Managing Performance & Addressing Concerns

Clear expectations, timely feedback, and consistent documentation help student employees improve and help supervisors address concerns fairly.

Provide Regular Feedback

  • Review the resources below to assist with regular feedback, giving performance evaluations, and having meaningful conversations about how the student is doing in their role.
  • Meet briefly and regularly to review priorities, progress, questions, and support needs.
  • Describe the specific behavior or result you observed.
  • Explain its effect on the work, team, or people served.
  • Clarify the expected standard and agree on the next action.
  • Recognize improvement and effective performance.

Performance Evaluation

Use the Student Employee Performance Evaluation to recognize strengths, identify areas for development, clarify expectations, and document performance. An evaluation should not be the first time a student learns about a significant concern.

Though not required at this time, providing formal feedback helps both you and the student develop and grow.

In situations where behavior needs improvement use the outlines process below:

Progressive Discipline

  1. Verbal warning: Explain the concern, restate the expectation, identify corrective action, and document the conversation.
  2. Written warning and improvement plan: Document the concern, prior coaching, required improvement, support, and review date.
  3. Final written warning: State the unresolved concern, immediate requirements, and consequence of failing to improve.
  4. Termination: Consult Student Employment before ending employment and complete the required termination process.

Serious misconduct may require immediate action. Contact Student Employment before proceeding when concerns involve safety, harassment, discrimination, violence, theft, time theft, confidentiality, falsified records, or other serious misconduct.

Helpful Resources