Student Employee Guidelines
Work Schedule
Each semester, supervisors and students should cooperate and make every effort to arrange working hours in view of the student’s class schedules. However, student employee’s work schedules may include exam week. Once a schedule is set up, the student handles working those hours. Student employees may not change work schedules without the approval of their supervisor. Students may not exceed their award limit for the period, usually work approximately 15 hours per week, and may not work more than 8 hours per day or 29 hours per week. The Work-Study Program was set up to provide part-time work to students.
Therefore, a student working 40 hours per week is not using the program as it was intended. A fifteen-minute break must be taken if a student works four or more consecutive hours in one day. If a student is working an 8-hour day, they should be allowed a half-hour lunch break during which they must clock-out.
Working during scheduled class time is prohibited. For work-study students, a compliance report will be run monthly, and a sampling of students will be extracted to have their class schedules compared with their timesheets. If there are any overlaps or discrepancies in working hours with class schedules, the student and supervisor will be notified and sent to the Work-Study Coordinator.
Federal Student Aid Handbook Vol6 Chapter2 “The Federal Work-Study Program”
“In general, students are not permitted to work in FWS positions during scheduled class times. Exceptions are permitted if an individual class is cancelled, if the instructor has excused the student from attending for a particular day, and if the student is receiving credit for employment in an internship, externship, or community work-study experience. Any such exemptions must be documented.”
Attendance
Student employees are required to work the hours they have agreed upon. Students should report to work on time and inform the supervisor whenever it is not possible to do so. Should illness prevent student employees from working, they handle informing their supervisor as early as possible. For other absences, students must notify their supervisor in writing in advance. On approval of the supervisor, the work hours are rescheduled or adapted.
Proper attire
Student employees should dress appropriately.
- Work attire is decided by the supervisor’s department
- In general, clothes should be neat and clean
- No obscene or revealing clothing
Business etiquette/customer service
Student employees will be trained as professionals and will be expected to conduct themselves in this manner. Every interaction a student employee of UMKC has should reflect the University’s commitment to customer service. Good customer service requires a positive attitude toward people. This includes being helpful, courteous and, as much as possible, leaving the customer feeling they have received satisfactory service and/or information.
Performance Management
Providing a performance evaluation is a great benefit to students who are just beginning their work careers. Student employees should be given a written evaluation by their supervisor once a year or as needed.
- Performance evaluations are shared with the reviewed student employee at the time of the evaluation
- Written warning notices are shared with students detailing any complaint and setting the conditions desired to resolve the problems
- A written notice of dismissal is given when circumstances warrant, detailing reasons for dismissal
Student Performance Review
Setting workplace expectations
Creating expectations for students is a very important aspect of the student employee experience. Discussing their performance and expectations is something that will continue after they leave UMKC and continue into full-time positions. It’s important for students to have this experience in their positions here, to prepare them for their future. As their supervisor, one of the first things you should do is have a conversation with your new student employees about your expectations of them. Expectations should then be reviewed regularly at one-on-one meetings with your student employees.
Expectations are important to provide a guide for student employees to know what they need to be doing daily. Having clear expectations is also helpful for managers when student employees are not meeting expectations. It provides support during the coaching or discipline process and can be used as a reference and guide for what behaviors and actions are expected of student employees.
Setting Employee Expectations (PDF)
Coaching student employee behavior
If there is something that a student employee is doing or not doing that is outside of the expectations set for them, the first step to correcting the behavior is coaching. Coaching consists of having an intentional conversation with the employee to point out what expectations are not being met and to reiterate the expectations for the employee. This is typically a private conversation with the supervisor and employee. During this conversation, it is important to ensure the student employee understands the expectations. It is also important to ask what you, as a supervisor, can do to help the student employee meet the expectations. Once the coaching moment is completed, it is recommended that the supervisor send a follow-up email to the student employee to reiterate the expectations.
Recognizing performance
Being able to use praise effectively is one of the most important jobs of a supervisor as employee morale is a vital part of performance management and can make the biggest difference in your department. Sincere and honest recognition lets employees know that you appreciate them and the work they do to keep the department running.
Guide to Recognizing Student Employees (PDF)
Student Employee Discipline
The disciplinary process is unpleasant for everyone involved, however, following the tips below will guide you through the process and in the end the general hope is that the student employee learns from the process and is inspired to perform better in the future.
- Speak to them in private – Any discussions about performance or discipline should always be done in a private setting away from the rest of your employees. To do this, you can schedule a meeting, or you can approach them and state that you would like to meet with them in your office and meet right away. Sometimes scheduling a meeting can cause concern and stress, but sometimes, especially in departments where employees might not work at the same location, it's best to schedule a meeting for the discussion. Depending on the department and the type of work being performed, decide what is best.
- Address the issue directly – when addressing the student, be straightforward and clear about what the problem is with their performance. Provide examples of behavior that you or another supervisor has seen. Use statements that start with “I’ve noticed that you’ve been….” Or “It’s come to my attention that you haven’t….”
- Allow time for conversation – provide the student with a chance to respond to the behavior that is being discussed to get their side of the story. This process should be treated as a dialog, so it’s important to engage them and get their input on the situation. Engaging the student in conversation makes them feel like they are a part of a discussion on the issue, rather than making them feel like they are being blamed for the situation. While the student is responding, listen actively and attentively. Respect their point of view of the situation.
- Review University policy and/or employee expectations – Before ending the conversation, review the policy being violated and/or the employee expectations not being met and what the expectation will be moving forward.
- Offer Guidance – Discuss ways to help the student in meeting the expectations set forth during your conversation.Provide them with realistic solutions to help them meet their expectations. This is an opportunity to come to a solution that both you and the student agree on and that you can work on together. Having buy-in during this process is important, as they will be more likely to work hard for a solution they helped create.
- Reiterate the student’s importance – One of the most important aspects of the disciplinary conversation is to reiterate to the student that they are a valuable member of your team.
- Ask Human Resources – If you have any concerns or questions about having a disciplinary conversation with your student employee, consult Human Resources for guidance. We are an essential partner in performance management and can provide tips and advice on how to have conversations with your student employee.