Working in the Alberta public school system demands emotional labour from teachers, school leaders and other education workers. The impact of emotional labour is not well understood or even researched in the context of education. This presentation focuses on what was learned in the first phase of a two year study initiated by the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan, conducted in partnership with the University of Calgary. The presentation for the phase one report draws upon the literature to define and explain the terms associated with compassion fatigue, emotional labour and burnout, and presents the results of an online survey conducted in June 2020 and completed by over 2,000 educators. Finally, the presentation also explores potential mechanisms for encouraging psychological well-being for all educators at both individual and system levels.
