Student Employment Services
student worker supervisor manual -a guide for student worker supervisors

HIRING STUDENT ASSISTANTS
Anyone wishing to hire student assistants must consider the following:
*  Planning. Departments or divisions should have a projected idea of their needs for  student assistants at the beginning of each school    year, including the kinds of jobs to be filled, the total student hours needed, the peak-load times and the budgetary allowances available to the department.
*  Budget Allocation. A division chair or department head  may  request a student assistant allocation by contacting the Student Employment Services office.
*  Job Description. A job description must be on file before hiring a student under the work-study program. Filling out the "Request for Student Assistant" form  satisfies this requirement. An accurate job description, including the minimum skills required to perform the duties, may be very useful when interviewing a student candidate.
*  Requesting Student Assistants. To request student assistants, potential supervisors need to submit a Request for Student Assistant form.  Students who come to the Job Placement Center to apply for on-campus positions will be referred to Departments/Divisions which have a request on file. If at all possible, the students will be referred to jobs that are relevant to their academic interests and skills.

In some instances the employer/supervisor may wish to hire a student who was not referred by Student Employment Services.  If this is the case, the supervisor must send the student to Job Placement with a written request that the student be hired.  Students may not begin to work until their eligibility is established and the hiring process is finished.  

In either case, students may not start working until an "Authorization to Start Working" is issued. This indicates that the student has been board approved and processed for payroll purposes. (See Processing and Clearance Section)

*  Interviewing  Student Applicants. It is useful to refer to the job description when interviewing an applicant. The duties of the position should be clearly stated and the student qualifications closely examined. The employer should check the student's schedule to determine that he/she will be available to work when needed. Work schedules must not interfere with class schedules under any circumstances. 
*  Selecting a Student Assistant. Once a Job Description is on file, the Student Employment staff will refer applicants to the prospective employer/supervisor for interviewing. The employer may choose the first applicant or may wait to until other students have been interviewed. In the latter case, the employer should let the students know when the selection will be made. Student Employment Services will continue to send applicants until notified that all  positions have been filled.
*  Hiring a Student. After accepting a student for a position, the supervisor will complete Part B of the Student Assistant Referral form and have the student return it to the Job Placement Center. Student Employment staff will complete the student hiring and send the supervisor an "Authorization to Work" form (see Processing and Clearance Section).

ELIGIBILITY
The minimum eligibility requirements are:

• Student must be eligible to work in the United States (a citizen, a legal resident or an alien authorized to work by the INS.)
• Student must be currently enrolled in at least 6 credit units. (Except for summer and winter sessions)
• Student must maintain a t least a 2.0 GPA.
• See additional requirements set by each of the following programs.

College Employment Program (CEP). Students must be enrolled in 12 units or more (except for the Summer and Winter sessions) to be allowed to work the maximum number of hours per week within the department's CEP budget allocation. If enrolled in 6-11 units, the student may work up to as many hours a week as he/she has units.

Federal Work Study Program (FWS).  In addition to the minimum requirements, students must have a Federal Work Study award from the Financial Aid office. Students may work up to the maximum hours per week allowed until they have earned their total FWS award within the department's FWS budget allocation. (See Budget Allocation section.).

EOPS Work Study Program (EOPSWS). In addition to the minimum requirements, students must be approved by the EOPS office. They may work up to the maximum hours per week until they have earned the EOPS award within the department's EOPS budget allocation.

CalWorks Work Study Program (CWK). CalWorks Work Study is a state funded program. In addition to the minimum requirements, students must be approved by the CalWorks Office. Students may work up to the maximum hours per week within the departments' CWK budget allocation.

Currently at GCC, 15 hours per week is the maximum any student may work. FWS students may work the maximum number of hours until they have earned the total Work Study Award, provided that the department has been allocated enough Work Study funds. A Work Study student that has earned his/her award may continue working under CEP if the department has sufficient funds.

Waiver. Under special circumstances, the Dean of College Services may grant a waiver allowing a student to work additional hours or to work without meeting some of the minimum requirements listed above. The student's supervisor must fill out a waiver request form and submit it to Student Employment Services. The supervisor will be notified as soon as the waiver is approved. Only after approval may the student increase hours or continue working.

SUMMER and WINTER EMPLOYMENT
Unit requirements are different for the summer and winter sessions. Check with Student Employment before allowing students to continue working at the end of the spring and fall semesters.

PROCESSING AND CLEARANCE
Each school year both new and returning students must be Board approved before they can begin working. After being accepted by the supervisor, the student must return the signed referral form to Job Placement. All students must obtain clearance from Student Employment Services before starting to work. Students are approved to work for an entire fiscal year which begins July 1st. and ends June 30th. Returning students must again obtain clearance if they continue working after July 1st.

WAGES
Student assistants are paid once a month and receive hourly wages according to the classification of their positions. Most students are hired at Range 2. After the initial training period the employer/supervisor may request that the student be placed at a higher classification. Students may be placed on a higher classification at the start of employment when the position requires special skills. 

TIME SHEETS
It is the supervisor's  responsibility to report the students working hours to Student Employment Services, using the official time sheets provided. The supervisor must sign and date the time sheet which certifies that the job was completed satisfactorily. If the student works on a Saturday or Sunday or on a holiday or break period, the supervisor must initial the box where the hours appear. Time sheets filled out in pencil will not be accepted. Time sheets must be submitted by the due date or the students may not be paid on time. For due dates, refer to the current year Payroll Schedule provided by Student Employment Services. Student Employment will also send a monthly reminder of time sheet due dates.

Time sheets are to be filled out in duplicate. Corrections on a time sheet must be very clear to avoid errors in pay. If there is an incorrect entry of the hours worked, it is better to cross it out and to write the correction next to it rather than to try to change the figure. The supervisor must initial the change. Both the original and the yellow copy must be submitted to the Job Placement Center. The yellow copy will be returned to supervisors after the payroll is completed. Any errors or omissions will be noted on this copy for future reference.

Student Employment Services staff check all time sheets for accuracy and classifies them by the tops number assigned to each department or division. A Time Report is generated and sent to Payroll for payment. Checks are received in the Tuition Office on the tenth of each month and are mailed to the students the same day. "Holds" may be placed on students' checks for specific reasons. Students who have not received their checks by the l5th of the month should contact Student Employment Services.

After the Time Report is finished, an expenditure report and the yellow copy of time sheets are returned to each department. This expenditure  report lists the payroll month, the tops and program number, and the department's name. Students that worked in that department are listed in alphabetical order along with their pay rates, hours worked and total earnings for the month. The students names may be listed by sections at the request of the department or division.

It should be noted that the hours listed  in the budget and the accounts balance are calculated using an average of the students' pay rates. Always refer to the dollar amounts to make sure your account balance will carry you through the year. 

TRAINING
Supervisors play a key role in students' future employment success and should make every effort to encourage student employees to develop characteristics of good judgment, dependability, initiative and responsibility.

The immediate supervisor should set up a training session with the student. This training session will usually occur on the first day of work and could be done very informally. The supervisor and the student worker will review the student's responsibilities. This would be a good time to introduced the student to the rest of the staff and to explain to the student the line of authority within the department. It is important to supply the student with the names and positions of department staff and to explain working conditions, such as breaks, meal times, dress code if any, and how to report absences or tardiness. The supervisor should go through work procedures and explain everything in detail to the new worker without assuming prior knowledge by the student. Asking for feedback is the best way to make sure that instructions are understood.

It may also be useful to have a short manual available to the students explaining duties and responsibilities, or at least a check list of the duties to be performed.

BREAK AND MEAL TIMES
A student who works a 4-6 hour shift should get one 15 minute paid break per shift. Any student who works a 6-7 hour shift is entitled to one 15 minute paid break and one 30 minute unpaid meal break. A student working a 7-8 hour shift is entitled to two 15 minute paid breaks and one 30 minute unpaid meal break.

STUDENT EVALUATIONS
Once a year, supervisors receive an evaluation form for each of their student workers. Supervisors should complete the evaluation form, discuss the evaluation with the student assistant and then send the form to Job Placement. This is an excellent opportunity for supervisors to encourage student workers, to go over areas that need improvement and to receive feedback.

Responsibilities of Supervisor/Employer

• To develop accurate and useful job descriptions of all positions.
• To interview each applicant in a similar fashion by asking the same questions of all candidates to a particular position.
• To put the student at ease during the interviewing process and to ask only job-related questions.
• To inform students of all duties and responsibilities and to supply any other information they may need such as line of authority, where and how to report absences or tardiness, break times, etc.
• To train student assistants to successfully carry out the duties of their jobs.
• To inform student assistants of any changes in procedures, scheduling, or working conditions.
• To report monthly student hours accurately and on time and certify that the work was performed satisfactorily. The supervisor's signature on the student's time sheet verifies both hours worked and satisfaction with performance.
• To develop a good working relationship with all student assistants.
• To correct inappropriate behavior as soon as possible. Supervisors should explain to the student why the behavior was inappropriate/incorrect and how to remedy the situation.
• To resolve any problems pertaining to job performance or working relations of a student worker. The supervisor should provide a reasonable explanation for terminating employment both to the worker and to Student Employment Services.
• To complete the student evaluations in the time prescribed and to discuss the evaluation with the students to let them know how they have been performing assigned duties and responsibilities.
• To monitor and adhere to the departments student worker budget.

Responsibilities of Student Assistants

• To learn and to satisfactorily perform specific duties.
• To cooperate in scheduling work periods and once a schedule is established, the student is responsible for adhering to such schedule.
• To accurately and consistently record time worked at the end of each work period.
• To report to work on time and to inform the supervisor whenever the student knows that he/she will not be able to report to work on time. Notification should be given as soon as possible so the employer can make arrangements to cover for the absence. The same procedure should be followed when the student is unable to work a scheduled shift. The student should be able to give the reason for her/his absence or tardiness.
• To try to establish a good working relationship with the supervisor and other department members.
• To inform the supervisor of any plans to end employment. The customary notification time period is two weeks.
• Work Study students are required to notify their supervisor of any changes in their work study awards.
• To dress appropriately. Avoid brief shorts, tank tops, torn jeans, thongs or bare feet. Use normal hygiene.

Supervisors' Checklist

• Do you know the job positions and the amount of scheduled time to be filled?
• Do you have a clear and accurate job description to work with?
• Do you have a budget allocation for student assistants?
• Are you asking relevant and similar interview questions to all candidates for a particular position?
• Are you willing to train your student assistants?
• Are you keeping the student assistants informed of any and all changes related to their employment?
• Are you reporting students' work hours accurately and on time?
• Are you trying to develop good working relationship with the student assistants?
• Are you correcting inappropriate behavior and helping the students improve their performance?
• Are you completing the students evaluations received from Job Placement?

Appendix

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILLING OUT TIME SHEETS

All time sheets must be typed or filled out in ink                                                      Sample

Enter student's last name first. Use legal name. Enter the month, department & student's I.D.#. Refer to current Payroll Calendar for proper dates. Enter hours student works each day. Use hours, half hours or quarter hours (fractions). Do not use minutes or decimals. Non-working days should be left blank. If student works on a Saturday, Sunday or Holiday, Supervisors must initial the box where the hours appear. Please clear with Student Employment Services before allowing students to work weekends or holidays. When making changes on a Time Sheet, cross out the incorrect entries and write the correct entry beside it. Supervisors must initial each correction.

WHEN TO SUBMIT TIME SHEETS

1. Refer to Payroll Schedule for due dates. Student Employment Services will also send a reminder every month.
2. Time sheets must be submitted on time. A late time sheet may result in one month delay in payment.
3. Time sheets may be placed in the Job Placement/Student Employment mail box or taken to Job Placement on the 2nd floor, San Rafael Building by the supervisor or a member of the staff. Students are no longer allowed to hand in their own time sheets.

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