Career and Student Employment Services

Career and Student Employment Services
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5225 USA
(269) 387-2745

Career and Student Employment Services Student Staff

Download a copy of the General CSES student employee expectations and guidelines document. 

Departments employing students are welcome to use these guidelines as examples from which to create their own guidelines and procedures. 

The contents of the document are outlined below. For ease of reference, the "Work Schedules and Absences" section text is included at the end of this page. 

General CSES student employee expectations and guidelines sections: 

  1. General standard expectations
  2. Work schedules and absences
  3. Taking breaks
  4. Dress code
  5. Computer and cell phone usage
  6. Confidentiality
  7. Hours allotted to work
  8. Visitors to office
  9. Studying
  10. Equity across positions
  11. Onboarding and training
  12. Assistance and support
  13. Accountability for meeting expectations
  14. Employee records

2. Work Schedules and Absences

2.1 All assigned work schedules will be posted to the Shifts app in Microsoft Teams. 

2.2 Employees can clock in up to 15 minutes before an assigned work shift starts and clock out up to 15 minutes after an assigned work shift ends so they have time to prepare to execute their responsibilities and clean up afterwards Employees should be present, ready to begin their work, by the start of their scheduled work time. Employees should continue to be present and working until the end of their scheduled work time. 

2.3 Employees are responsible for assigned work shifts as posted. 

2.3.1. Employees may request to "Swap" shifts (give up a shift to another employee in exchange for one of their shifts) or "Offer" shifts (give up a shift to another employee with no exchange). The original assigned employee remains responsible for the work shift until all approvals have been completed and the work shift is no longer assigned to them. The new employee is then responsible for the shift as if originally assigned.

2.4 If an employee needs to miss a scheduled work shift, they must post a request for "Time Off" as soon as possible to alert their supervisor of the absence. Employees can request "Sick Time," "Academic Conflict," or "Personal Reason" when making the request - notes are not required but appreciated. 

2.4.1. Sick Time requests will count as paid time in accordance with the WMU Sick Leave Policy for Student Employees, Graduate Assistants (non-teaching only), Professional Instructors (part-time), and WMU Temporary Employees | Human Resources | Western Michigan University.

2.4.2. Approval of a time-off "Academic Conflict," "Personal Reason" and "Sick Time" that exceeds an employees earned sick time, is an acknowledgement of the missed shift and does not remove accountability for failing to meet the expectation.