A Different World: Examining Burnout in Live-On Residence Life Professionals

Higher education is faced with financial struggles, causing institutions to cut staff. In turn, the remaining staff take on additional work and projects. This research applies more to entry level professionals. For student affairs staff who live on campus and work and housing and residence life, they are in a different world than their colleagues who do not live in or live on campus. With additional work and a lack of work-life balance, housing and residence life professionals speak up about how they feel “burnt out.” This increases turnover rates at institutions and decreases the number of professionals in the field. Burnout can have an impact on mental, emotional, and physical health leading folks to experience emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased feelings of personal accomplishment in their work. The purpose of this study is to examine reported levels of burnout in live on residence life professionals. More specifically, it aims to see if there is a difference between reported levels of burnout for different gender identities. For this research project, I took a quantitative approach distributing the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Educators Survey which included 22 questions. I also asked three demographic questions including gender identity, geographical region, and institution type. Results suggest these professionals, particularly those that identify as a woman, experience high levels of burnout.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/2925/thumbnail.jp