The Ah-Ha’s of Supervising Student Employees: Best Practices & Beyond

Keyimani Alford, Great Lakes Higher Education CorporationKarla Weber, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Diversifying Your Management Style

Knowing the Student Employee Culture

Objectives

The Challenges of Supervising Students

1.

2.

3.

Resource: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d14/tables/dt14_503.20.asp?current=yes

“A report by the National Center for Education Statistics, Digest for Education Statistics, found that students (16-24) that were enrolled full-time in classes worked less in 2013 compared to 2012.”

Students Who Work!

• 14.0% worked less than 20 hours per week

• 18.5% worked 20–34 hours per week

• 6.6% worked 35 or more hours per weekResource: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d14/tables/dt14_503.20.asp?current=yes

39.5%

of full-time enrolled students were employed in 2013

Students Who Work!

• 10.5% worked less than 20 hours per week

• 28.7% worked 20–34 hours per week• 35.4% worked 35 or more hours per

weekResource: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d14/tables/dt14_503.20.asp?current=yes

75.7%

of part-time enrolled studentswere employed in 2013

Student vs. Employee

STUDENT VS. EMPLOYEEC O N C E P T

The Challenges of Supervising Students

Common Challenges

Supervising Friends

Communication

Training

Hiring

Motivation

Scheduling

Supervising Friends

What it does…• Develops a hesitancy

to reprimand an employee due to relationship

• Makes it hard to hold everyone to the same standard when you are unsatisfied with work ethic

• Can create a environment where employees become relaxed in their responsibilities

Challenge 1

• How to correct it…• Model the behavior

you desire from staff• Separate the

personal from professional relationship

• Understand the impact of favoritism

Communication

• Is overlooked by using one method for everyone• When inconsistent delays productivity• Is more effective when you avoid the office

hour concept

Challenge 2

Training

Training sets the tone for the work environment

Challenge 3

Training

• Prevents the ability to transition smoothly

• Creates animosity with other teammates

• Questions a supervisor’s ability to lead adequately by staff members

• Have an organized training program

• Make it fun and enjoyable

• Find ways to incentivize their participation

Common Barriers Barrier Resolution Tips

Challenge 3

10 Steps of Training

1 Explain the task, its purpose, and its context

2 Ask the student what he/she already knows about the task

3 Demonstrate and explain the task step-by-step

4 Emphasize any key points

5 Demonstrate the task a second time

6 Ask the student questions that test understanding

7 Allow the student to practice the task

8 Give the student specific feedback about their performance

9 Have the student to continue to practice on their own

10 Allow the student to perform the task independently and review it as the progress

Resource: Georgetown University

Hiring

• Requires resources to find new employees

• Can cause a loss of productivity

• Contributes to a supervisor filling in the gaps of responsibilities

Challenge 4

Your thoughts…

What ways can you improve motivation with your student employees??

Motivation Perspectives

Supervisor Student EmployeeVS

Good Wages

Job Security

Loyalty from Management

Tactful Discipline

Being Informed

Understanding Attitude

Appreciation of a Job Well Done

Interesting Work

Good Working Conditions

Promotional Opportunities

1

10

3

4

5

6

78

9

2

Appreciation of a Job Well Done

Being Informed

Good Wages

Job Security

Promotional Opportunities

Good Working Conditions

Interesting Work

Loyalty from Management

Tactful Discipline

Understanding Attitude

Resource: http://www.scu.edu/hr/careers/students/upload/supervising_student200608.pdf

Motivation

• Set the standard for their work performance• Provide good training• Trust them to do their job and don’t be intrusive• Establish goals and provide feedback• Get in the trenches with them

Challenge 5

Scheduling

• Variations in class schedules• Student preferences vs. office needs• No detailed system to monitor attendance • Reaffirming schedules with your students

Challenge 6

Your thoughts…

What are some things your department does to overcome

the challenges discussed today??

Knowing the Student Employee Culture

Who Are Your Students?

Resource: 2013 U.S. Census Bureaus Statistics

79%

of college students are millennials

• 1% are Traditionalists

• 4% are Baby Boomers

• 16% are Generation X

Classifications

Before 1946

DisciplinedDislikes ConflictDetail

Oriented

(1946 – 1964)

AdaptiveGoal

OrientedPositive Attitude

(1960 – 1970)

IndependentFamily

OrientedSelf-Reliant

(1980 – 1990)

Craves ChangeCreativeResilient

Traditionalists Baby Boomers

Generation X Millennials

Traditionalists

• Expectations• A sense of loyalty• Respect• Direct leadership • One-on-one communication

Baby Boomers

• Expectations• Team environment• Minimal conflict• Trust with tasks• Collaboration

Generation X

• Expectations• Feedback• Recognition• Quality time• Opportunity to advance• Work/life balance

Millennials

The Journal of Undergraduate Research found that:

65% of millennials were motivated by having flexibility on their

jobs

14% of millennials were motivated by pay on their jobs

Resource: http://jur.byu.edu/?p=14244

Millennials

• Expectations• Interact with positive people• Be presented with challenges• To be respected• Gain new insight and knowledge• Learn life skills• Have flexible schedules

Diversifying Your Management Style

True or False

A person’s management style impacts their effectiveness in

supervising student employees??

One Size Does Not Fit All…

Six Leadership Styles

• Exchange between leader and follower

• Expectations are clearly defined• Aims to enhance performance by

incentives

Transactional Leadership

Transformational Leadership• Listens to their followers needs and desires

• Provides an opportunity for growth• Develops a shared vision with

followers

1

2

Six Leadership Styles

• Focuses on the needs of others• Understands the struggles of his of

her members that they lead

Servant Leadership

Charismatic Leadership• Persuades based on emotion• Confident in nature• Has a strong ability to inspire

3

4

Six Leadership Styles

• Task oriented• Leads through position power

Contingency Leadership

Strategic Leadership• Adopts the attitude of executive

leadership• Uses position power to influence

subordinates

5

6

The 90/10 Rule of Management

Resource: http://everson-consulting.com/

9010

The 90/10 Rule of ManagementCommon Benefits• An all-inclusive work environment• A positive rapport with student staff• The development of a team culture

Resource: http://everson-consulting.com/

Manager vs. Leader

• Makes the best use of people

• Allocates resources prudently

• Presides over the process of an organization

• Emphasizes position• Main focus is on the job

versus the people

• Thinks long-term• Has the teams best

interestat heart

• Influences beyond outlined responsibilities

• Open to improve a process

• Emphasizes on vision and goals

Manager Leader

Wrap-up and Conclusion

• All shapes do not fit, nor will management styles

• Supervision entails more than just telling students what to do but an opportunity to cultivate work ethic

• Adequate training and communication is the foundation to achieving effectiveness

Resources

National Student Employment Association (NSEA) • nsea.info

8 Simple Rules for Managing Student Workers• http

://universitybusiness.com/article/8-simple-rules-managing-student-workers

From the Start: Getting the Most Out of Your Student Employees (Georgetown University)• https://seo.georgetown.edu/cimages/From%20the

%20Start%20-%20supervising%20student%20employees.pdf

Suggested Readings

• You’re the Director: A Guide to Leadership in Student Financial Aid, NASFAA, 2012

• Organizational Culture and Leadership, Edward Schein, Jossey-Bass, 2010

• The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins, Harvard Business School Press, 2003

• Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions, Kotter and Rathgeber, Saint Martin’s Press, 2006

Questions?

Further Discussion?