Staff Onboarding – Undergraduate Employees

These Division of Student Affairs recommended resources will assist supervisors in creating an environment where student employees feel welcomed, safe, connected, integrated into a community, cared for, supported by its members and valued for their personal identities and attributes. 

Student Employee Onboarding Checklist

• Effective Onboarding

  • As a result of effective onboarding, DOSA student staff will understand the value of experience gained from employment; explain the transferable skills gained in any workplace; view their work experience as beneficial to their professional development; regardless of degree program, set and work toward attainable goals within their role, have regular contact with their direct supervisor to address work performance and goals.

• DOSA Onboarding Requirements
  • During the Search and Hiring Process:

    • Share a specific job description outlining duties and responsibilities in the role. Outline the position’s preferred qualifications and experiences.

  • Before Beginning the Job:

    • Help the employee prepare for the first day of work by letting them know what to expect

    • Clearly communicate when and where the employee should report for their first shift

    • Share an overview of what type of work the employee will do on day one

    • Share departmental dress expectations with the employee in writing

    • Ensure that the employee has access or can easily gain access to systems necessary for them to perform their new job. For example, access to different online portals they will use in their job

    • Have the new employee fill out any necessary employment forms prior to their first day of work

    • Share the role and timeline of evaluating employee performance along with corrective action protocol

    • Send a welcome letter from the department to the student

    • Have the employee complete the OULE Foundations module

• Best Practices: Options for Enhancing Onboarding Requirements
  • During the Search and Hiring Process
    • Require all applicants to submit a professional resume for all positions
    • Encourage applicants to visit career services for a resume review
  • On the First Day
    • Have someone from the department welcome the new staff member, show them to their work area and answer initial questions
    • Inform employees in the immediate area when a new staff member starts so they can greet them during their first shift
    • Determine the employee’s work schedule for at least the first week of employment
  • In the First Semester
    • Work with the employee to set goals for their job to keep learning and improving
  • At the End of the Academic Year or End of Employment
    • Seek feedback from the employee about the onboarding, goal setting, and evaluation process

Offer Letter

Dear STUDENT :

Congratulations!  Please accept this letter as your official offer for the position of ENTER POSITION in DOSA Unit.    Your supervisor will be SUPERVISOR .  You will be paid $0.00 per hour.

As a new employee there are several documents you will need to complete before you begin working. Please follow the steps below to ensure you are hired in a timely manner and can start working!

Please gather the following information prior to completing the new hire paperwork:

• Prior to coming into the office to fill out paperwork you will need to go to https://secure.i9express.com/preauthenticated/LoginCaptcha.ascx?Employer=18404&Location=SA and fill out the I-9 form. After this step has been complete you will need to make sure you set up a time to finish the rest of the new hire paperwork.
• When you come into the office to finish the new hire paperwork you will need to prove your identity and eligibility to work in the United States.  You may do so by bringing along an ORIGINAL document or document(s) of your choice.  You will need either 1 document from list A OR a document from both list B AND list C.  You may review all acceptable documentation here: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/acceptable-documents .

ONLY ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.  NO COPIES OR PICTURES.

• You will be asked to complete your W-4 paperwork regarding taxation that will determine the amount of federal, state, and local taxes that will be withheld from your paycheck.  You may wish to consult a tax advisor or parent/guardian regarding advice on how to complete these forms and what exemptions you may wish to claim. 
•   You should be aware if your parent/guardian plan to claim you as a dependent on their taxes, as this may help determine the number of exemptions you indicate on your W-4.
• You will be asked if you would like to participate in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System.  As a public employee of the State of Ohio, you will not pay into social security.  However, you may wish to begin saving for your retirement through OPERS.  If you wish to participate, 10% of your pre-tax pay will be withheld.  In addition, the university will contribute 14% of your pre-tax pay to your OPERS account. If you do not wish to participate in OPERS, you may complete an exemption form that will provide exemption if you are eligible.  You can find more information about OPERS at https://www.opers.org/
• You will be able to enroll in direct deposit during this time if you wish. Please bring your bank routing and account number with you . These can be found on the bottom of a blank check or by contacting your bank.
• You will need to bring your driver’s licenses with you in order for us to verify your driving eligibility and check your previous driving history as there is a chance you could be asked to drive a university vehicle.

Once you complete the new hire paperwork packet you will be able to begin work. If you have any questions regarding new hire paperwork please contact Staff ( ………….ohio.edu ). 

Again, congratulations and welcome to the DOSA unit team!

Sincerely,

STAFF NAME

STAFF TITLE

Student Employee Compensation, Rewards, and Recognition

As a result of units in the Division of Student Affairs implementing a clear compensation structure along with reward and recognition with student employee staff, students will feel a stronger sense of belonging and value for their roles as employees. Additionally, research indicates that consideration for compensation, reward, and recognition elevates an employees’ likelihood of commitment to an organization and remain motivated to meet and exceed expectations.

• Best Practices: Options for Enhancing Compensation, Rewards and Recognition
  • National Student Employee Appreciation Week ( https://www.nsea.info/nsea-week )
    • Students will understand their impact and contributions to your campus 
    • Employers will maximize awareness of the service students provide in the community
  • Leadership Awards Gala – Student Affairs Employee Scholarships
    • Student employee scholarships are meant to recognize the important role that students play in the work of the Division of Student Affairs at Ohio University
    • Scholarships awarded will be at least $500 and offered to those who demonstrate financial need
    • Scholarship categories include Academic Excellence and Excellence in the Workplace
  • Creating a Referral Rewards System
    • Consider a “Refer a Friend” opportunity for recruitment and reward those referrals with Bobcat Cash rewards or other tangible rewards
  • Providing Feedback (Adapted from Ohio State University Student Life Recommendations)
    • Make offering verbal or written positive feedback a routine practice
    • Feedback should be specific, genuine and should explain why the employee’s work matters and connects to the larger vision of your department/unit
  • A Handwritten Card/Note
    • Whether for a specific occasion (like appreciation week or work anniversaries), or as a random gesture – a handwritten card a way to appreciate a student employee
    • Consider having other staff members and leaders write a note in the card, as well
  • Decorate the Office or Workspace
    • Decorate a student employee’s workspace, or a shared communication board
    • With a smaller staff, individualize the décor with specific things about each team member
  • Give Out Staff Awards/Superlatives
    • Whether serious or goofy, handing out individualized awards to student employees is a great way to recognize good work, and encourage team bonding.
  • Setup a Professional Development Opportunity
    • Consider offering a professional development day for your staff with a training topic of their choice or setup shadowing opportunities for your students with staff across the university.

Student Employee Peer Mentoring

• Effective Peer Mentor Programs
  • Creating a peer mentoring program for student employees is optional and requires a significant investment of time and resources to develop and manage an effective program. As a result of participating in a peer mentoring program, DOSA student staff should develop a stronger connection to Ohio University generally and their job specifically, gain a deeper understanding of how their role benefits the larger organization, aim to improve both job and academic performance, and increase their knowledge and use of resources. Students serving as peer mentors will also enhance their leadership and communication skills.
• Best Practices for Peer Mentoring Programs
  • Designing a Program
    • Allow at least one year to design and implement the program.
    • Determine what purpose your peer mentoring program will serve. Will peer mentors orient or supervise new student employees, foster community among student staff, plan events, serve as formal mentors or take more of an informal role model function?
    • Define program parameters. Will all student staff participate, or just a subset? Will they participate for a set amount of time or indefinitely? Will mentors address specific skills or serve as a holistic support?
    • Set a budget, including peer mentor compensation and funding for training or events.
    • Consider mentor:mentee ratios. Programs that match individuals may assign each mentor one or two mentees, while mentors who meet with students in groups may have up to 20 mentees.
    • Write job descriptions that specify qualifications for peer mentors and expectations such as frequency and length of mentee interactions and reporting requirements.
    • Identify what content mentors are expected to share with mentees. Some of it may be applicable to students in general, and some may be specific to the department or job function.
    • Develop policies and procedures, including expectations for both mentors and mentees, handling conflict or other issues, and how to end the mentoring relationship.
  • Running a Program
    • Recruit peer mentors who are committed to the program and believe they can make a positive difference for mentees. Mentors should also have strong academic, communication and interpersonal skills.
    • Provide training to mentors at the beginning of the program and throughout their time as mentees. Training should clarify the goals of the program; the role of the peer mentor; address effective communication, helping skills and diversity issues; and include anticipated needs of mentees and common issues mentors may face.
    • Consider making final selection of peer mentors after some initial training to determine best fit.
    • Create a structured beginning to the mentor-mentee relationship such as an orientation or social event.
    • Mark the end of year or end of the mentor-mentee relationship with a celebration or other acknowledgment to help mentees reflect on what they have learned and to recognize the efforts of mentors.
    • Develop an assessment plan to evaluate participant experiences and to improve the program over time.
    • Conduct both summative evaluation (comparing mentors or mentees to a standard or benchmark) and formative evaluation (collecting feedback on what is working and what can be improved).
    • Use multiple measures of assessment, such as counting the number of participants or frequency of meetings; collecting satisfaction survey data; or obtaining qualitative data through written reflections, interviews or focus groups.

Student Employee Offboarding Checklist

Employee Name:_______________________________________

Position:_____________________________

Employee OHIO Email:___________________________________

 Employee PID:________________________

Supervisor’s Name:______________________________________

Department:_________________________

Reason for Departure:___________________________________ 

Last Date of Employment:_______________                                   

• Offboarding Requirements
  • Supervisor Responsibility
    • Complete the DOSA exit survey
    • Collect any keys the employee has and confirm they were the originally issued keys
    • Terminate any access the employee has to electronic resources including databases or key-card access
    • Update department website to reflect the change in staff (if needed)
    • Determine a plan to communicate the change in staffing to other staff in the department
    • Review and approve the employee’s final timesheet through Work Force
  • Employee Responsibility
    • Submit written notice of employment termination to supervisor indicating the final date of employment
    • Turn in keys, uniforms, and special equipment issued by the department specifically for the job role
    • Enter final timesheet through Work Force
    • Clean out individual work or desk area and remove any personal items (if applicable)
    • Share forwarding address in the event that any items or final checks need to be mailed
    • Update supervisor on the status of any work projects that will not be complete prior to the end of employment

Employee Signature:______________________________________  Date:_____________________________

Supervisor Signature:______________________________________ Date:______________________________

Department Head Signature: ________________________________ Date: _____________________________

Student Employee Exit Interview

• How long were you employed in the department?  
• What was the primary reason you are leaving your current position? 
• If you have accepted a new position elsewhere, please check the primary reason(s) that you took the new position. 
• Were you given adequate training or orientation to do your specific job responsibility? 
• If no, what could have been done to improve your orientation to your specific job responsibilities?  
• How well were you kept informed of relevant policies, procedures, and information? 
• How challenging was your job?  
• In general, how fair did you feel your ideas and opinions were in your department?  
• If you had suggestions or complaints, did you feel free to discuss them with your supervisor?  
• How valued did you feel your ideas and opinions were in your department?  
• How much support did you feel you received from your colleagues and co-workers in your position?  
• How satisfied were you with your overall working conditions in your department?  
• Did your position contribute to your academic success? 
• Do you feel that you were paid fairly for the job you performed: Compared to others in your department?  
• If no, please explain:  
• What were the least satisfying aspects of working in your department?  
• How could your working conditions have been improved?  
• Any additional comments would be welcomed?

Student Employee Performance Evaluation

Download the Student Employee Performance Evaluation here [.docx]