Addressing RA Retention and Burnout

1. Addressing RA Retention and Burnout Jonathan Buchner Patrick Herman Andrew Johnson NWACUHO February 8th, 2010

2. Outline • Outcomes • Research and Results • Burnout • Defining burnout • Common reasons for burnout and how it functions • What we can do as professionals • During training • Throughout the year • Programmatic impacts: hiring on the calendar year • Discussion

3. Outcomes By the end of this presentation, we hope you will: • Better understand how burnout functions • Have strategies for addressing burnout • Consider how programmatic methods and structure can impact burnout • Collaborate with each other about burnout prevention

4. Research • We asked 40 northwest ACUHO affiliated schools. 20 responded. • Questions: • How many undergraduate RA positions do you have in your residence life program? • In each of the last fives years, how many RA’s have not completed the term for which they were hired? • In each of the last five years, how many RA’s have been rehired after completing at least one term? • We also invited them to comment on the most common reasons for RA’s not finishing their terms.

5. Results • Schools ranged from having 4 to 104 RA’s • On average per year in the last 5 years: • 9 schools lost fewer than 5% of RA’s • 7 schools lost between 5% and 10% of RA’s • 4 schools lost greater than 10% of RA’s • Burnout was mentioned as one common cause of RA’s leaving in addition to academics, conduct issues, and various lifestyles incongruent with the RA job.

6. Defining Burnout • Burnout as “the gradual loss of caring about the people with whom one works.” (Maslach in Berman, p. 10) • The Maslach Burnout Inventory (Hardy, 1998, p. 499) • Emotional Exhaustion • Depersonalization • Reduced Personal Accomplishment • Burnout prevention is through education and organizational change.

7. Why Is Burnout an Issue? • Unmotivated RA’s underperform • As students, we are also responsible for the welfare of our RA’s. Fully Motivated RA Competent RA Lack of investment RA Leaving Burnout

8. Common Reasons for Burnout • Academic, social, and extra-curricular commitments • Lifestyle conflicts • Role modeling, crisis management, time management, availability, interpersonal skills, fishbowl • Emotional investments and codependency (Hetherington, 1988) • Chronic everyday stress (Maslach in Berman, p. 11)

9. Paradigms of Burnout Perpetuation • Ash’s Paradigm (Ash in Berman, p. 10) • Gung-Ho • Guilt • Chronic Fatigue & Disillusionment • Self-Defeating Behavior (Hornak, 1982) • Blaming • Comparing • Meeting expectations of others • Labeling • Distorting Feedback

10. What We Can Do As Professionals • Preemptively Address Burnout: Training and Self Care • Recognize and Discuss Burnout Openly When It Occurs: Self Care Throughout the Year • Considering Programmatic Impact: Hiring on the Calendar Year (The Whitman Model)

11. Training and Self Care • Self reflection • Myers-Briggs • Self-exploration workshops • Preemptively discuss burnout • Recognize personal limitations • Empower RA’s • Teach about self care • Set self care goals for training and beyond • Teach time management • Model self care • Professional sleep lecture • Guided yoga/meditation

12. Self Care Throughout the Year • Self-reflective and meaning-making opportunities • One on ones • Personalized Logs • Staff meeting check-ins • Leaving the bubble • Staff retreats and meals • Staff bonding • Staff health • Spontaneous interactions • Community Service • Appreciation • RA appreciation days • RA’s planning programs for other RA’s • Encouraging RA’s to maintain support networks

13. Hiring on the Calendar Year • RA selection in October-November • Second-semester sophomores and juniors are hired as RA’s • RA’s start after an 11 day training in January • 5 day opening week preparation in August • New RD’s are hired for the academic year to start in August

14. Advantages to the Calendar Year • Impact on burnout • RA’s get a 3 month summer break • New residents for returning staff • Other benefits • Acclimated residents for new staff • Overlapping RA/RD schedule • Easier transition if an RA leaves between semesters • Other opportunities (Greek, SA, study abroad)

15. Disadvantages to the Calendar Year • Impact on burnout • Integrating RA’s into established communities • Differing expectations between RA’s and returning residents • Other disadvantages • Shorter winter break • Only two possible RA terms • Mid-year housing for leaving RA’s

16. Questions?

17. Group Discussion • What are the common causes of burnout at your school and how does it affect retention? • In what ways have you seen burnout addressed in RA training programs? Do you have any other ideas? • In what ways throughout the year do you or could you address RA burnout? • How does the structure of your RA program impact burnout? Do you have any ideas for changes?

18. References • Benedict, J., & Mondloch, G. (1989). Factors Affecting Burnout in Paraprofessional Residence Hall Staff Members. The Journal of College Student Development, 30, 293-297. • Berman, J. Burnout and Retention. Retrieved January 25th, 2010 from: http://digitool.library.colostate.edu///exlibris/dtl/d3_1/apache_media/30294.pdf • Hardy, S., Dodd, D. (1998). Burnout among university resident assistants as a function of gender and floor assignment. ). Co-Dependency and Resident Assistants. The Journal of College Student Development, 39, 499-501. • Hetherington, C., & Kerr, B. (1998). Co-Dependency and Resident Assistants. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 18, 25-28. • Hornack, J. (1982). Resident Assistant Burnout: A Self-Defeating Behavior. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 12(2), 14-15. • Maslach, C (1982). Burnout: The cost of caring. New Jersey: Prentiss Hall Inc.