You asked:

My job requires me to work over the holidays, but my dorm is closed for students. If I don’t stay, I’ll lose my job. What should I do?

It stinks when you’re stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place. But communicating effectively and researching your options may help you keep your job ... or help you find a new one. Here are some ways to handle this situation:

Talk to your supervisor. He or she might agree to let you take off if you can find another employee to cover your shifts. Explain your dorm situation. Your boss might not have known you’re going to get kicked out when break starts and could make an exception if you make a reasonable request.

Contact your RA and housing office. Ask if you can stay in the dorm under special circumstances. Maybe you could remain during half of the break and get the other half of your shifts covered. Be clear about what is going on with your work schedule.

Ask a friend who lives off campus if you can crash there during break. You could offer to house-sit if your friend is going back home to visit his or her family for the break. If the answer is yes, offer a hospitality gift or payment for the utilities you’ll use.

If you can’t find place to stay or someone to cover shifts, it’s not safe to live out of your car. Talk to your boss again and explain that you won’t be able to make it work. Be sure to leave your job on good terms so you can use your boss as a reference for future jobs. Remember that it might not be the boss’s fault that they can’t make an exception for you, so be professional in your manner.

For future reference, make sure you let your bosses know months in advance about breaks and potential conflicts. If you know you’re not going to be able to make arrangements to get off from work over a break, then make earlier arrangements to switch jobs or find a place to stay. Ask the R.A. Next Ask the R.A. Ask the R.A. Archive

TALK IT UP

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