the staff work a standard 35-40 hour week during the academic calendar and a light 35-40 hour week during the summer… This makes even basic staff fairly expensive because they are employed year round (not all faculty are on 12 month contracts), but not fully needed year round.
Maybe this is the case at some schools, but not at all schools. I cringe every time I hear people say, “Oh, it’s summer - do you even have to be at work?” Uh, yeah … there is SO MUCH work to be done, and so few staff members to do it! Every time we turn around, there is more to be done. In the four years I have been at the college, the work load has grown tremendously; the staff has not grown at all. We are overworked and underpaid. Oh, and we aren’t trained, on or off site. It’s not a glamour job, let me tell you (but I love our students).