This post will be a little less personal than usual, but still something I want to talk about.
I have a bachelor's degree in Human Resources -- hiring, firing, recruitment, training, payroll, insurance, etc.
My current job works solely with recruitment and training. I mean, it's in my job title. Honestly, those were two of my favorite things to learn about in my undergrad classes, so this job is perfect for me.
But I was having coffee this morning with a colleague and we were talking about training. At Tech, each residence hall complex has, to an extent, the autonomy to decide how things are run. When we go through training, we learn the overarching goals, policies, and general key points. Which is great, in theory... but is it enough in actuality?
"Training provides you a swimsuit, but it doesn't teach you how to swim.":
As soon as he said this, I thought, I need to talk about this.
It's so true, in many aspects. For my first professional staff training, it lasted 3 weeks. But not being an in-hall staff member, I felt that the training was geared towards those folks in particular. Whenever the question was asked, "What about those who aren't in-hall?" the answer was, "I'm not sure." I've simply found that most of what I learned just doesn't apply to me. Next semester, I begin on-call duties. I'm never in the residence halls. I don't know how I'm going to make it out alive! I don't remember where everything is. I don't remember all of the procedures. I'm just praying to God that the on-call binder is easy to maneuver, because that thing will not be leaving my side.
But what about those folks swimming in their halls on an everyday basis? Each hall is different. Each hall runs their desk differently, each hall holds Complex Council differently, and each hall Looks different! Yes, there are policies that everyone has to follow and deadline that reign over the entire department, but as for everyday procedures, No one does it the same way. They've got their swimsuits, but like babies, they're thrown into the pool with the expectation of learning to swim in an instant. I'm not saying the parents are careless or not watching, but there's just that underlying expectation of their children.
As for student staff, for Spring training, we're planning on fitting everything into ONE day. One day. I'm curious to see how well this works out for everyone. But I have to say, I'm not sure I like it. Fall training lasted one week. ONE. WEEK. At my undergrad, our training lasted 2.5 weeks. Yes, we had to be back super early for school, but I felt prepared going into my job. I don't know if one week is feasible for students to learn the intricacies of such a demanding position.
Feeling Empowered:
Then I hear about a lack of motivation, time management, commitment, adherence to policies, and respect for their job. I'm not saying this doesn't happen at every institution with some folks, or that it's Everyone here, but I can't help but wonder. Are we being effective in preparing our students for the jobs we expect them to do? Is there more we can do? What can I do in my position to improve our processes? Don't worry, I am working on it. I keep mental tabs on what I hear from in-hall staffs, from students, from central staff, I relate them to my experiences, and trust me, I fight for what I think is right. I'm hoping to help improve training.
I want to make sure we all know how to swim before being thrown into the deep end of the pool. But I know I can't do it on my own. And that's where the Maximizer in me starts to feel defeated.
Am I overreacting? Maybe I just don't have the full story. Maybe this is just how things are here. Doesn't mean I won't try though. To quote one of my mentors from undergrad, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it... but that doesn't mean an upgrade isn't worth it."
Thanks for reading y'all,
<3 Tawny
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