The Early Warning Signs Your Team Is Getting Stressed, And What To Do About It 

(Using Pit Stops as a Wellbeing Check, Not a Work Check)

Stress rarely arrives suddenly. It builds quietly.

You can usually see the signs before performance drops, before mistakes increase, before tension rises, before safety is affected. But only if you know what to look for.

Strong leaders don’t wait for problems to appear. They create regular moments to check in on people.

Not on tasks.
Not on performance.
Not on work.

On wellbeing.

That’s exactly what Pit Stops are designed to do.

The early warning signs

Watch for small changes in behaviour:

• Someone who is usually chatty becomes quiet
• Patience runs out faster than usual
• Energy drops
• Small frustrations feel bigger
• People seem tired or withdrawn
• Communication feels flat

These are not performance problems.

They are wellbeing signals.

And when wellbeing drops, risk rises.

Not because people don’t care.
Because they are human.

Why Pit Stops matter more than ever right now

In busy services, leaders often talk to educators about work all day.

Routines
Documentation
Ratios
Tasks
Incidents

But very few conversations are about the person.

That’s where Pit Stops make the difference.

They create a predictable, safe moment each week where an educator can simply be asked:

How are you going?

Not:

Did you finish that task?
Did you complete the documentation?
Did you follow the routine?

Just:

How are you going?

This small shift changes everything.

Because when people feel seen, they feel supported. And supported people stay steady, even when work gets busy.

Try this today: A Wellbeing Pit Stop

Choose one educator today and SCHEDULE a short Pit Stop conversation.

Keep it simple.
Keep it human.
Keep it focused on them.

Ask:

How have you been feeling lately?
What’s been going well for you outside of work?
Is there anything on your mind that you’d like support with?

Then listen.

Not to fix.
Not to solve.
Not to manage work.

Just to understand the person.

Many leaders believe they need to step in only when something goes wrong.

But the strongest leaders step in before that.

You need small, consistent moments of connection.

Five to seven minutes.
Once a week.
Undivided attention.

That’s all.

Because well-being conversations build trust.
Trust builds stability.
And stable teams create safer environments.

Ad hoc check-ins are not enough. Wandering around and asking, “Are you okay?” might feel supportive, but it often happens in the middle of noise, routine, children, interruptions and competing demands.

People rarely open up when they are caught off guard, watched by others, or unsure whether the leader really has time to listen.

Pit Stops work because they are

• intentional,
• private and
• predictable.

They tell the educator, “You matter enough for me to make time for you.” That is very different from hoping a wellbeing conversation will happen somewhere between lunch covers, nappy changes and the next urgent task.

Start this week

Schedule one Pit Stop.

Not to talk about work.
Not to solve problems.
Not to review performance.

Just to check in on the person.

Because when leaders care about well-being first,  everything else becomes easier.