As we hand over our roles to our successors for the future sabbatical officer team, it is certainly a period for reflection.
Not only to brag about all of our wins for our board papers, but to extract all of those pearls of wisdom we have acquired over the year for the incoming elected officers.
This year has been an interesting one for my officer remit of wellbeing and EDI – with the cost of living crisis, OfS consultations on sexual harassment and access and participation, trans rights, and everyone’s favourite, the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill.
While I’m in the midst of writing my handover document myself, here is the pep talk I would have given myself 12 months ago before I started my term at Loughborough SU.
Comparison is the thief of joy
Holding a post after a big character, someone who was really engaged with various stakeholders, or even someone who have may done two terms can often leave you feeling like you have “big shoes to fill”.
A fair few of the people around me would casually joke about it, and while I laughed it off at the time, the more it actually contributed to my imposter syndrome coming into the job.
Being referred to as “oh, you’re the new John Smith?” can even be deflating too.
You are your own person with a unique set of skills, ideas, and passions which you are bringing to your SU. You do not have to “be like” your predecessor in any way shape or form. This is your year, and it took me a couple of months to really get the grip of that.
This might not be the best year of your life
I attended a digital conference hosted by native last August, which was super handy, but it also left me with some reflections that upheld some unrealistic expectations of being a sabbatical officer.
One person’s presentation told my fellow attendees and I to “get ready for the best year of your life”. For many people, me included, this was not the best year of my life, and I am at a point now where I am okay with that.
I have learned a lot about myself and others and have gained some truly invaluable experience across the board.
I think we should ease away from a culture of hyping up sabbatical positions being the shiny positions which entail best year of your life, because quite often it’s not for many of us, especially considering it may well be your first “professional” job – and that’s okay!
You don’t come in knowing everything, and you don’t after leaving either
As many outgoing officers are in handover mode, we are desperately trying to put a pen to paper and share absolutely everything we have learned this year.
However, I will strongly caveat that with the fact that I still don’t know everything, and that is key for the oncoming officers to know. Rightly so, they probably have a hundred and one questions they want answering.
Part of the sabbatical officer rollercoaster is that learning journey, and all of the answers you might need are right in front of you, but you might need to go out and find them yourselves.
Enforce boundaries from the onset, especially digital spaces
As this may be an officer’s first professional job, it is good practice to establish what your workplace boundaries are for the year ahead, and for future roles too.
It might look like not spending time with colleagues outside of work, not talking about work when you leave, or something similar. When you are an elected officer, whose role involves working directly with students, this can be a difficult balancing act.
WhatsApp, for example, is a tricky platform which mixes both professional and recreational matters. I turned off Outlook notifications on my phone, I only responded to work queries in work hours, I wasn’t as active on social media, and I tried to minimise who had access to my phone number.
These on the surface seem straightforward, but were actually difficult to enforce at times, as students sleeping and working patterns vary very differently. My biggest advice would be to not give your number out if you can, because even with “do not disturb” on, it can still be tempting to respond to out-of-hours queries.
You are the Beyonce
We recently interviewed for a brand-new position at LSU, and one of the questions we asked the candidates was how they would divide the work between [the role] and the Executive Officer team.
One person used an analogy likening us to Beyonce, and beyond the obvious ego fluff, it really stuck with me.
They said something along the lines of:
My job is to make sure the smoke machines go off at the right time, that she has her mic, and the lighting is on point. The elected officers are the Beyoncés of the organisation, they are the stars of the show.
This point is simply to reiterate that you are the ones who run the show, I think it’s sometimes a blessing and a curse that you are the face of your union at times, but it is an important reminder that you need to be mindful of your actions inside and outside of work.
Being an elected officer does not have to be your entire life
It is unbelievably important to switch off when you finish work. I would highly recommend finding something that excites you and gives you joy and satisfaction outside of work.
For me I loved going to the gym, starting a new series or film with my partner, and finding a new game on my Switch to immerse myself into.
Otherwise, you will spend your evenings ruminating about your day. Please ensure you have time to unwind between workdays, otherwise you are likely to become burned out very quickly. You need time to switch off.
You are (sadly) not a student anymore
Being an elected officer means naturally you are the lead on a particular aspect of the student experience at your union. You are elected upon your manifesto which can often bring in your own lived experience as a student that would like to improve as a member of staff.
While it is important to deliver on the basis you’ve been elected on, there will be times where you will have to separate yourself and your student experience from your job.
Students definitely do not want the same things as when I started as a student in 2019. It sounds harsh, but you need to learn to not be selfish and insert your own personal opinions into certain spaces, you need to think of the students you represent and serve and what their needs first and foremost are.
So, there you have it. Those are my main pearls of wisdom that especially link to expectations, self-care, and boundaries.
I could write a whole novel about my time at an SU. With all the highs and lows that have come this year, one thing I know for sure is that these roles are a holistic learning experience, and I have gained lots of knowledge in many different areas.
For anyone who is reading this and is an oncoming sabbatical officer, being in these positions are really exciting and you will learn so much – enjoy the ride!
