Employer Section

Employer Bill of Rights

It is reasonable for student employers at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to expect:

Quality work from your student employee.
Student employees that report to work in a timely fashion.
Your student employee to follow the work schedule you have agreed upon.
Your student employee to follow requirements of your office or department.
Quality customer service.
Timely notification from a student employee about adjusting work hours and providing a replacement for those hours.
Employees to wear attire deemed appropriate in the workplace.
To be notified if someone is injured on the job.
To be notified of an employee’s limitations so that accommodations may be made.

Employers are responsible for ensuring that the student employees within their department are able to perform their jobs as efficiently as possible. Effective communication between supervisor and student is imperative to a smooth employment relationship. A detailed job description for each student employee will prevent major disagreements and/or misunderstandings from occurring.

Each student employee should be made aware of department requirements and the details of their specific job description.
Any specific requirements unique to your department (i.e. dress codes, acceptable behavior, security, etc.) should be discussed with the student at the time of hire.
Documentation of the student's performance, both positive and negative, should be in writing in the student's departmental personnel file. Employee appraisals should be conducted on a regular basis: early in the student's employment (one month, for example) and at the conclusion of employment for the summer and/or academic year period. An employee appraisal tool is available upon request from the Student Involvement and Employment Office.

Timely payment for services rendered. Employers are responsible for completing necessary paperwork to ensure students are paid EVERY TWO WEEKS for the work they performed the previous two weeks.

Training Student Employees

Adequately training student staff members provides the employer and the student with the best approach to a positive work relationship. A generic training checklist is provided in Appendix C for your training needs. Add additional topics that are appropriate to your area.

Determination of Wages

A student employee must be paid at least the federal minimum hourly rate -or the institutional minimum- whichever is higher. The employer determines the wage rate at the time of referral, using the "Student Employment Classification and Wage Rate Schedule." [See Appendix B.] Depending upon skill and experience, the nature of work to be performed, and the quality of work effort, a higher wage rate can be assigned. On July 1, 2001, the UWSP suggested campus minimum wage was was increased to $5.65 per hour.

Rewarding the Good Student Employee

Just as with full-time staff, it is important to recognize positive performance of student employees. Employers are encouraged to determine a pay raise schedule consistent with the performance of your student employee staff and your budget allowances. Consider the following options as methods for determining pay raises. Other methods may be utilized as well.

*Increasing the pay rate of a good employee on a regular basis ($.05 every 100 hours, for example), demonstrates the employer's continuing satisfaction with a well-done job and recognition of increasing seniority and experience on the job.

*Increase wage by $.10 - .25 per semester completed.

*Merit increases for the good employee demonstrates the employer's recognition of a student's superior work performance.

Time Cards

Must be issued before students are allowed to work. Time Cards will not be issued until I-9 and W-4 forms have been completed for Personnel Office records.
Require student employees to list hours personally and to sign the card as verification of the hours.
Must also be signed by the employee's supervisor, after checking hours for accuracy.
Must be submitted to the Student Payroll Office by the published deadlines (listed on the payroll schedule) so that students will be paid on time. Students ARE NOT to have access to the timecard once it is signed by the supervisor. If a student delivers the time card to the Student Payroll Office, it must be placed in a sealed and signed envelope.
Hours worked may not be "banked" and paid at a later date.

QUEST Job Search

The QUEST Job Search Program allows employers to quickly update student employment openings, print payroll authorization forms, and to search for potential student employees. See Appendix A for complete instructions on utilizing this system.

Employee Conduct Issues

As in any employment situation, providing adequate written and verbal expectations at the beginning of the employment relationship, will help to avoid problems in the workplace. Occasionally, it is necessary to reprimand a student staff member. Employers are encouraged to utilize the following process to notify students of their behavior and to help them perform at the level necessary for the position.

1) Verbal warning - discuss the problem with the student. Focus on the behavior at hand, not personal attributes of the student. Set an expectation for behavior change to include a timeframe (by when will this problem be resolved) and methods that may assist the student in meeting those expectations.

2) Written warning – if the problem persists discuss the problem(s) again with the student. Ask for feedback on why the behavior is not changing. Again indicate your expectations, the timeline in which the problem needs to be resolved, along with other expectations you have. Indicate in both the meeting and the following written warning of possible future consequences of the continued behavior. Copies of the written warning should be placed in the student’s personnel file within the department and to the Student Involvement and Employment Office’s manager.

3) Termination Notice - further evidence of continued misconduct must be fully documented and discussed with the student. At this time, the student is to be notified of his/her termination in person (if possible) and in writing. Employers may choose to have the student sign the termination letter simply to show the student has read the document, not as an indicator of agreement with the document. Copies of the termination notice should be placed in the student’s personnel file within the department and to the Student Involvement and Employment Office’s manager.

Employers may request the “Supervisor’s Guide to Student Employee Conduct” pamphlet from the SIEO for further tips on working with student employees.

EMPLOYER PROCEDURES FOR RESPONDING TO FORMAL GRIEVANCES

Student employees and their employers are encouraged to resolving minor disagreements without resorting to formal grievance procedures. The Student Employee Grievance process in available for students to appeal employment decisions in a formal manner.

A grievance is a written complaint alleging that a supervisor violated a specific provision of University and/or State Employment Policy. A formal grievance procedure is written for the purpose of resolving disputes relating to interpretation of policy, rules, and decisions made in the work environment that affect student employees. The following checklist provides a guideline to employers in conducting a factual review of the student employee grievance.

LEVEL I – Student Grievance Is Filed

The student files a formal grievance with their immediate supervisor within 30 days of the event causing the grievance. The supervisor’s role is to review and investigate the grievance, meet with the student to discuss the findings, and then to provide a written decision to the Student and Student Involvement and Employment Office within seven business days of the date the grievance was filed. Step by step instructions follow this procedural outline.

LEVEL II – Student Appeals To Next Level
The Second Step follows a similar pattern with the next highest level of supervision becoming involved. The Student Involvement and Employment Office manager may sit in at the second step hearing as a neutral representative of the University.

A reversal of the supervisor's decision may result where:

q Additional facts come to light that were not available at the first level.

q The need to review or change a policy becomes apparent at the same time or as a result of this particular grievance.

q The supervisor has made an error in a previous decision.

LEVEL III – Final Student Appeal

If a student does not agree with the appeal in LEVEL II, he/she may choose to appeal one final time to a three person panel comprised of a representative selected by the student, a representative selected by the supervisor, and an impartial member selected by the Assistant Chancellor for Student Affairs. The employer named in the grievance will be asked to submit the name of a representative within five business days as will the student and Assistant Chancellor. As this is an educational process, legal counsel will not be involved as representatives. The panel will review the previous grievances, meet with the persons involved, and make a recommendation(s) for resolution to the Assistant Chancellor for Student Affairs. The Assistant Chancellor has fourteen business days to issue a final and binding decision.

Step-by-Step Guidelines for Responding to Level I Grievance

Review of Grievance

q The supervisor examines the grievance to ensure that it is in compliance with all the required written information documenting the grievance.

q The student has listed his/her name, phone number, address, title, department, supervisor, supervisor address and phone.

q The student has written their grievance/complaint and identified their expected result from the grievance process.

q The student signed and dated the document.

q Verify the date of the grievance is within thirty calendar days of the event(s) causing the grievance to be filed.

q The supervisor will then conduct a preliminary review of the facts, issues, departmental policy or practices, and language of the Department-Student Agreement (if one exists).

q Familiarize yourself with the facts and the issue or issues involved.

q Read the grievance to understand the employee's allegations.

q Review University and department policies and practices. Were policies broken, procedures not followed?

Student Meeting

q Meet with the student (schedule a time to meet that works for both persons)

q Let the grievant tell his/her story. Listen carefully. Do not interrupt.

q Share with the student that you will be taking notes of the meeting for documentation purposes.

q Ask relevant questions clarify the situation.

q Ask the grievant to express the remedy being sought.

q Summarize the grievance in your own words. Ask for verification from the student that you understand what they are concerned about.

q Share with the student why you chose to respond based on the information you had at the time of the event. Cite pertinent office, departmental, university regulations.

q Once the grievant agrees that you understand the issue and the remedy desired, close the meeting. Indicate that you will provide your decision to the student in writing. Indicate to the student that you will review their grievance and will respond in writing to them. Do not make a decision at the meeting. Your decision must be made available to the student and the Manager of the Student Involvement and Employment Office within seven business days from the date the grievance was dated.

Deliberating the Decision

q After completion of the meeting, the supervisor evaluates all of the facts and makes a decision regarding the grievance.

Notification of the Decision

q Provide your decision in writing on the grievance form to both the student and the manager of the Student Involvement and Employment Office within seven business days from the date the grievance was dated.

q If you find the student has a grievance that can be resolved in a manner different than your original response and you agree to overturn your original decision, then indicate in the “Action Taken” section that the grievance was recognized and list what steps will be taken to restore the employment situation.

q If you find the student grievance cannot be resolved to the student’s request, indicate in the “Action Taken” section why their grievance is being denied. It is helpful when writing your response to be factual, leaving out comments that cannot be proved, and to cite written policies that either support your original decision.

q You may choose to negotiate a compromise with the student as a means of resolving the grievance.