PUBLIC RELATIONS/OFFICE STAFF CONTRACT, FALL 2017

Campus Tutorial Services

BY SIGNING BELOW, I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING WORK CONDITIONS OUTLINED BOTH IN THIS CONTRACT AND IN THE UW-WHITEWATER STUDENT EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK:

SIGNATURE ______

PRINT NAME ______DATE ______

For this job an office worker is paid $9.00 per hour; the maximum number of hours worked per week is based on a shift assignment designated by the director of the Tutorial Center, unless the tutor is covering for another employee or has been given special permission by the director of the Tutorial Center.In any event, a student worker CANNOT exceed 25 hours per week, and this includes all University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student work positions.It is the responsibility of the student worker to make sure weekly hours do not exceed 25, and exceeding 25 hours may result in disciplinary actions.

The director of the Tutorial Center has the final say regarding what does and does not constitute working hours, visits, and tutorials for purposes of record keeping and payroll. This contract is only for the fall 2017 semester, and renewal for future semesters is not implied. In addition, the director of the Tutorial Center may alter shift hours or terminate this contract at any time during the semester.

To earn the pay, the following conditions have to be satisfied:

  1. You are fully aware of all the policies and procedures of Campus Tutorial Services.
  2. This includes, but is not limited to, a complete review and understanding of all contracts, including Office Staff, Subject Area, Supplemental Instruction, Math, Writing, In Class, and Cyber. An assessment may be administered at any time testing your knowledge of these contracts, policies and procedures, and failure to demonstrate proper understanding may result in suspension or termination of position.
  3. You arrive at the Tutorial Center office before the start of your shift and leave at the end, and you are present and approachableduring your shift.
  4. Pay cannot be claimed for shift times preceding arriving late and/or shift times following leaving early. Your timesheet must always be an accurate reflection of actual work times.
  5. If you arrive late or leave early without securing a replacement, you will receive one warning per semester; following that, a second and subsequent violationsmay result in the following unless proof of a legitimate emergency is provided (i.e., a doctor’s note specifically excusing you from work duties).
  6. Required volunteer hours equivalent to work missed
  7. Reduction/Termination of shift
  8. Termination of position
  9. If you must miss a shift, or part of a shift, it is your responsibility to find a replacement via the on-call list and notify both the Tutorial Center office staff (by phone at 472-1230) and the director of the Tutorial Center and the graduate assistant (by e-mail). In short, as long as you find someone to cover for you, it’s fine with me if you need to miss. However, if you fail to secure a replacement, you will receive one warning per semester; following that, a second violation may result in consequences outlines in 2-b-i-ii-iii noted above.
  10. Understand it is not the director’s nor the graduate assistant’s job to find a replacement for you, so don’t contact the director asking said director to find someone for you, nor is it the responsibility of another worker to find someone to cover for you.
  11. All replacement requests should be sent through the University email account and C/C the director; the same is true for replies. If you wish to compliment that with phone calls and/or texts, that’s fine.
  12. SPECIAL NOTE—please respond to all requests for shift coverage, even if it is to say, “No, I can’t cover for you.” I’m not asking for you to provide a reason, just to respond.
  13. If you agree to cover a shift for a co-worker and then need to back out, it is then your responsibility to find a replacement.
  14. Your work hours during Finals Week will remain the same as your work hours during the semester. If you have an exam scheduled for a time you are scheduled to work, it is your responsibility to find a replacement.
  15. You directly perform required office duties.
  16. The first and most important rule is that if the Director of Campus Tutorial Services either emails or calls, that is the immediate priority over everything else.
  17. The office staff is responsible for all communications. This includes:
  18. Responding to emails and phone calls as they come in. Don’t wait for someone else to take care of it. If you don’t know how to respond – ASK! All emails must be responded to within 30 minutes of arrival during regular office hours. Emails that arrived after office hours need to be responded to within the first 60 minutes of opening the next day (with the exception of timesheet additions emails sent to the tutors noting their after-hours tutoring was recorded on their timesheets). Note that a response can be as simple as, “You message was received and forwarded to the proper individual” or “Your message was received and we need to gather more information before we can properly respond” or something along those lines.
  19. Scheduling Writing Center appointments, including making reminder calls during the day and sending final email reminders at night. This also includes directing Writing Center clients to the appropriate tutor. It also involves either emailing or physically handing a copy of the No Show Policy handout.
  20. Dealing with clients who are “No Shows.” The first step is to verify that an appointment was scheduled. Following that, call the client at the start of the session. If no response, send a follow-up email after 15 minutes explaining the No Show policy.
  21. Creating and distributing advertising for the Center
  22. The office staff is responsible for ensuring that all required paperwork is completelyand accurately drafted, enteredinto theTutorlogin a thorough, clear and professional manner, and scanned and archived to the T drive. (NOTE—payrolland scanning is now a daily process)
  23. Make copies of paperwork when low; don’t leave the next shift without sufficient paperwork.
  24. Look over all paperwork and compare it to the Tutorlog entriesright as it is handed in BEFORE allowing the tutor to leave. If something is missing or doesn’t look right, it’s significantly easier to have the tutor fix it then.
  25. When checking paperwork and Tutorlog, verify everything is filled out in complete detail. If not, ask the tutor to fix it, and explain that the tutor CANNOT claim time for making these corrections/revisions. If correct, sign your name to the paperwork and approve it in the Tutorlog.
  26. SPECIAL NOTE—if the tutor asks questions or seeks clarification concerning paperwork BEFORE officially turning it in, then the tutor CAN make corrections and claim time for it. In other words, I encourage tutors to ask good questions and seek to make sure paperwork is complete and accurate BEFORE turning it in.
  27. Look over paper timesheet and compare it to times claimed on paperwork BEFORE allowing the tutor to leave. If it’s not right, ask the tutor to fix it (without pay, as explained in item c-iii).
  28. Keep track of no-shows and which SA tutors can claim a no-show on their timesheet.
  29. Keep all paperwork organized by placing it in the proper timesheet bin.
  30. Ideally all paperwork should be entered into the Tutorlog and verified by an office staff member before closing; the only exception would be an emergency situation. Never leave an unfinished session sheet for the next shift. Problematic paperwork that is not resolved before closing must be properly labeled, and the offending party needs to be emailed. Copy of said email should be printed and attached to the paperwork.
  31. SPECIAL NOTE—ALL paperwork MUST be entered and verified on Thursday evening before leaving, with the only exception being problematic paperwork.
  32. The office staff is responsible for ensuring that tutors sign-in out and update their timesheets.
  33. Keep up with verifying the Tutor Sign-In/Sign-Out sheet
  34. If a tutor doesn’t sign-in/out, send either the warning or volunteer email (C/C the director of Campus Tutorial Services).
  35. If for some legitimate reason you miss verifying a sign-in or sign-out signature, then confirm it is accurate by checking the timestamp on the security camera video feed.
  36. Look over paper timesheet and compare it to times claimed on paperwork BEFORE allowing the tutor to leave following a work session. If it’s not right, ask the tutor to fix it (without pay).
  37. Stay on the tutors to make sure they are keeping their online timesheets (My UW-System) updated daily.
  38. You adhere to the principles of appropriate etiquette and representing Campus Tutorial Services and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
  39. Communicate professionally.
  40. Make sure emails are clear, complete, and correct (grammatically and content-wise). ALL EMAILS SENT MUST INCLUDE THE FULL NAME OF THE SENDER.followed by the title “Public Relations/Office Staff.”
  41. Be polite and friendly when interacting with tutors and clients.
  42. Remember that it’s very easy for those outside the office area to hear conversations happening in the office! Keep your voice down.
  43. Dress appropriately.
  44. Act professionally.
  45. Keep eating and drinking to a minimum (and be discrete).
  46. Keep the work area tidy.
  47. Don’t use profanity or engage in inappropriate conversations.
  48. You monitor clients, tutors, fellow office staff, faculty, and the Center.
  49. Monitoring means always having the video security feeds for three floors displaying on the second monitors.
  50. Monitoring means verifying all Math Center, Writing Center and SI tutors are present for entire scheduled shifts.
  51. If a tutor has not arrived for the start of a shift, the office staff is to immediately call first and then send an email to both the tutor and the director of Campus Tutorial Services.
  52. It is unacceptable for the office staff to not be aware of tutors being late for shifts, especially for the Writing and Math Centers. Calls and emails should happen within the first five minutes of the start of a shift.
  53. Monitoring means being friendly and approachable for questions, moving around the Center and checking on clients and tutors, reminding clients and tutors that you are there to help, etc.
  54. Examples of acceptable, job-related activities to engage in while monitoring are:
  55. Directing Math Center and Writing Center tutors to perform appropriate and required Dead Time activities; emailing the director of Campus Tutorial Services when these activities are not happening after 1st reminder.
  56. SPECIAL NOTE—if you are concerned about the work performance of Math or Writing Center tutors, spend some time performing office duties (i.e., entering/verifying paperwork) in the main area of the Center, to better observe these tutors.
  57. Completing S.I. and Math/Writing/Subject Area Observation forms. Every S.I. session, without exception, needs to be observed for a minimum of 5 minutes. NOTE the new fall 2017 requirement that all office staff must complete a minimum of one observation per week, unless informed otherwise in writing by the director of Campus Tutorial Services.
  58. Checking S.I. sessions to confirm the sign-in sheet has been distributed.
  59. Engaging in peer tutor training/creating “How-To” handouts.
  60. Emailing tutors/office staff/director about observations.
  61. Checking that technology is working.
  62. Moving SI sessions to different locations based on attendance
  63. Keeping the volume down if a tutor/client/patron is becoming a distraction.
  64. Other duties as necessary or required by the director of Campus Tutorial Services, the graduate assistant, or the office manager.
  65. Note that there must be tangible evidence of these activities completed and attached to your timesheet for review by the director of Campus Tutorial Services (for example, the Observation sheets, printouts of e-mails sent or handouts created, etc.) OR a detailed accounting of these activities on your shift log; it is not enough to merely write “helped tutor” on your timesheet.
  66. Closing Procedures: Make sure all patrons/tutors/clients have exited the Center (i.e., all three floors). Be sure everything is shut down at night before leaving, including PCs. Be sure all interior doors are closed and all doors are locked. Be sure the safe and all cabinets are locked. Be sure keys are returned to the proper locations. Finally, make sure all exterior doors are properly locked.
  67. You stay productive during Dead Times, when all other duties are completed.
  68. If you feel like there is nothing to do, first ask your office coworkers; there is usually something to do. Then ask either the graduate assistant and/or the office manager.
  69. During these Dead Times, in order to be paid, you must engage in acceptable, job-related activities.
  70. Note that there must be tangible evidence of these activities attached to your Dead Time Sheet (for example, printouts of e-mails sent, written summaries of concepts learned, handouts you created, etc.); it is not enough to merely write “Dead Time” on your timesheet.
  71. Note that it is not the responsibility of the director of Campus Tutorial Services to find work for you to do during Dead Time. However, when possible, the director should be notified of and approve new/non-traditional Dead Time activity requests beforehand; this is best done through email.
  72. You submit an accurate shift log at the end of each shift
  73. For the entire duration of your shift, you are required to indicate what you were working on. This allows for proper documentation of productivity during each shift, in line with what is required of tutors.
  74. Note that for all sessions you directly enter for a tutor(s) into the Tutorlog, you must record those session numbers on your shift log. For sessions that you verified, you do not need to record the session numbers, but you still need to note on your log that you were verifying paperwork.
  75. You fully participate in and complete by the given deadline all “training” as designated and assigned by the director of Campus Tutorial Services.
  76. In order to maintain quality control, ongoing job training is essential. Failure to do so may result in suspension or termination of position.

Engaging in activities other than those designated in the job description may result in a forfeit of pay for said shift and possible job termination, at the discretion of the director of the Tutorial Center. Examples of inappropriate, non-job-related behavior include:

  • working on personal homework
  • leisure reading
  • socializing with friends either in person or electronically (i.e., cell phones, email, texting, Facebook)
  • SPECIAL NOTE--while I don’t have issue with you quickly checking/responding to a text or taking a quick call, I will terminate you if I get complaints from clients, the tutors or your fellow office workers
  • surfing the web at non-work-related sites
  • listening to music
  • sleeping, or
  • playing games on a cell phone
  • IF I CATCH YOU DOING THIS, I WILL FIRE YOU ON THE SPOT. If clients, tutors, or your fellow office workers complain to me of this, your position will be terminated.

All documentation (electronic paper copy) must be properly completed and filed at the end of each shift. Failure to do so may result in a forfeit of pay for said shift, at the discretion of the director of the Tutorial Center.

EMPLOYEE CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT

As an employee of Campus Tutorial Services, you may have access to confidential information such as grades, student records, test results, student progress in class, and similar data. You may receive verbal or written communication from the director of Campus Tutorial Services, an instructor, or other students concerning course grades which should be kept confidential. Understand that employment with Campus Tutorial Services means you must responsibly preserve the confidentiality of this privileged information and that failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in the termination of employment.

NEW TIMESHEET REQUIREMENT

All timesheets, both paper (in office) and electronic (in My UW-System), will be processed daily. It is your responsibility to make sure both are updated and accurate for the day’s work. Failure to have your timesheets updated daily before the closing of the office could result in all work for the day being classified as volunteer (i.e., without pay) and possible termination of employment.

CANCELLATION OR TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT:

The following are reasons why a student employment position may be terminated, as outlined on pages 10-11 of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Student Employment Handbook:

  • The job ends, either permanently or due to the end of the school year or summer session.
  • There is no longer the budget to support the position.
  • The student employee is no longer enrolled at the university.
  • Unsatisfactory performance. The following are examples of unsatisfactory performance and do not constitute a full list of behavior that may result in termination:
  • Falsifying time records.
  • Stealing resources.
  • Poor work performance.
  • Consistently not following directions.
  • Insubordination.
  • Working at home without supervisor approval.
  • No call, no show.
  • Working while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.
  • Any other misconduct deemed inappropriate by the supervisor.

Please note that UW-Whitewater is an at-will employer and at any time the student employee may be terminated. Unless the behavior is so egregious that immediate termination is the result, termination for unsatisfactory performance should not come as a surprise to the student. Supervisors should have a conversation with student employee making clear the behavioral expectations, thereby giving the student employee the opportunity to improve his/her performance in the role. The decision of the supervisor is final, there is no appeal process for the student employee who is terminated.