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Entering week 4-ish of telecommuting (at least for those of us in metro NYC), and I've seen a lot of stress from colleagues (humourous interludes from @HumanOfHigherEd notwithstanding), particularly in stu affairs, for the slow transition to work-from-home for some colleagues 1/
The industry-wide upheaval is significant, and one thing it has required us to do is review the term "essential staff" and really assess what that means. It also poses significant challenges to the belief (especially of some SA leaders) that SA work can't be done from home. 2/
SA (and higher ed) has largely resisted the gravitational pull of the new economy, which has embraced remote work and more flexibility. The line has always been that higher ed, and esp SA, is "different". Even before COVID-19, that line was starting to wear thin 3/
Even before, it was becoming harder to recruit and retain staff in an inflexible work environment. The belief that higher ed's superior benefits and superior atmosphere were enough to offset work flexibility was starting to wither away (and maybe wasn't true to start with) 4/
None of this is to discount the need to be present to serve our students and institutions. Those are legitimate needs (as this situation has exposed, as well). But there is also a need, prevalent in SA, to always "be there". It's ingrained from grad programs and into the field 5/
I mean, I used to embrace it too, as the ethos of the profession. I used to say and think "nobody made you take this job." But, in the long run (and the short run too), it can be corrosive, unhealthy and can be a disservice to both our colleagues and our students 6/
Also, I believe, it is rooted in a rampant sense of insecurity that the SA field has, in relation to its place in academia. Be indispensable and always working is a way to fend off academic staff that question the worth of SA staff, and to avoid resource cuts. I get that. 7/
But that way of thinking has costs. And the current crisis necessitates refocusing away from the concept of essential staff, to one of essential processes and functions. SA staff manage many essential processes, but we now know that many can be done from home. 8/
That's a big deal. Spoke to a consultant colleague recently who said they would likely look for a campus-based job sometime in the future, but "if they tell me I can't work from home 2 days a week, I know they're lying." The marketplace can see the wizard behind the curtain. 9/
When this ends, some institutions will try to get back to "normal" as soon as possible. Don't know if that's really tenable now. SA was already seeing significant discontent amongst entry-level staff as well as in certain functional areas (ask your ASCA friends) 10/
So let's see who tries to put the cat back in the bag, and how candidates and the marketplace respond. But expectations are changed, and they will continue to change each week we are at home. Time to reconcile with that as an industry. #SAChat 11/fin
