Even on a bad day at work, we need to remember that we are here to serve students. It may be tempting to make policies or procedures "staff-friendly" instead of "student-friendly." Instead, remind yourself what it is like to try to navigate a process you might not understand, or to seek help from an office when you aren't sure where to go. This is especially important after experiencing several frustrating students - make sure you aren't projecting your frustrations on the next student who walks in your door. By making your physical space, your office procedures, and your online presence student-friendly, you can minimize the stress some students feel when they try to navigate Harper College, which ultimately results in less disruption and stress for you and your colleagues. Here are some tips to help ensure your office is student-friendly:
Post expectations where visitors can see them. Even if students don't act like adults all the time, remember that most of our students are adults. Use friendly and reasonable language (such as "Please put cell phones on silent while in waiting area" instead of "LEAVE ALL PHONES OUTSIDE IF YOU WANT TO BE HELPED BY THIS OFFICE!"
Invite a co-worker from a different office to walk into your space and experience it "as a student." Is the space comfortable? Is the temperature reasonable? Does a person know who to approach upon entering a space with multiple staff members? Are the chairs comfortable? Eliminating these simple sources of stress can help more than you might anticipate.
Discuss the "high-risk" times when students (or parents/family) are most likely to be stressed or triggered, and develop interventions to help. For example, hire additional student workers to work long lines and talk with students to ensure they are in the right place, have paperwork ready, etc.
As an office, discuss what kinds of behaviors or situations you might choose to: