Performance Matters
Performance Evaluations
The goal of the hiring department should be to foster their student workers by providing constructive feedback aimed to enhance the student/s work performance and professional development. To help departments do this, we have created a PDF Document: Student Performance Evaluation Form template and recommend that all student workers be evaluated, at least annually.
Addressing Poor Performance
No one enjoys reprimanding an employee for under performing, especially when the employee is a student. Please remember however, that the goal of the hiring department should be to foster constructive feedback aimed to enhance the student/s work performance and professional development. To this end, we strongly recommend that necessary steps be taken to help the student fully understand his or her area(s) of weakness with an eye toward helping the student grow and develop in the workplace – please see recommended steps below.
We further recommend that you properly document all meetings and provide the student with documentation clearly stating the problem, outlining the corrective steps proposed, the timeframe, and the consequences should the student fail to meet the expectations at the end of the allotted timeframe.
Recommended steps include:
- Meet with the student to review their job description and expectations.
- Keep feedback and communication open and positive. Acknowledge those things that the student has done well and address areas of weakness.
- Provide specific examples, making certain that the student has a clear understanding of what exactly the problem is and how they can go about fixing it.
- Listen for reasons they give to determine whether the issues is lack of skill or lack of will.
- Discuss corrective steps that need to be taken and set a timeframe for marked improvement.
- Inform the student that their failure to adhere to these expectations within the allotted timeframe may/will result in dismissal.
- After the allotted time, meet with the student to review their performance. Be sure to applaud their progress; if their performance has not improved, you will need to make the touch call to let them go.
Dishonest/Criminal Misconduct
If you suspect a student employee of dishonest or criminal misconduct on the job, (i.e. falsifying hours on timesheets, forging supervisors signature, theft of office property, unauthorized use of computer accounts, etc.) it is your responsibility to immediately report your suspicions to the Office of University Experiential Learning.