Jobs for Aggies hosted presentations to teach on-campus supervisors valuable skills about managing student employees.
On Feb. 11, the student employee performance reviews supervising workshop was presented in the Pavillion from 2 to 3:30 p.m. This event taught supervisors the whys and hows of performance reviews and the specific importance of student employee evaluations. It also showed supervisors how to conduct a formal, professional assessment.
Colleen Sisco, director of the Student Employment Office, said she has worked there for five years, and her office has been putting on workshops for much longer than that. With the rules surrounding the jobs of supervisors on campus, the Student Employment Office aims to keep them informed.
“All supervisors are now required to perform performance evaluations on student workers,” Sisco said. “There are some specific guidelines on that; it’s not like every student worker, and you can read about those on our website.”
This workshop is an excellent opportunity for recently hired supervisors, according to Sisco. It is a learning opportunity the Student Employment Office hopes will make it easier to evaluate students in a professional environment by giving them some tips on the job.
“What we are hoping to provide is some information to supervisors who maybe not actually sat on the side of the supervisor role in the performance evaluation,” Sisco said. “They may have gotten one as an employee, but I want to ease their fears and just give them some reminders on what a performance evaluation is and isn’t.”
Erin Hinojosa, student employment specialist and presenter of the supervising workshop, said the presentation is very important and useful to supervisors because it teaches them the value of these evaluations when done correctly.
“This feedback process is critical for student employee supervisors,” Hinojosa said. “Student employment should be no exception. We really believe that. That’s why we have instituted this as one of those enhancements.”
Debbie Shannon, executive assistant for Scholarships and Financial Aid, said there are similar events that occur within individual departments such as the one presented, but she found the advantage of clarifying some of the information she received.
“I actually attended a training for our staff this morning that was provided where a lot of that information was covered, but it allowed me the opportunity to ask some more questions that I didn’t get to this morning,” Shannon said.
Shannon also said the information she received in the workshop can assist her in supervisor/employee communication and keeping the student employees up to date on these evaluations.
“I’m leaving feeling a lot more confident about how to proceed,” Shannon said. “I’ve just hired two new employees and I want them to know these processes up front, so when it comes to that point they’ll be ready.”
According to Hinojosa, the supervisors have a responsibility to do well on these evaluations because they can be used as a learning tool for the student employees.
“The performance evaluations are a part of the education students receive through their student employment, and receiving that formal feedback allows them to prepare for what to expect in future careers,” Hinojosa said. “It also gives them a chance to maybe receive some good praise, and maybe some constructive criticism that they’ve never experienced before.”
Hinojosa said the outcome of doing these evaluations outweigh the discomfort that supervisors may feel because they prove beneficial in the long run.
“We know we’re coming into these conversations, and we know they’re not always easy,” Hinojosa said. “They may be a little uncomfortable or awkward, but if we know how to open up a little bit, that will help a lot.”