The report, which details responses from over 12,000 workers, highlights a number of issues employees are dealing with in the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) including a “crisis” in understaffing, insufficient support for students and increasing demands on all parts of the system.

“Everyone is drowning and cannot complete their work, so stress is everywhere,” a school secretary wrote in their response. “You cannot give children excellent customer service or help when you are drowning. You are just trying to get through a day. Office Assistants used to say we have the best job in the world. We were poorly paid but it was worth it because we loved what we did. Today people feel like we are treated like garbage and paid so little. Many are leaving the profession.”

The survey asked people about their workload, violence and staffing levels.

A large majority (91.7 per cent) of respondents said they feel stress due to an excessive workload with 59.7 per cent saying they had to take time off due to burning out from work.

A spokesperson for the OCSB told CityNews the board is noting the workload and stress placed on employees, something that is a common sentiment felt by many in the education sector across Ontario.

“The well-being of our staff is a priority for the OCSB, and we are committed to fostering a supportive work environment,” Sharlene Hunter, communications with the board, said in an email. “We regularly engage with our union partners, including CUPE, to listen to their concerns and work collaboratively toward solutions that address the needs of our staff while continuing to provide high-quality education for our students.”

To accommodate the workload about 58.8 per cent of respondents said they do unpaid labour for the board, “effectively subsidizing schools to make up for the lack of funding,” the poll reads.

Hunter noted that prior to the passing of the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act in 2014 boards had more autonomy over how money was distributed throughout the institution.

“Prior to this legislation, local school boards had more flexibility to address salary structures and respond to inflationary pressures,” she said. “However, since 2014, local boards have been unable to provide salary increases beyond what is funded by the provincial government.”

It’s not just in classrooms workers are struggling to keep up, in other parts of the system including technology departments and front offices, people are reporting increasing stress.

“When we are overworked, we are unable to complete necessary tasks for the day-to-day operations of the library,” a library worker said in response. “By being understaffed we are simply trying to survive under an unreasonable amount of work. Most of which is unable to be completed.”

About 83.6 per cent of people said in the survey that there was not enough staff employed in their job at the school.

One of the questions asks respondents to explain what they could do if more staff worked their jobs. Many explained how they could improve the lives of students and the efficiency of their roles including spending quality time with children, stocking library shelves or creating book clubs and teaching basic life skills.

There are safety concerns for employees and students due to understaffing, the report details.

“Every day is overwhelming, and I don’t think it’s right that educators are just expected to get injured and be okay with it, a Registered Early Childhood Educator said.