Student Supervisor Handbook: Workplace Issues and Reporting
Guidance on workplace issues
A supervisor or student worker who would like guidance on any sort of workplace issue may contact the Student Work Coordinator, who can provide support and options for seeking resolution.
Contact the Student Work Coordinator:
studentwork@reed.edu | 503-517-4847 | 8:30am-5pm Monday - Friday
Performance issues
Work as an educational process
It is important to remember that student workers are learners, and potentially navigating workplace expectations for the first time. Conversations about performance issues can serve as an educational process where both parties can reflect upon and clarify expectations and the supervisor can help the student worker identify and navigate any barriers they are facing to meeting these. Supervisors are encouraged to consult with the Student Work Coordinator regarding any performance issues.
Documentation
If problematic behavior continues or significant incidents occur, it is important to document all of the behavior or incidents in a confidential place. It is also important to document any conversations, written or oral, that are had with the student worker about their performance. A good way to do this is to send a follow-up email to the student worker summarizing any oral conversations you have - see more below.
Initial conversation
The first step when a student is not meeting expectations is a conversation. It is important for supervisors to provide this feedback immediately to the student worker. Do not wait until the end of the semester or for an annual evaluation to discuss problematic behavior in the workplace.
An initial conversation with the student worker should include:
- What expectations are not being met and the impact of this
- What changes the student can make to meet these expectations
- Come from a place of inquiry; ask the student why they are not meeting these expectations and what barriers they may be facing to meeting them
Document this conversation with a follow-up email so that there is clarity about what you and the student worker discussed. Ideally, follow-up emails are sent on the same day as the conversation takes place. These are not disciplinary in nature, but simply a way for both parties to memorialize the conversation.
Formal warnings
If performance problems persist and a supervisor believes that a formal warning or improvement plan is necessary, they should contact the Student Work Coordinator immediately for guidance.
Termination
Supervisors should contact the Student Work Coordinator regarding termination of a student worker for performance-related issues. The Student Work Coordinator can provide guidance to supervisors regarding making this decision, discussing the decision with a student, and providing the student support. When a student worker’s employment has been terminated, the supervisor should record this in HireEm as soon as possible.
Obligated reporting of sexual misconduct
Reed has two policies governing discrimination on the basis of sex: the Title IX Policy, andthe Discriminatory Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy (DHSM). These policies detail and explicitly prohibit specific forms of harassment and encourage the reporting of these prohibited behaviors (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking). Supervisors of student workers are designated by Reed as obligated reporters of sexual misconduct, which means that all supervisors are obligated to report any possible violations of the Title IX and/or DHSM policies.
Student workers are not obligated reporters of potential violations of sexual misconduct, with the exception of student members of the Sexual Misconduct Board.*
More information about responding to a disclosure and options for survivors.
*please note that all employees, including student workers, are mandatory reporters of child abuse.
Bias incidents and discriminatory harassment
Information about responding to a report of a bias incident or discriminatory harassment can be found on the Office for Institutional Diversity website.
If a student reports a biased related or discriminatory harassment incident to you or if you believe that they may be about to disclose an incident of bias or harassment, please follow the procedures outlined in the Resource guide for faculty and staff responding to a report by a student. A full list of staff members who are trained to take reports and meet with the student(s) are listed on this website.