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Don’t
“check-out” on me!
By Christa Sandelier,
Complex Coordinator, Colorado State University
So, have
you ever worked with someone (or maybe you currently are) who after announcing
that they were leaving to accept another position, “checked-out”
of their responsibilities? I have, and for so long it frustrated me because
then I had to “pick up the slack” or just resolve that they
didn’t care anymore. After some introspection I’ve realized
that maybe they “checked-out” because I checked-out on them.
I’ve
noticed that once a job search is announced that in some instances, that
person is no longer included in committees or planning projects. There
might be a committee formed for a project that will continue into next
year. The person who is leaving their position is usually not invited
to be a part of that group. It is usually stated, “what do you care,
you won’t be here, this won’t affect you, you should focus on
finishing things up,” and the list goes on.
How far
do we go to make people matter when they arrive? We make welcome signs
and have parties. We take them around to different offices to introduce
them to others. We also talk about all the great things we are planning
and try to involve them in as many things as they wish, but what about
that person who is leaving? Do we make them feel like they matter? What
do we do to include them?
Now, I’m
not saying that the person leaving does not have any responsibility in
this issue. I’ve seen the “high-fives” signaling “I’m
out of here, you can deal with that next year,” but I wonder how
much of that is real and how much of that is a defense mechanism really
meaning, “if you don’t care about me, I’m not going to
care about you?”
It’s
important to make all employees feel like they matter. Support them in
their endeavors and treat them with the professional respect that you
would any other employee. Take time to touch base with the people you
supervise and make sure they are feeling like they matter to the organization.
If someone is leaving a position, it doesn’t necessarily mean that
they do not like their job. It might just mean that it is time to move
on.
For those
of you leaving positions, care about your job until the end. Care about
it even after you leave, for you still have colleagues working there.
For those of you supervising or working with these individuals don’t
“check-out” on them, you’d be surprised that most of them
do not want to “check-out” on you.
About the Author
Christa Sandelier is currently in her 3rd year as a Complex Coordinator for Colorado State University in the Department of Housing and Food Services. She graduated with a B.S. in Horticulture from Delaware Valley College and a M.S. from Shippensburg University. Christa was recently named the 2001-2002 Outstanding Professional from CPAC (College Personnel Association of Colorado). She has also published "Continuing the Search" - Chapter 5 in the ACUHO-I text Pursuing a Career in Housing; "Self Injury: Hurts So Good" - Power Point Presentation on-line at www.reslife.net; "Pet Policy" - Colorado State University, Dept. of Housing and Food Services; and "Our Community" - Chicken Soup for the College Soul.