Journal of College & University Student Housing Volume 50, No. 3 - 37

Prioritizing Staff Well-Being
a highly contested presidential election; supporting students while they themselves
were navigating these challenges created emotionally draining work environments, in
particular for staff of color (Scales, 2022).
Residence life staff are often tasked with additional responsibilities, many of
which fall outside typical job responsibilities and occur outside regular work hours
(McDaniel, 2021). During the pandemic, staff were asked to take on additional responsibilities
related to creating and enforcing health and safety regulations and
addressing student needs. Fred, who served as COVID-response coordinator for his
department, recalled being tasked with delivering food to students while the campus
food pantry was closed, which led him to ask, " Why is this housing's responsibility? "
Many responsibilities added during the pandemic carried risks to staff's health and
safety. As Jake, an entry-level staff member, explained, " We're not health care workers,
we don't do the medical care, but we're basically on the front line. . . . My family, every
single day, is potentially at risk of being exposed to a person with COVID. " The combination
of long hours, stressful work environments, and emotionally draining work-
compounded by the risks posed to them and their family's physical well-being-made
participants question their future in residence life.
Risks to Emotional, Occupational, Physical, and Social Wellness
Analyzing residence life staff workloads and responsibilities through the holistic
wellness model (Hettler, 1984; Stoewen, 2017) revealed potential negative impacts
on several dimensions of wellness. Long hours and related stress can lead to burnout
and low job satisfaction (McDaniel, 2021; Reed, 2015), thus negatively impacting
emotional and occupational wellness. Prolonged exposure to stress can have physical
health consequences (Faragher et al., 2004), and the stress, combined with the risk
of coronavirus exposure during the peak of the pandemic, can negatively impact one's
physical wellness.
Barbara, an entry-level staff member, shared how encouragement to take time off
often felt hollow. " They say flex your time and then okay, but please tell me when or if
I do, don't ask me why I wasn't in my office. " A lack of free time can create challenges
for developing and maintaining social connections outside of work, thus hindering
one's social wellness. As Lisa, an entry-level staff member who started their first job
after graduate school, at the height of the pandemic, explained, " I felt so isolated and
so alone. " Not knowing anyone at their institution and interacting only virtually made
it challenging to connect with people.
I struggled. I'm still struggling . . . my counselors and mental health professionals [were]
like, " You need to go to Starbucks and try to have a three-minute conversation with a
barista because you haven't talked to anyone outside of your parents in days. "
Though Lisa described themself as an introvert pre-pandemic, they missed in-person
interactions with others during the pandemic and felt isolated and alone.
While research often focuses on entry-level staff (McDaniel, 2021; Rankin, 2013;
Rankin & Gulley, 2018; St. Onge et al., 2008), staff at all levels can feel the negative impacts
of heavy workloads and challenging work responsibilities. Live-in staff in particular
34 The Journal of College and University Student Housing

Journal of College & University Student Housing Volume 50, No. 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Journal of College & University Student Housing Volume 50, No. 3