This episode starts with a question a lot of principals are asking right now: how do you actually improve staff attendance?
It’s complicated! The issue usually isn’t that people are taking days off. Staff are entitled to their time, and they should use it. The real stress comes from what happens in the building when they’re gone - coverage gaps, sub shortages, and the same people getting pulled over and over again.
Karen and Christy unpack how this quickly turns into what feels like a culture problem, when it’s often a system problem. If there’s no clear, fair plan for coverage, frustration builds fast. But when there is a consistent system in place, it actually creates trust. People know things won’t fall apart without them.
They also dig into the role of belonging - how people feel at work matters more than most leaders think. Not in a vague, “positive culture” way, but in the small, daily actions that show people they’re seen, valued, and part of something. That doesn’t eliminate absences, but it does reduce the kind that come from disengagement and burnout.
There’s a practical side too. Clear expectations, consistent communication, and strong onboarding - especially for mid-year hires - make a bigger difference than most people realize. Because clarity without consistency just creates confusion.
At the end of the day, this isn’t really about attendance. It’s about whether your systems and your culture can actually support your staff when they need to be out - and whether the load is shared in a way that feels fair!

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