Press Student Assistant Resources

The Press Google Calendar / Schedules / Clock Ins and outs

• After a few weeks of knowing how your schedule will work we would like you to set a schedule for the rest of the semester.
• And we are pretty flexible when asked ahead of time and of course for any finals/projects and school breaks and vacations.
• For absences like projects and vacations, let us know as soon as you can, and (once added to the calendar) you will take your shifts off the calendar or switch them there.
• For sicknesses, email us and you will also take your shifts off the calendar.
• If something happens and you need to leave early or come in late, please let us know and also adjust your time on the calendar to reflect the approximate time you were here down to the 15 min mark. 
• Please email us before changing any calendar times. 
• And if you forget to clock in or out, email us as well, and let me know the time you got in/left so we can fix the timeclock. 
• When you miss a punch in, do not punch in at all until your punch out and email me the time you were supposed to punch in. It is harder to fix an incorrect punch in than it is to add a missing one.

Student Employee Acknowledgement and Expectations

Welcome to Cal Poly Humboldt Library Scholarly Communications Department. Student employees are an integral part of the university, departments and offices. As a Student Assistant, you are recognized as a very important part of our community and we want to ensure that your work experience as a student employee is a rewarding and positive one. Your work experience in the Library Scholarly Communications Department will help to prepare you for future career opportunities. You will learn time management, responsibility, gain leadership and earn money to help finance your educational costs. You will also develop strong work habits and job skills and have an excellent resource for future job references. Your leads will help to train you for your specific job duties and discuss with you the expectations for your job. The student employment experience will greatly benefit you as you enter the job market. Work experience enables you to explore career options, discover strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and to see how your academic learning applies to the world of work. 

Use your job as both an opportunity to gain marketable skills and to establish a good work record. Please talk to your leads about your professional goals and how your knowledge and skills might be developed to improve your resume. You are to treat college employment as a regular job and are expected to conduct yourself in a responsible manner. 

Scholarly Communications Department Expectations

Punctuality and Attendance

Arriving on time to work is very important. The Library Scholarly Communications Department depend on you to show up on time as scheduled.

If you are going to be late or are unable to come to work, please either call, text or email your leads as soon as possible. If you text or email, make sure you receive a response. 

Here’s the contact information for Kyle Morgan.

Email: kem8@humboldt.edu

Phone: (707) 826-5602 (work) 

Here is the contact information for Sarah Godlin:

Email: seg362@humboldt.edu 

Phone: (707) 826-4072 (desk)

You will set up and maintain your schedule on the Scholarly Communications Google Calendar. Changing your schedule or taking time off due to vacation, midterms or finals should be arranged in advance and be approved by one of your leads. 

Rest Periods

Students working a consecutive 4-hour work period may take one paid 15-minutes break. Students working more than 5 consecutive hours (5.1 and above) are required to take an unpaid 30-minute lunch break unless a work period of not more than 6 hours will complete the shift. Breaks cannot be taken at the beginning or end of the work period. Unused breaks are not cumulative or eligible for extra pay. Breaks are to be taken away from the work area. Do not distract co-workers while you are on a break.

Pay Days

You and one of your leads will approve your time voucher. It will then be submitted by your department attendance clerk (Maddy McLaughlin, maddy@humboldt.edu, Admin Office) to the Payroll Office on the assigned due date. Paychecks are direct deposited through Payroll. Here are links with more information.

• Paydays, vacation, and other dates for the current fiscal year are listed in the

Green and Gold Calendar

• To enroll in Direct Deposit, complete this form: Direct Deposit Form
• Understanding your State of California Pay Warrant

Time Punch

You can clock in and out via the remote timeclock: https://sites.google.com/humboldt.edu/remotetimeclock. If you miss a clock in and clock, notify one of your leads. Continue to clock in and out at your normal times and your lead can correct the missing punch. 

Resignation

Students should give leads at least two weeks notice when planning to resign. At that time, you might also ask your leads for permission to use him/her as a reference or to request a letter of recommendation for future employment.

Student/Lead Relations

The relationship between students and leads should be open and honest. Everyone needs to work together to make the University run as smoothly and efficiently as possible, always keeping customer service as the highest priority. Students should feel comfortable discussing any work-related issues with their leads. Students are also encouraged to make suggestions which might enhance efficiency, productivity, work environment, and customer service.

If there is time when you and your leads do not agree, you are urged to discuss your work-related problem or complaint with your leads. Communication with your leads is an important skill and most important when resolving differences. 

Dress Code/Office Decorum

Student employees must dress appropriately for the area in which they work, as determined by their leads. Underwear as outerwear, and clothing with derogatory, offensive and lewd messages either in words or picture etc. are not proper attire in any working environment. Student employees are frequently the first contact for customers and should dress accordingly. In order to create a positive and professional impression, students are encouraged to be neat and clean at all times. Bad habits, such as visiting with friends while on the job, unnecessary or noisy conversations, cell phone use, tardiness, and repeated absences prevent a student from getting their work done and place unfair burdens on co-workers, leads, and patrons.

Safety

Safety is a part of everyone’s job. In situations where health and safety are concerned, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Safety or security issues should be reported to your leads immediately. To report an emergency on campus anytime, dial 5555. The University Police will then determine if further assistance is warranted. If contacting your leads or University Police might in any way jeopardize safety, please take the initiative to do what is necessary to keep yourself safe. Your safety takes priority at all times.

Injury

Student employees must immediately report any injury sustained at work. There is a first-aid kit available for minor injuries (for in-person work). For injuries warranting medical attention, a student employee may be sent to the Student Health Center or the local hospital, depending on the severity of the injury. Documentation is required for any on-the-job injury.

If an injury occurs on campus, call University Police at extension 5555 to secure proper medical care and direction. The student’s leads should also be notified as quickly as possible. 

Customer Service

Cal Poly Humboldt University is a customer service organization. Friendliness, pride in work, and cooperation not only keep the customers satisfied, they also make working more enjoyable. 

As representatives at Cal Poly Humboldt, student employees are expected to be courteous and helpful to all customers. Often customers will have questions for which students do not have the answer. When this occurs, try to direct the customer to the right person who does know the answer, which may be a co-worker or your leads. 

Always refer angry or frustrated patrons to your leads or to the library supervisor, Dean Cyril Oberlander. Whenever you feel uncomfortable with a customer or a customer’s inquiry, refer the matter to your lead. Always remember to: 

• Be approachable – let the patron know you are willing to help.
• Express interest in the customer’s problem.
• Listen to the customer – be sure you understand what they need. 
• Follow up. Direct the customer to someone who might be able to help and ask the customer to return for more assistance if still not satisfied. 
   

Office Etiquette

Be sure you have secondary tasks to work on. There is always work to be done, so if you are out of tasks, speak to your leads. Surfing the Internet, personal email, Facebook, iPods, texting, games, homework, personal phone calls, etc. are not allowed.  For some tasks, headphones may be connected to computers or cellphones.

Please remember that the Library is a place for research.  Keep loud conversations to a minimum. Be respectful of the noise level in case you are interfering with other student’s work. 

Confidentiality

Any information you may come into contact with or become aware of within the Cal Poly Humboldt Library Scholarly Communications Department is considered confidential and should not be shared outside the office. This includes student and faculty scholarship, work product, grades, addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, and any other personal, work, or educational information you may become aware of. 

Note that laws, copyright, licensing, and privacy considerations may prevent the sharing of research and scholarship in any form or manner. Check with your leads before sharing or making publicly available any research or scholarship.

Good Work Habits

It is extremely important to develop good work habits from the first day on your job and keep them throughout your working life.

Be dependable – Show up for work every working day and be on time.

Be efficient – Get your work done accurately and promptly. Use your time for working, not for personal business, which includes friends stopping by to socialize.

Exercise Initiative – Do what needs to be done without being told. Once you have learned your job you can proceed on your own, do a little more than just what you’re asked to do.

Be honest – Don’t abuse time by arriving late or quitting early. Always be honest no matter what the situation is. 

Be congenial and courteous – Do you best to get along with everyone. Be someone with whom others enjoy working. Be pleasant, tactful and considerate.

Be neat and clean – Neatness also applies to the work itself and to your workstation.

Show enthusiasm for your work – You may not like every task, but emphasize the positive aspects of your job while taking the negative in stride. Every task is important.

Accept criticism – Be willing to learn and improve from constructive criticism.

Stay in good health – You work best when you feel good and are well rested. 

Follow directions and be willing to learn – Be sure you understand directions and follow them in doing your job. If you are given the opportunity to learn new skills, take it. It could mean a promotion for you later. 

We appreciate our Student Assistants, and we hope to spend many happy shifts working together!