Tips for Hall Directors Looking To Move Up In Housing and Residence Life
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.
Submitted by Christa Sandelier, Complex Coordinator, Colorado State University