The Pepperdine University Student Employment Office offers a wonderful opportunity for supervisors to accomplish their department goals while giving students valuable out-of class learning opportunities. As a student employee supervisor, you are an important part of the campus community and your work is greatly appreciated.

To enrich the student employment supervisor experience, the Student Employment Office has created a monthly supervisor training as well as a quick guide for supervisors to inform them of their responsibilities as well as share resources that may be of use. Supervisors are strongly encouraged to complete at least one training session and keep the quick guide as a reference.

In California, an employer may not employ an employee for a work period of more than five hours per day without providing the employee with a meal period of not less than thirty minutes, except that if the total work period per day of the employee is no more than six hours, the meal period may be waived by mutual consent of both the employer and employee. A second meal period of not less than thirty minutes is required if an employee works more than ten hours per day, except that if the total hours worked is no more than 12 hours, the second meal period may be waived by mutual consent of the employer and employee only if the first meal period was not waived. Labor Code Section 512.

Help Your Students Succeed

10 Strategies for Supervisors

Be an example: Model strong work habits through efficient, dedicated work practices. Let your own approach to daily work be an example from which students can learn.

Be flexible: Understand that student employees are students first, and employees second. Though it is important to have high standards on the job, it is also important to be flexible in order to accommodate academic obligations.

Communicate Expectations: Communicate the job standards, requirements, and expectations to your student employees. One should not assume these are self-evident to the student, even though they may seem obvious to you.

Give Feedback Frequently: Provide consistent and appropriate feedback to your student employees. Students, like all employees, benefit from feedback in job performance, providing it is communicated with a positive spirit and the goal of helping the student to succeed.

Be Fair: Supervisors who are too lenient or view students as children are not doing students any favors. Student jobs are "real jobs". Treat student employees as you would like to be treated in a similar situation.

Train, Train, Train: Take the time to train your students in important work skills, attitudes, and habits such as time management, phone skills, quality service practices, handling difficult situations. Consider LinkedIn Learning Modules as part of your training process.

Be a Team Player: As the team leader, develop and nurture the unique contributions of each team member. Take a global perspective.

Give Recognition: When you see a student "going the extra mile", acknowledge this in front of other staff and peers. People need to feel appreciated.

Share the Vision: Have regular staff meetings with your student employees, and inform them how their work fits into a larger purpose of the department and the institution.

Be an Educator: To the degree that we each contribute to the lives of others, we are all educators. Do your part in helping the university to produce graduates that are quality employees.

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