This past winter break, I received an email from an administrator at my school that was familiar to me in its tone, cadence, and request: A committee was forming at the school where I teach, and I had been identified as someone who might be able and willing to contribute.The purpose of the committee was noble. I believed I could contribute meaningfully to it. The time commitment was fairly low as far as this kind of work in independent schools goes (a few meetings and several hours of work), and I’d be collaborating with a handful of colleagues. And yet, I found myself simultaneously balking at the opportunity and somewhat resentful for being asked in the first place. It wasn't that the purpose of the committee didn’t merit exploration or that I couldn’t bring value to the group. Rather, I realized I was experiencing committee fatigue.
Mining the Experience
Ten years ago, I greeted my first committee appointment with what might have been the naive excitement of a young teacher; in more recent years, my committee work has started to feel burdensome. During my 11-year career, I have served on nine committees, task forces, and working groups. Some have been ad hoc, designed to address a specific problem, issue, or initiative and then disband. Others have been standing committees that are essential in the school’s administration. At certain points, I have been compensated for my committee work and at other junctures, I have not.Before responding to the latest solicitation email, I talked with colleagues and others in my professional network, mostly women, about how common or typical my experience with committee work—and my current fatigue with it—was. They have a diverse range of experience in teaching, staff, and administrative roles at rural or urban boarding or regional day schools. And all had deep experience on a range of committees over the course of their careers. We explored what distinguished the experiences that had been enriching and meaningful from those that had been tedious, onerous, and depleting. Undergirding and connecting the experiences was a shared recognition of the importance of committees within schools and the desire to contribute, as well as the attendant exhaustion, fatigue, and burnout from having served on so many committees.
This likely wouldn’t be the last time I—or those with whom I talked—would receive an email like this, so I started thinking about how schools could move toward a model where committee work is invigorating, engaging, and meaningful to faculty and staff.
What Schools Can Do
My suggestions, which draw on these conversations and my personal experience, are by no means exhaustive or statistical, but hopefully they offer a starting place and some strategies for school leaders to consider.Designate time for committees to meet. Often, the first thought faculty and staff have when considering participation is about the time commitment. Many, particularly parents of young children, opt not to join for fear of an onerous time commitment, or one that will conflict with other school responsibilities and family commitments. Carving out time for committee meetings in the daily and weekly schedule can encourage more participation. Schools also communicate the value and importance of committee work by making it a part of the school schedule, as opposed to asking people to give up their evenings, time before school, breaks, and other “free” time.
Include participation as part of the professional development and evaluation package. Many people I spoke with expressed frustration and disillusionment that their committee work was not known or acknowledged by their supervisors. Schools that recognize this work in a coordinated way can communicate its value. Schools don’t have to require committee participation, but depending on the evaluation model, school leaders should recognize when an individual has participated in committees. Thank them for their work and discuss it in follow-up conversations about their career aspirations and how their committee work can further those goals.
When possible, compensate individuals. Even small monetary stipends or gift cards can be a nice way to acknowledge the contribution. One person I spoke with works at a school that offers stipends for people who participate in committee work over the summer, and she expressed great satisfaction with her experience. And while cash stipends might not be fiscally possible at some schools, a gift card to a local coffee shop or restaurant can still be a meaningful acknowledgement.
Consider whether you can offer workload adjustments. This might not be possible at schools with small staffs, but if changes to coaching or extracurricular requirements can be made to reflect committee participation, the work might feel less taxing and more people might consider participating. This also presents opportunities for those who don’t coach or lead extracurriculars to offer their gifts in a different way.
Publicly thank and acknowledge committee members. Inviting them to present or share their work at a faculty meeting or similar venue acknowledges their hard work and raises the profile of committee work in your school. Standing committees can share what they’re working on with some frequency, either at full faculty meetings, in email newsletters, or by distributing committee meeting minutes. This was common practice at a school where I worked earlier in my career, and it created transparency and communicated how much the institution valued the work of those committees and the individuals who served on them.
Reconsider your approach to assembling committees. If the current practice is to individually seek people out for committee participation, which it is at many schools, try new tactics to broaden the pool of potential participants. Avoid asking the individuals who already serve on a committee (or two or three), for example. For standing committees, consider term limits for participants as well as elections instead of appointments. Publicize vacancies so that people know when opportunities emerge that might interest them or play to their particular skill sets and expertise. One colleague I spoke to said she was interested in serving on a committee but had never been asked. She described how committees formed without her knowledge or awareness, or opportunity to express her interest and qualifications; she felt discouraged, particularly when she saw others serving on multiple committees. A more transparent process when forming committees allows for a more equitable distribution of the work and avoids such discouraging outcomes.
Be intentional about who you ask to participate. A former colleague who participates in multiple groups noted that when she’s asked to join a committee at her school, she often wonders, “Am I being asked because I add value to the group? Or am I being asked because they know I’ll say ‘yes’?” Being specific about what someone can offer your committee affirms them and communicates a more intentional approach to composing committees. When you do make the ask, be clear and direct about what value you think they’ll add to your committee, for example, “You did a great job designing that survey for our accreditation two years ago, and that expertise would be incredibly helpful to this committee.”
Make sure every committee has a written mandate that is clear, discrete, and easy to understand. Clarity around mandates helps potential committee members understand what kind of work they’ll be involved in, thereby helping them connect with opportunities that best align with their talents, interests, and career aspirations. Clear mandates also avoid the frustrating outcome of a committee that produces recommendations that cannot be acted on or time spent discussing topics that go beyond what the committee is expected to do. Revise mandates for standing committees as their role within your school evolves.
Make sure the names of committees align with the mandate and function. Two schools where I’ve worked have had a standing “academic committee,” but at one, the focus was on the school’s curriculum and classroom policies, while at the other, the focus was on students who were struggling to meet academic expectations. These two committees performed very different—and necessary—functions at their respective schools, yet they shared the same name.
When forming new committees, look for redundancies. There may already be groups working to respond to whatever question or issue the committee is exploring. Certain academic departments, for instance, could serve in place of committees, as could populations of school staff (such as residential faculty at boarding schools). Be mindful of what work people already perform to avoid overburdening them.
Audit your committees. One colleague noted that almost all the committees she participates in are majority or entirely female. Another stated that committee work at her school fell almost entirely to faculty of color, who are already stretched in our institutions. Both situations suggest imbalances in how committee work is distributed and merits intervention.
At their best, committees are rich examples of collaboration and coordination in our schools. They are often the drivers of change within our organizations. They provide participants with the chance to step outside of their comfort zone, assume a leadership role, and learn more about their institutions. Often, though, faculty and staff feel unsure of their committee’s purpose or its impact. They feel overburdened with too much committee work or underappreciated for not being included in committees. Yet with a few adjustments, schools can ensure a more equitable distribution of committee work and more avenues to transform schools and empower committee participants.
I did, in the end, say “yes” to the administrator’s request that I join the committee, but only after I stepped down from another committee.