Stop asking team members to do more! How to get your end-of-year checklist done

As services approach the end of the year, there is plenty to feel proud of and still a lot to finish. Transition statements, enrolment enquiries and events need attention alongside the everyday work of educating and caring for children.

Celebrations can be a lovely way to bring families together, though preparation often falls to team members already trying to finish other work. Providers and managers know those pressures too, with staffing stretched and some deadlines fixed.

One also has to be conscious of team members' bandwidth and burn out as centres enter the final stretch and the cumulative impact of another very busy year starts to take its toll. 

This context is essential when collating checklists and plans. Tasks need to be completed but before adding another display, event or deadline, consider these five points to work through what is manageable with your team before pressing go. 

1. Review the list and ask yourself “are they all must have completed items?”

Look at the remaining task calendar together and provide details of the work behind each event, display or deadline. For example, a celebration might take an hour, but invitations, preparation, room changes, risk assessments and packing away take longer.

Mark each item, keep, simplify, share or defer. Essential safety and regulatory responsibilities remain. Agree on who will do each task together, when it needs finishing and what support they need. Check that preparation has not fallen to the same people, and tell everyone about agreed changes.

2. For uncompleted tasks find out where the time went

Before following up on unfinished documentation, or any other task, check whether the educator received their programming time. Someone may have been away, a child needed extra support or the room needed another pair of hands.

Review what was planned, what happened and what still needs doing. Check actual arrival and departure patterns to see whether the roster can provide uninterrupted programming time while maintaining ratios, adequate supervision and support for children’s needs. Where time has been missed, agree on when it will be provided and who will cover the room.

3. Always give people room to answer honestly - do not judge

Choose a time when you can both talk and ask, “Which part of the week has been hardest to manage?” Listen before offering an answer. Work through possible solutions together and agree on when to check back. Personal reflection can help identify what to try differently; keep shared notes focused on agreed actions and handle personal information with care.

Team members are busy, engaging with them with respect and allowing for honest back and forth will not only foster trust but also set the scene for the next two months of events, displays and tasks that are yet to be completed. 

4. The same goes for centre managers and leaders

A manager may be following up recruitment, waiting for a budget decision and handling a family concern while trying to complete their own work. Providers and area managers can help by finding out what is stuck.

Ask for one decision that is needed, one task that could be shared and one deadline under pressure. Agree on who will take each item forward and when an answer can be expected. Communicate changed priorities so the manager is not left working through conflicting instructions.

5. Keep celebrations enjoyable for the organisers too

Ask team members what would work for their children and families. Sharing children’s work or holding an informal gathering may be more enjoyable than a performance requiring weeks of preparation.

Agree on the preparation needed. If the plan does not fit, simplify it. Remember colleagues keeping everyday routines going and those working while others take leave.

The final stretch into end of year celebrations, graduations and re-enrolments can be busy and at times stressful. The fact of the matter is that tasks need to be done, but the chances of them actually being done depends on how we as leaders engage with our teams. 

Simply asking team members to do more will not yield the results needed. Always listen, always be clear and always be prepared to roll up your sleeves.

Dialogue, empathy and clear direction allow for a positive environment and the highest probabilities that the team feel included and engaged as we move towards the end of the year.