Visitor Who Won't Leave the Waiting Room
You are the lobby guard at a social services office that closes at 5 p.m. At 4:50 p.m. a woman who was told earlier her appointment was canceled is still in the waiting room, crying, and says she has nowhere to go and will not leave until she sees a caseworker. Two staff members are still inside finishing paperwork; the front door is unlocked. She has not been violent, but she has raised her voice twice and refuses to give her name when asked. Your post orders say the lobby closes at 5 and all visitors must exit, but also that staff safety comes first and that you should offer available resources before removing anyone.
1. How do you handle the next 15 minutes, balancing compassion, policy, and safety?
Read the worked answer
Treat this as de-escalation with a hard closing time, not a confrontation.
- Lower the temperature: calm voice, give space, acknowledge the frustration ("I understand this is a bad day").
- Offer concrete resources per post orders: crisis line, next-day appointment, a printed list, a phone to call.
- Set a clear, kind boundary: "The office closes at 5; I can help you get connected before then, but everyone has to leave at 5."
- Protect staff: confirm the two staff members are aware and can leave safely; keep yourself between the visitor and the inner door if needed, without blocking her exit.
- Do not demand her name as a condition of help; refusal to identify is not, by itself, grounds for removal.
- At 5, if she still refuses, escalate: supervisor, then police for a trespass if she will not leave after a clear request.
Reasoning: the goal is a voluntary exit with resources in hand. Force is the last step, and only after clear requests, notification, and a genuine offer of help.
2. At 5:05 she still refuses and becomes louder. What is the lawful and safe sequence, and what do you document?
Read the worked answer
Sequence:
- One clear, final request to leave, stated calmly, with the consequence named ("If you don't leave, I'll have to call police").
- Notify your supervisor and have staff move to a safe area.
- Call police for a trespass/assist if she still refuses; do not physically remove her yourself unless there is an imminent threat to a person.
- Keep the exit clear and stay non-confrontational until police arrive.
Document: times of each request, her statements (paraphrased, no diagnoses), resources offered, staff notified, and the police call time. Avoid labeling her (e.g., "unstable")-record behavior, not judgments. Reasoning: the lawfulness of a removal depends on clear notice and a refusal; the safety depends on leaving physical removal to police absent an imminent threat.