Transcript Document

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ACUHO-I Annual Conference & Exposition
Program Committee
Version June 23, 2008
ACUHO-I Orlando
Recruitment and Retention of Entry-Level Staff
in Housing and Residence Life
Tom Ellett
Stewart Robinette
Holley A. Belch
Thomas Scheuermann
ACUHO-I sponsored study report
Session 4: Recruitment
June 23, 2008
Recruitment Session Overview
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Introductions
Literature Review
Career Cycle
Problem Analysis
Job Analysis
Best Practices and Professional Development
Shared Experiences
Questions
3
Project Overview
•
•
•
•
•
Position analysis
Best practices study
Supervision and mentorship
Image of housing/residence life (perception)
Role of professional development
4
History and Literature
Déjà Vu:
20+ years of ACUHO-I efforts on R & R
Deliberation:
Recent assessment efforts
Decisive Action:
Commissioned research-comprehensive
approach
Source: Scheuermann and Ellett (JCUSH, 2007)
5
History and Literature
Déjà vu: 20+ years of ACUHO-I efforts on R & R
Longstanding topic of dialogue
-More attention given to this in the mid 2000s
• Dr. Donald Kilbourn, one of the first ACUHO-I presidents
(1951): “recruiting staff is our biggest challenge facing our
profession”
• ACPA/NASPA Task Force-factors impacting recruitment
and retention
• Jahr (1990): “no two more critical areas…than recruitment
and retention”
6
History and Literature
Deliberation: Recent assessment efforts
• Housing and Residence Life Professionals Recruitment
and Retention Survey Report (2002): differences
between “new” and “experienced” professionals in
benefits
• Belch & Mueller (2003) “Pools or puddles?”
– Quality of life, remuneration, interest in the
housing/residence life profession
7
History
Commissioned Research Project
•
Fall 2005 – Fall 2006
Images of Job and Field (Study E)
Housing and Residence Life Career Model Development
Summary Report
•
•
Spring 2007
Final Report Prepared
Further Research Identified
Summer 2004 through Summer 2007
Summer 2004 – Fall 2004
• Literature Review
• Design Studies
Fall 2004 – Spring 2005
• International Study Problem
Assessment (Study A)
• Position Analysis (Study B Begin)
Summer 2005 – Spring 2006
• Position Analysis (Study B Conclude)
• Best Practices (Study C)
• Supervision & Mentorship (Study D)
•
•
•
•
Summer 2008
Further Reporting
Glossy Prepared for Distribution at
Annual Conference
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Housing and Residence Life Career Model
Key:
Position
Process
Recruitment/
retention influence
Undergraduate
Candidates
from outside
the Field.
Exit
Transition
Entry/ReEntry
Recruitment
& Retention
Graduate
Post RD
(in housing)
RD
The red circle
represents the Field
of Housing and
Residence Life.
(Belch, Bleiberg, Christopher, Dunkel, Ellett, Novitski, Scheuermann, St. Onge)
Career Model
Housing and Residence Life Career Model
Key:
Position
Process
Recruitment/
retention influence
Undergraduate
Candidates
from outside
the Field.
Exit
Transition
Entry/ReEntry
Recruitment
& Retention
Graduate
Post RD
(in housing)
RD
The red circle
represents the Field
of Housing and
Residence Life.
(Belch, Bleiberg, Christopher, Dunkel, Ellett, Novitski, Scheuermann, St. Onge)
•Holistic View
•Preparation for
professionals at
different junctions
•Impacts the declining
or accepting of offers
to join the field
10
Problem Analysis
Recruitment— 4”P’s” in the Literature:
• Periodic fluctuations – housing and res life job
availability
• Pipelines – undergraduates, RAs, student leaders
• Perceptions – views of entry level positions
• Pools – of candidates; quality/quantity=related to
above variables
The literature and factors cited above informed our framework and approach
to the ACUHO-I Commissioned Research study.
11
Problem Analysis
The Crisis in Recruitment and Retention
of Housing Officers Report (2002)
Reasons for the perception of declining job offers
•Geographic location
•Salary
•Fit with institution
•Type/Size of institution
Was this an issue
•Position responsibilities
or just a perception?
•Quality of life
Is it only a problem
for small institutions?
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Problem Analysis
Recruiting is a Concern on my Campus
Strongly
Disagree
6%
Small Housing Operation
< 1,000 beds
Strongly
Disagree
11%
Strongly
Agree
3%
Agree
25%
Disagree
30%
Neither
Agree
nor
Disagree
31%
Strongly
Agree
9%
Disagree
26%
Neither
Agree
nor
Disagree
23%
Agree
36%
Large Housing Operation
> 1,000 beds
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Problem Analysis
Recruiting is a Concern on my Campus
Average Annual
Starting Salary for an
Entry-Level Staff
Member in Housing:
24,213
Highest Degree for
Entry-Level Staff:
58% Bachelor’s Degree
31% Master’s Degree
11% Currently pursuing a
degree
14
Job Analysis
Study Purpose
To measure and examine aspects of the Residence
Director (RD) work experience which predicts their
commitment to a career in HRL.
To achieve this, measures of several aspects of the
work experience were tested for their relationship to
measures of career commitment and loyalty among
entry level and senior housing professionals.
15
Job Analysis
Recruitment Related Factors
Work Experience Measures
Job Autonomy
Job Involvement
Career Measures
Role Ambiguity
Perceived Support
Professional
Development Fairness
Career Planning
Housing and Residence Life Career Model
Key:
Position
Process
Recruitment/
retention influence
Undergraduate
Candidates
from outside
the Field.
Exit
Transition
Entry/ReEntry
Recruitment
& Retention
Graduate
Post RD
(in housing)
RD
The red circle
represents the Field
of Housing and
Residence Life.
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(Belch, Bleiberg, Christopher, Dunkel, Ellett, Novitski, Scheuermann, St. Onge)
Job Analysis
Results
Job burnout was identified most frequently as the work
experience measure for having a high impact on career measures
and needing improvement among HRL professionals and RDs
A second group of work experience
measures - Job Involvement, Workload
Dissatisfaction, Satisfaction with
Promotion Opportunities, and
Professional Development Outcome
Fairness
For the RDs alone, role ambiguity
impacts happiness
Identified as
having an
impact on
career
measures and
needing
improvement
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Job Analysis
Recruitment Implications:
Role Ambiguity
King and King (1990) identified role ambiguity as a
sense of confusion about expectations on the job
•Housing leaders can reduce role ambiguity by
providing job descriptions that are focused on
clarifying job tasks and job requirements
•Ambiguity may be reduced by having RDs
negotiate expectations for tasks that are outside of
the scope of their job
Window Counting Example
18
Best Practices
A Delphi method of inquiry used to identify the
institutions with best practices;
ACUHO-I’s Leadership Assembly and Small
College Network participated as expert panelists;
11 institutions and over 75 interviews
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Best Practices
Key strategies in recruitment
Policies:
- Pets
- Domestic partners
- Respecting living space
- Collateral assignments
- 12 month contract length and/or accommodating
flexibility
- Professional development support
20
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% of Respondents
Attractive Benefits
Supervision and Mentorship Study
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Taken from the Supervision and Mentorship Survey - contained over 381
participants in ACUHO-I membership of entry level professionals
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Best Practices
Key strategies in recruitment
Processes:
- Ongoing communication during process
- Attention to the individual
- Broad approach to professional development
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Best Practices
Key strategies in recruitment
Perks:
- Personalizing campus residence
External entrance
Washer/dryer
Non-institutional furniture
Wooden kitchen cabinets
- Meal plan
- Plan for addressing amenities in living space
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Best Practices
Key strategies in recruitment
Personalities:
- Professional development encouraged through
words, actions, and resources;
- Staff ownership; staff exhibit genuine
enthusiasm for work
-Acknowledging the importance of fit between
individual and dept/institution
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Best Practices
Keys to Recruitment
a. Dedicated person with attention to detail
b. Full interview schedule
c. Candidate access to decision maker
d. Current staff are professionally visible & involved
e. “Employee Alumni” assist in recruiting new candidates
25
Professional Development
Professional Development Study
A stratified random sample of 240 mid-level professional
representing all U.S. ACUHO-I regions; Sample criteria
included the size of the institution’s residential operation
Small - Less than 1000 beds
Medium - 1000 to 2500 beds
Large - More than 2501 beds
69.5% (167 of 240)
Response rate
26
Professional Development
Professional development plans, expectations, and
institutional support:
•Introduced to the idea of professional development by a former
supervisor
86.5% •Reported that employers encouraged staff to participate in
professional development activities
29.3% •Reported having a written professional development plan and 40%
of those who had a written plan wrote one because they personally
believed it was a good idea, not because their employer required one
53.7% •Receive at least $800 for professional development activities even
though the range of institutional funds to support professional
development varied greatly
•Participation by respondents in formal programs (e.g., NHTI)
increased as the amount of institutional support increased (a
statistically significant finding)
49%
27
Professional Development
Impact of Professional Development
•Nearly all (92%) claimed that involvement in professional
development activities has improved their overall level of
competence in their job
•82% were satisfied/very satisfied with their involvement in
these activities
•Respondents who indicated professional development
activities had improved their overall competence were more
likely to have attended a conference (statistically significant
finding)
28
Professional Development
Impact of Professional Development (continued)
•Respondents were more likely to be involved at the regional
rather than national level
•A significant relationship existed among those attending an “in
person conference” who believed involvement in professional
development activities improved overall competence
•A greater percentage of respondents who believed that
involvement contributed to promotion said they had gained
skills in leadership, networking, and had stronger management
skills
•The study found no statistical relationship between promotion
and involvement in professional development activities
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Professional Development
Summative Thoughts:
•The study indicated that the role of professional development
is significant for professionals influenced by their supervisors
to participate in this level of activity for their personal growth
•While many institutions encourage their staff to participate, it
may well be worthwhile to create a plan for professional
development (as noted by 29.3% of the participants)
•The vast majority of respondents noted that their competence
has improved (92%) due to their involvement in a professional
development activity, which most noted as attendance at
annual conferences
30
Shared Experiences
Where do we go from here?
As a professional?
As a small institution or a large institution?
31
Shared Experiences
How do you move from this knowledge to putting
these ideas into place in your department?
Will there be resistance to change and if so how can
that be overcome?
32
Shared Experiences
What messages do we take to our professionals
based on this information?
Diet and Exercise example
33
Shared Experiences
What would you like to see added to this research
for the profession?
34
Questions
35
References – for ACUHO-I 2008 Session Powerpoint
ABBREVIATED REFERENCE LIST
REFERENCES
ACUHO-I Leadership Assembly (2002). The recruitment and retention of housing
officers. Orlando, FL: Author
Belch, H. A., & Mueller, J. A. (2003). Candidate pools or puddles: Challenges and
trends in the recruitment and hiring of resident directors. Journal of College
Student Development, 44(1), 29-46.
Belch, H. A., Wilson, M. E., & Dunkel, N. (forthcoming). Cultures of success: Recruiting
and retaining new live-in residence life professionals. College Student Affairs
Journal.
Benedict, J. O., & Mondloch, G. J. (1989). Factors affecting burnout in
paraprofessional residence hall staff members. Journal of College Student
Development, 30(4), 293-297.
Brewer, E .W., & Clippard, L. F. (2002). Burnout and job satisfaction among
student support services personnel. Human Resource Development Quarterly
13(2), 169-186.
Dadez, E., & Hollow, C. (1992). Motivated and marketable, but nowhere to go!
ACUHO-I Talking Stick 10(2), 14.
Herr, S. K., & Strange, C. (1985). The relationship between burnout and the work
environments of residence hall directors. Journal of College and University Student
Housing, 15(2), 12-16.
Jahr, P. K. (1990). Recruitment and preparation: Our future. ACUHO-I Talking Stick,
36
8(3), 6.
References – for ACUHO-I 2008 Session Powerpoint
ABBREVIATED REFERENCE LIST
REFERENCES CONTINUED
Lebron, M. J., McIntosh, J. and Nestor, E. (2002). Housing and residence life
professionals recruitment and retention survey report: Assessment report. Syracuse
University: Authors.
Magolda, P. M., & Carnaghi, J. E. (2004). Job one: Experiences of new professionals
in student affairs. Lanham, MD: American College Personnel Association.
McIntosh, J. and Ridzi, F. (2002). ACUHO-I Graduate Student Survey: Assessment
report. Syracuse University: Authors.
Scheuermann, T., & Ellett, T. (2007). A 3-D view of recruitment and retention of
entry-level housing staff: Déjà vu, deliberation, decisive action. Journal of
College and University Student Housing, 34(2).
Schmidt, J. (2002). Presidential perspective. ACUHO-I Talking Stick, 19(6), 2.
Tarver, D., Canada, R., & Lim, Mee-Gaik (1999). The relationship between job
satisfaction and locus of control among college student affairs administrators and academic
administrators. NASPA Journal, 36(2), 96-105.
Winston, R. B., Jr., Ullom, M, & Werring, C. (1983). The housing graduate assistantship:
Factors that affect choice and perceived satisfaction. Journal of College Student
Personnel, 24(3), 225-230.
37