Why Supervising People Sucks 101

I work in Housing and Residence Life at Kansas State University. For the most part, I love my job. I usually look forward to coming to work and talking with students and supervising student staff. And my students rule.

but it's days like today that make me want to join the circus. I had to fire one (well, three. but we'll focus on one) of my Community Assistants (desk staff) for falling asleep at the desk and then missing a shift. I put her on probation for the falling asleep, and today I let her know that she was no longer working at the desk. It turned my stomach because I saw how upset she was. She felt like people had been "riding her back" all semester, and she feels like she got fired for something that other people do all the time. I tried to assure her that this was not the case, but she wasn't really interested. She pretty much just signed the letter, and stormed out. As she was walking down the hall I heard her yell, "this is bullshit!" I guess I can't blame her for being angry, but what am I supposed to do? I try to be developmental with my students and get them to realize that "yes, this is a convenient and fairly simple job, but it's Still a JOB, and you have to treat it like one." I feel like sometimes it just doesn't make a difference.

This was really hard because I had to fire a girl last semester, and she was totally cool about it. She knew what she had done, and she was willing to accept the consequences. She and I still have a good relationship, and I was thrilled about how my first firing went. This one, however... ugh. I know it will be better for her not to be working at the desk-- she's super busy, and bogged down with school, ROTC, and other responsibilities. but it still sucks, cause I know she's going to hold a grudge.

All this really makes me wish I were a ballerina. Seriously.