Student Work Office

Student Supervisor Handbook: Student Work Policies 

Wages and Hours

Beginning July 1, 2023, the Oregon minimum wage rate will be indexed to inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a figure published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. By April 30th of each year, the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries will calculate an adjustment of the standard minimum wage rate in Oregon. Any wage increase will be rounded to the nearest five cents and take effect July 1st.

The standard Reed student wage rate will increase from $14.75 per hour to $15.45 per hour, effective July 1, 2023. If you have student work positions currently paying less than $15.45 per hour, you do not need to take any action. Our fine colleagues in the college Payroll Office will adjust student wage rates to be compliant. For positions which pay an increment above the standard Reed student wage and for which that increment is to be maintained, supervisors or approvers should manually adjust the pay rate in HireEm after July 8, 2023.

The Student Work Office supports comparable pay rates for student workers in similar positions throughout the college. This practice ensures equitable pay for students from department to department. The recommended wage for entry-level student work positions is the standard Reed student wage of $15.45 per hour, effective July 1, 2023. An incremental increase for positions requiring more knowledge, experience, or skills is encouraged at $0.25 increments, not exceeding $1 over the standard Reed student wage without prior consultation with the Student Work Office. Please reach out for guidance on pay increases or comparable positions.

Hourly pay

Student workers must be paid an hourly wage with rare exceptions. To seek approval to pay a student worker via a stipend, contact studentwork@reed.edu. Hourly student workers must be paid for all hours of work that they complete regardless of when the work occurs, including outside of typical scheduled hours. Students may not receive payment for hours not worked, with the exception of rest and meal breaks and Oregon Paid Sick Leave (see below).

Maximum hours 

When classes are in session and during reading and finals weeks, student workers at Reed may work up to 20 hours/week in all on-campus positions combined. During school breaks (Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer breaks), student workers at Reed may work up to 40 hours/week in all on-campus positions combined.

Overtime

Reed College has a policy of “no overtime” for student employees. Students may work up to 40 hours per week during school breaks. Students must not exceed 40 hours of work during the standard work week (Sunday through Saturday). Any overages will be noted in payroll, and the student and supervisors will be advised to remedy the situation in the future. 

Holidays/time off

Student workers are not eligible for holiday pay, pay for administrative leave days, or pay for inclement weather days that they do not work. Student workers should not be scheduled to work on Federal Holidays, unless it is considered an emergency and prior arrangements have been made.

Rest and Meal Breaks

Per Oregon State law, student workers must receive meal and rest breaks, as outlined below. Student workers cannot legally waive their rights to rest or meal breaks. Supervisors must ensure that these breaks are being taken by student workers. 

Student workers must receive a 30 minute unpaid meal break during any shift that lasts 6 hours or longer. If the work period is at least six hours but less than seven hours, the meal period is to be taken after the second hour worked and prior to the commencement of the fifth hour worked.  If the work period is more than seven hours, the meal period is to be taken after the third hour worked and prior to the commencement sixth hour worked. 

Student workers must receive one paid rest period, not shorter than 10 minutes, for any shift longer than 2 hours, at a rate of one rest break for every 4 hours worked. Rest breaks and meal breaks are not the same, and both must be given separately. 

Required Meal and Rest Breaks:

Oregon Paid Sick Leave

Students working in hourly on-campus positions (and SEEDS Off-Campus Federal Work Study Positions) earn Oregon Paid Sick Leave. Student workers earn 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. To use paid sick leave, student workers enter sick leave on their timesheet instead of regular work hours for any scheduled hours that they missed due to the reasons below. Supervisors can check a student’s leave balance by selecting “Leave Balances” while viewing the student’s timesheet in Employee Self-Service.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify their supervisor before their shift begins if they will be taking sick time for one of the reasons below. 

Sick leave may be used:

• Due to experiencing physical or mental illness
• To seek medical care for physical or mental health
• To attend the funeral of or grieve the death of a family member*
• To care for a sick family member* or seek medical care for a family member*
• To seek resources related to domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault, or stalking
• If you cannot work because you test positive for COVID-19 or are instructed to quarantine due to possible exposure to or symptoms of COVID-19
• If your workplace closes and your hours are cancelled due to a public health emergency

See more information about Oregon Paid Sick Leave, including definition of a family member.

Students calling out sick

If the reason for using sick time is foreseeable (for example, a doctor’s appointment), students should notify their supervisor as far in advance as possible of their absence. If the reason for using sick time is unforeseeable (for example, they wake up sick the day of their shift), it is the student's responsibility to notify their supervisor that they are sick and will not be attending work before their shift begins.

Important notes for supervisors:

• If a student calls in sick, you may not require the student to find coverage for their shift. 
• When onboarding a new student worker, make sure to clarify how you would like them to notify you if they are sick. 
• Students accrue sick time for all  hourly on-campus positions in one “pool” that may be used in any hourly on-campus position. 
• Supervisors can check a student’s leave balance by selecting “Leave Balances” while viewing the student’s timesheet in Employee Self-Service.

Questions about sick time? Contact the Student Work Coordinator at studentwork@reed.edu

Students calling out for academic reasons

Due to the varying nature of student positions, policies regarding missing work for academic reasons vary by student position. Supervisors should set clear expectations for missing work for academic reasons. Students are responsible for communicating their absence, per supervisor instructions, before their scheduled shift begins.

Safety

Environmental Health and Safety provides the Reed community with the information and training necessary to handle the various hazards that can be found in the classroom, the labs, or on campus in general. Supervisors and student workers are required to follow EHS policies and procedures, including:

Emergency Procedures
Heat Illness Prevention & Response
Protection from Wildfire Smoke

All Environmental Health and Safety instructions and guidance.

Workers Compensation

Student workers injured on the job should report injuries to their supervisor and to Human Resources (hr@reed.edu) immediately, and in all cases, no later than 24 hours after the injury occurs. Further instructions for reporting on the job injuries can be found on the HR website.

Remote Work 

Student work at Reed is intended to be performed and supervised on campus. Therefore, student workers are generally not permitted to perform work remotely. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reed permitted supervisors to allow student work to be performed off-site to reduce density in spaces on campus. Beginning fall 2021, student work should be primarily conducted in-person. While student work may include some tasks being completed off-site, student work roles should not be fully remote. 

Work for the college must be performed within the state of Oregon. Students who are living out of state are not eligible for student work.

Confidentiality of Student Work Records

Student’s educational records are protected under FERPA. This also applies to all information pertaining to a student’s on-campus employment. This means that student workers’ on-campus employment information should not be shared outside of Reed without the student’s permission. This includes providing an employment reference for a student. If you are contacted to provide a reference for a student worker by someone outside of the college, ask the student to put in writing via email that you have permission to disclose their employment information to the outside party.

If as a supervisor you are aware of a student’s work-study status, this should not be shared with anyone within the college unless there is an educational need to know this information. 

Student access to confidential information 

Students working in certain on-campus positions may have access to information which is covered under FERPA or otherwise confidential. Supervisors are responsible for educating student workers about FERPA and the specific confidentiality requirements of the information that they have access to on the job. 

Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse

All employees of institutions of higher education in Oregon, including student workers, are mandatory reporters of child abuse. Please see Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse for more information. 

COVID-19 and Student Work 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, student work at Reed will follow public health guidance as outlined for the campus and for staff and faculty.