Student employment is a form of financial support while students pursue their education. Hiring student workers can benefit both the University and students. From a manager’s perspective, hiring a student comes with many advantages, including:
- Cost-effective workplace support and access to work-study funding
- Allowing full-time staff time for other duties
- Flexibility for ebbs and flows in workload, as student workers can work non-routine and varying hours
- Access to understanding the needs and viewpoints of other students
- Fresh energy, enthusiasm, and ideas
Students are a core part of our mission at the University. Campus employment offers exceptional advantages for them as well, such as:
- Income to support the costs of education
- Invaluable workplace skills, habits, and references
- The convenience of working without leaving campus
Please reference the Student Employment policy for official guidance on student hiring and management.
Supporting Student Development Outcomes
Student employment is one avenue for students to have structured learning experiences. Student employment contributes to personal growth, helps develop new and lifelong skills, and provides valuable work experience on a student’s resume. Please review the Office of Student Affairs’ Student Development Outcomes for the types of skills and characteristics we hope to instill in our graduates.
Student development outcomes have been incorporated into job descriptions, supervisory training, and feedback sessions.
Navigating Student Needs
Student workers are a valued employee group, but they can need a little extra support. They need:
- Flexibility: Student workers are valuable to units because of their flexibility to do a variety of tasks and work a variety of hours. However, be aware that student schedules may change each semester, and they may need time off during exam and break times. Talk with students about their work hours and job expectations to help set them up for success.
- Training on basic job skills: Student workers may come to the job with excellent computer or technical skills, but they may not have experience in formal work settings. Supervisors should help shape positive workplace behaviors by spending time emphasizing basic workplace habits such as arriving on time, arranging for time off, and following unit and department work rules.
University supervisors overwhelmingly agree that student workers are a valuable part of the University workplace.
This guide will help walk you through working with student workers. It will also offer links to more detailed information. Remember, too, that your unit’s HR lead is there to help with any employment-related questions or issues.
Supervising Student Employees
Orienting and Training
It is essential to provide detailed orientation and training, both in their job duties and in soft skills, such as expected work habits, behavior, and work relationships. Here are a few tips on setting clear expectations and making students feel welcome and part of the team.
Orientation: Provide a welcoming atmosphere to students—not just in their first few days but throughout their employment. Be sure to:
- Prepare their work area before they start with supplies, equipment, a place to store personal belongings, and copies of handbooks or manuals they will need.
- Introduce them to other staff members, especially other students.
- Familiarize them with the physical workplace.
- Provide an overview of the mission of the University, your unit, and their position.
- Treat them like a regular staff member and include them, whenever possible, in staff discussions, meetings, and decision-making.
Soft-skill training: Spend some time letting students know what your office standards are for productivity, dress code, personal use of office equipment, attendance, and personal phone calls and texts during work. Let them know that, unlike their college work, they will be part of a team, will have to respond to supervision, and may be getting less feedback than they’re used to. Ask your regular staff to make sure the student feels included on the office team.
Job skill training: Carefully review the job description so students understand their key job duties. Then:
- Use your best employees to train new employees, including students who have done the job before and subject-matter experts.
- Develop a training checklist and schedule to make sure they have the knowledge and skills to do the job.
- Let students know they’re expected to ask lots of questions about information that isn’t clear.
- Use the Tell, Show, Do, Review approach to training procedures or tasks:
- Tell them what they will be doing and why.
- Show them how to do it.
- Have them do the work under supervision.
- Have them review the task with their supervisor to show they can do it.
- Check and monitor training progress frequently and give feedback.
Work Schedules
Work with your student(s) at the start of each semester to set their schedules. We encourage hiring managers to be flexible in arranging work schedules each term. Then, hold the student accountable for the agreed-upon hours. If a student is working a longer shift, consider allowing the student to take a defined break or meal period.
Keep in mind that student workers may request time off during finals week and breaks between semesters. Most hiring managers agree that allowing students flexibility during these times increases the student’s engagement and commitment to the job. Many students also prefer to work more hours during these times. If your unit has a special project or could use more help, discuss these opportunities with your student employee.
Time Sheets
Students who work on campus must submit time cards online through MyU each week of a given pay period. Online time submissions must be approved by a supervisor. Departments are responsible for ensuring that time cards reflect actual hours worked.
For off-campus work-study positions, time cards must be kept regardless of fixed or flexible appointment. Time cards must be signed by the supervisor and student employee.
For work study, you may need the Work-Study Earnings Monitoring Worksheet (Word).
Health and Safety
The University is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for employees. Employees are responsible for using any provided safety equipment and procedures in their daily work and must cooperate in all safety and accident prevention programs. Units will abide by all relevant required local, state, and federal safety and health standards.
Protection From Retaliation
Supervisors may not take disciplinary action against a student employee who, in good faith, reports a violation of any federal or state law or regulation to a governmental body or law enforcement official. Disciplinary action may not be taken against a student employee who is requested by a public agency to participate in an investigation, hearing, or inquiry, or against a student employee who refuses to participate in any activity that the employee, in good faith, believes violates any federal or state law.
Evaluating the Employee
Continuing feedback is essential for a student employee’s learning and growth. All employees like to be told when they are doing a good job. It is also important for student workers to know as soon as possible when and how their work needs to be corrected.
Ending an Appointment
We encourage hiring managers to hold student workers accountable for the work they perform just as they would with other employees. Hiring managers should communicate expectations and provide students with feedback on their performance. However, some work arrangements may not work out. Hiring managers can end a student appointment at any time. Typical reasons for ending an appointment include:
- Just cause
- The student is no longer eligible to hold a student employee position (i.e., dropped below credit requirements).
- The student is consistently late or does not show up for the agreed-upon schedule.
- The position is eliminated as a result of shortage of work or funds, or for other reasons beyond the student’s control.
- The student has not worked for two consecutive semesters (excluding summer terms).
Monitoring Work-Study Funds
Generally, work-study funding will provide 70% reimbursement of a student’s hourly pay rate. Departmental funds provide the other 30%.
Employer Responsibilities
Employers of work-study students are responsible for:
- Verifying proper registration each semester.
- Placing the award using the PeopleSoft Work-Study Award Placement Panel. The award must be manually placed in this panel with the correct job record number.
- Monitoring work-study earnings (see next section for more information).
- Terminating a student’s work-study appointment and changing the appointment to a non-work study account when the student earns their total work-study award for the semester. The award total is the maximum amount the student may earn in gross pay during the award period. Note that award amounts can change due to changes in the financial aid package. Monitoring the Work-Study Placement Panel in PeopleSoft will catch these changes.
- Retaining work-study employee-reported paid time for five years. Paid time is required for both fixed percentage and flexible appointments. State and federal auditors may ask for a random sample of student time cards each year, and you may be asked to provide original time cards for the audit.
- Following work-study guidelines. Your department may be charged 100% of a student’s wages if you fail to comply with the established processes outlined on this page.
Monitoring Work-Study Earnings
Work-study earnings are limited to each student’s total award. The Office of Student Finance determines a student’s award based on the individual needs of the student and the amount of the state and federal work-study money allocated to the University.
Students may accept more than one position, but work-study reimbursement ends when the student’s total earnings exceed the total work-study award. You may ask students if they are seeking or are currently employed in another position using their work-study funds.
Work-study awards may then be divided between the two employing departments. How the award is divided is up to the student. Student employment staff will need help in splitting the award in the PeopleSoft Work-Study Placement Panel. Call 612-626-7070 for assistance.
The amount of the work-study award represents the maximum gross earnings for which employing departments will receive work-study reimbursement. In other words, the student’s gross earnings are subtracted from the award total each pay period. The employing departments will be reimbursed for 70% of the student’s gross earnings for each pay period until the award is gone.
For example, if the student has an award of $2,700 and works enough hours to earn the entire award, the department will be reimbursed for 70% of $2,700. The department will not be reimbursed for any unearned work-study funds. This means if the student does not earn the entire work-study award, the department will only be reimbursed for 70% of the student’s actual gross earnings.
Split the fall/spring award evenly between fall and spring semesters to avoid any charge-backs. For example, if you hire a student who has a total award of $3,000, the student can earn $1,500 for fall semester and $1,500 for spring semester. If the student becomes ineligible for student employment after the start of spring semester, their award would be reduced from $3,000 to $1,500. Your department would be charged back for any of the student’s earnings in excess of the $1,500 fall semester allotment. By distributing the award evenly over the two semesters, you reduce the risk of exceeding the work-study award and incurring a 70% charge-back for reimbursement overages.
Be aware that students' work-study awards can change throughout the school year. Students' financial aid records are reviewed each semester to ensure that all students are meeting Office of Student Finance eligibility requirements. Students who are not meeting these requirements may have their work-study award reduced. The Office of Student Finance notifies students of changes in their award amounts. The student is responsible for communicating an award change to their supervisor/employer.
Special Circumstances
- Students may continue to work using work-study funds during breaks and between semesters if they were registered for the previous term and can prove registration for the upcoming semester.
- Work study cannot be used for more than 40 hours of employment per week, or to fund paid holidays, paid sick days, paid parental leave, paid military leave, or paid jury duty.
- Students’ earnings may not be funded by work study for the official University holidays or for emergency closings. If their duties require them to work on holidays or emergency closings for whatever reason, they must be paid entirely from departmental funds.
- University off-cycle checks are not eligible for automatic reimbursement of the 70% split. If you process an off-cycle check for a student worker, you must request reimbursement on behalf of the department. Decisions are made based on availability of work-study funds and the student’s eligibility.
- Students who drop below the minimum credit requirement lose eligibility to hold a student job, and employers lose work-study funding. Employers are responsible for 100% of a student’s earnings, retroactive to the beginning of the semester.
May/Summer Work Study
The Office of Student Finance will approve May/summer work-study awards to students who earned fall/spring work study and are eligible for financial aid in the summer (on the student's request).
Students who did not have work study in the fall and spring terms but are eligible for May/summer financial aid may also request work study from the Office of Student Finance at 612-624-1111. Signature stamps cannot be used.
Note:
- Students who receive May/summer work study must meet and maintain the same registration requirements for the summer terms as the academic term. See the Hiring Student Employees web page.
- Employers of students continuing in a job from the fall/spring term into the May/summer term must verify work-study funds. It is advisable to confirm the status, as students do not always receive the same type of financial aid award from one award period to the next.