Good governance depends on people. Those who support and lead it need the time, clarity and support to do their best work. The NAGAS Governance Workload and Wellbeing Toolkit has been created for governance professionals, clerks, governors, trustees, chairs and governance leaders who want governance to be effective, purposeful and sustainable.
The toolkit has been shaped by the NAGAS Survey on Workload and Wellbeing and the experiences shared across the governance community. It responds to the pressures that can sit behind governance roles: growing demands, unclear boundaries, duplicated work, difficult conversations and the emotional weight of supporting good decision-making. Rather than simply describing these challenges, the toolkit turns what people told us into practical resources that boards and governance teams can use.
The toolkit is organised into five collections of practical tools, developed in response to the themes raised through the NAGAS Governance Workload and Wellbeing Survey. Together, they address the most common pressures experienced across governance roles.
1: Clear Roles and Boundaries – clarifying responsibilities and reducing role-drift.
2: Workload and Governance Efficiency – reducing duplication and improving meetings, governance documentation and planning.
3: Emotional Load and Risk – recognising the pressure created by complaints, safeguarding, exclusions, conflict and difficult decisions.
4: Early Warning and Wellbeing Checks – identifying pressure before it becomes a bigger problem.
5: Culture, Recognition and Sustainability – supporting sustainable governance, recognition and retention.
Not sure where to begin? Start with the theme that feels most familiar, choose one of its tools and use it to begin a focused conversation. You can return to other themes as your needs change.
Explore the five themes and choose one practical tool that responds to a pressure your board or governance team is experiencing now. Use it to start a conversation, agree one change and share what you learn. Small, purposeful steps can reduce pressure, strengthen practice and help create governance that works better for everyone.
This toolkit has been produced by NAGAS for regional members to share with their clerks and governance professionals. It may be used in whole or part by governors, trustees, clerks and governance professionals on the understanding NAGAS is acknowledged as the source.