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. . . RDs valued department leaders acting as role models who demonstrated
healthy behaviors in the workplace and the value of work/life integration.
LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
A three-campus study cannot capture the full story of the cultures of well-being for professional
live-in staff. As institutions continue to experience a change in their student
demographics, residence life departments are organically evolving their RD position to
enhance the scope of the job's responsibilities without also considering what existing
responsibilities can be removed. One proposed research topic is a large-scale study that
examines how RD positions vary across the country by institutional type, size, organizational
structure, and institutional student needs. This could provide insight into the
practicality of restructuring the position and offer ideas about how institutions could
employ different, complementary position types within the same institution.
Additionally, as this study included a limited number of participants who identified
as persons of color, more research is needed to explore how to intentionally create and
support a culture of well-being specifically for staff of color. This could involve exploring
discrimination and racism in the workplace through the lens of living where one works,
along with being a role model and source of support for residential students of color.
Finally, conducting a case study during the pandemic did not allow for in-person
data collection. For future case studies focused on topics like this, where environmental
conditions may be important, conducting the research in person may lead to additional
valuable insights.
CONCLUSION
This research was conducted when pandemic fatigue was setting in. We were concerned
that participants, because of the added labor of serving as frontline workers,
would focus more on discussing the impact of COVID-19 than on reflecting more
broadly on the work they do. However, most of them offered responses that encapsulated
experiences both before and during the pandemic. Their responses illuminated
how departments support and cultivate a culture of well-being for their live-in staff, as
well as areas of improvement. Relationships between positional levels were of great
importance to all participants. For directors, this included role modeling positive behaviors
and finding ways to support the work of their RDs. For live-in staff, this included
feeling that they were valued by their departmental leadership and appreciating
boundaries that were set by leadership. However, tensions were prevalent with RDs
who felt they were catch-all employees and whose work was not well understood by
campus colleagues. While all participants valued working with students-identifying
this as a primary reason for working in residence life-many alluded to considering
other opportunities in higher education or leaving the field altogether. As of the time of
this article, at least three of them have left the field of higher education. In a time when
we are at a reckoning with the purpose of our work, how do we determine what is most
important in the work we do, how do we value our time, and how do we demonstrate
value and investment to our employees? 
Volume 49, No. 3 * 2023 65

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