Online Training

New Programming!

Gain in-depth knowledge and prepare for the fall semester with hands-on, intensive workshops for department chairs:

Program Assessment and Curriculum Review
June 14, 2012
12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT

The Highly Effective Department Chair
June 21, 2012
12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT

Learn More!

BOOKS

FERPA Clear and Simple: The College Professional’s Guide to Compliance

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) compliance has always been challenging due to complex regulatory language and exposure to risk. However, institutions that do not comply are in jeopardy of losing federal funding. Accessible and user-friendly, FERPA Clear and Simple clarifies the regulations and provides a ready reference for compliance and problem solving. This need-to-have guide offers critical and relevant material (including the 2008 Amendments) from a new perspective to help staff in student affairs, academic departments, and administrative support positions understand and comply with FERPA guidelines.

BUY NOW!

See More Books

JOURNAL

This quarterly periodical for department chairs and deans features practical advice, useful information, and up-to-date resources. Its applications, techniques, case studies, strategies, and guidance are directly relevant to today's academic leaders.

SUBSCRIBE!

E-NEWSLETTER

ASK THE EXPERTS

1/3/2012 12:00 AM

Dealing with Staff Conflicts

From The Department Chair Insider – November 2010, Vol. 1

Q. How do you deal with a staff personality that is contrary to the department’s overall personality as well as yours—in a time with severe budget cuts so that it would be difficult to even hire a “warm body” in their place?

A. This problem can be extremely frustrating. I’ve seen plenty of academic departments where the faculty members have a collegial relationship but where tension, conflict, and low morale exist because of a staff member, often a secretary, lab coordinator, or budget officer. Unfortunately, I’ve also seen very few of these situations successfully resolved without a change in personnel.

Although it often runs counter to our democratic instincts, it’s simply the case that the expectations we have for staff members in the workplace necessarily differ from those we have for faculty members. In the case of the faculty, departments tolerate a great deal of flexibility in working hours, idiosyncrasy of personality or behavior, and license of expression that is usually not appropriate for staff members. It can be hard to tell a staff member, “I know I tolerate a lot from the faculty, but I simply need you to get on board with the way things need to be done in the department and conveyed to others.” At most institutions, the human resources office can be a vital ally in conveying this message in a manner that’s both generally appropriate and in accordance with institutional procedures.

One of the best guides to handling situations of this kind appears in Stephen Pollan and Mark Levine’s Lifescripts: What to Say to Get What You Want in 101 of Life’s Toughest Situations (Hungry Minds, 1996). In their script on “Criticizing a Subordinate’s Work,” the authors recommend first approaching the situation as a mentoring opportunity, not as a disciplinary problem. Then, based on whether the staff member accepts the criticism, denies the problem, or gets angry, they propose strategies that lead either to a follow-up meeting on progress, a formal warning, or some other course of action.

—Jeffrey L. Buller is dean of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College at Florida Atlantic University.