Student Employment FAQ's

*Note: The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) is a challenging, complex, and rapidly evolving situation. Information guidance and recommendations on these pages are subject to change as deemed necessary based on consultation with university leadership, Student Health, CIPG, university stakeholders, and in accordance with recommendations issued by federal, state, and local public health and government officials.

Should I continue to report to work at my usual work location?

No. There is a significantly reduced on-campus presence.

Since the University transitioned to remote operations will student employees still get paid?

All student employees, faculty and staff will continue to be paid at their regular rate.

Non-exempt (hourly) student employees unable to work, will be paid an average number of hours based on hours previously worked in the position.

For student employees who were scheduled to work the week of March 16, 2020 but were unable to work due to the transition to remote operations, do managers enter time in Workday or leave it as no pay? (revised 04/17/2020)

If a student employee was unable to work the week of March 16, 2020 due to the University transitioning to remote operations, the manager or student employee can key their regularly scheduled hours into Workday for pay. Student employees or their managers should complete their timesheet using the Time worklet in Workday. The goal is to not negatively impact student employees’ pay.

Starting pay period March 22, 2020, student employees unable to work will be paid an average number of hours based on previous work in the position.

Update: This practice of paying students unable to work an average number of hours will stop as of May 16, 2020. If you are a student employee or the manager of a student employee, the average number of hours being paid for this group of student employees will end May 16, 2020. The final paycheck will arrive on May 29, 2020.

I am a student employee. Am I allowed to work during the summer? (new 04/17/2020)

Departments with current active student employees (i.e., those working actual hours either remotely or on campus) who plan to work this summer, should have the work duties reviewed by the manager and seek the appropriate vice president’s approval before assigning summer work schedules. Only mission critical tasks will be approved by the vice president to work this summer.

Will student employee positions continue to be recruited and filled? (new 04/17/2020)

As we look toward the future, the University has slowed down the hiring process through a higher level of review. All recruitment of faculty, staff and student employees must be reviewed by the appropriate vice president who will make a request to ELT. Only critical positions will be approved. Federal Work Study and Graduate Assistant recruitment will continue.

I am a student employee. Am I allowed to work during the remote operations period?

Student employees (if approved by the manager) can work remotely. Contact your manager to discuss working remotely. If the student works, they need to record their hours as regular in Workday. Please contact the FHSU Payroll Office (785) 628-5948 if you have problems completing your time in Workday.

Reminder – if the student employee is working remotely, the manager is expected to have specific job tasks and outcomes arranged. The manager is also expected to have regular communication with the student employee discussing work assignments.

Who determines if I may work remotely?

During the COVID-19 remote operations period, managers have been authorized to make this decision. Factors to consider are the type of job duties and whether they can be performed remotely and/or if the employee is considered at high risk of serious illness if infected with the virus.

How do I report my time? (revised 04/17/2020)

Student employees that are working need to continue to use current Workday procedures.
The FHSU Payroll Office will be entering student employee average hours effective March 22, 2020 for student employees who are unable to work. The student employee nor the manager are required to make any entries in Workday effective March 22, 2020.

The practice of paying students unable to work an average number of hours will stop as of May 16, 2020 . If you are a student employee or the manager of a student employee, the average number of hours being paid for this group of student employees will end May 16, 2020. The final paycheck will arrive on May 29, 2020.

Will the rate of pay for a student employee change if the work they are doing from a remote location is different from the student employee’s on-campus assignment?

The goal is for all regular employees’ pay to be held harmless due to the COVID-19 phase down of operations. We do not anticipate a change in student employee rate of pay as a result of the change from on-campus to remote working, and hours are generally calculated on an average basis.

What cost center will be charged for student employee’s earnings?

The cost center associated with the student employee’s position will be the responsible department paying the employee’s wages.

What about student employees who were planning to work 40 hours next week during spring break?

Starting March 18, 2020, Fort Hays State University transitioned to remote operations with limited on-campus presence of student workers, faculty and staff based on guidance and developments, to promote social distancing and minimize the potential spread of COVID-19.

Starting pay period March 22, 2020, student employees unable to work will be paid an average number of hours based on previous work in the position. Student employees will not be paid extra hours the week of spring break.

Can the Residential Assistants who continue working in the residential halls during the phase down of operations, continue with their current payroll practices?

Yes.

What if the student employee is employed in a unique situation where they are paid a one-time payment based upon delivered work?

The Student employee’s manager should continue to submit the one-time payment requests as they currently do in Workday.

Reminder - Employees must have pre-approval by the manager before working remotely.

Will student employees that worked special events throughout the year be compensated?

No. Student employees will receive pay during phased down operations if the student employee is employed in a regular weekly scheduled position. Student employees that work special events such as: concessions, game day workers, pep band members, etc. will not be paid.

For those student employees who have been approved to work remotely, who will determine whether they are paid for actual hours worked or paid the average hours?

Student employees will not be able to fluctuate between being paid for actual hours worked when approved to work remotely or paid an average number of hours. Managers need to carefully consider work assignments when approving a student employee to work remotely and whether the department will have sufficient work for the employee to complete throughout the duration of the phase down.

Who does a manager or student employee contact if they want to discuss the average number of hours used for a student employee?

Managers or student employees should contact the Human Resource Director at (785) 628-4462.

What if a student employee was transitioning out of a position due to poor performance?

The manager should contact the Human Resource Office or the Student Employment Office for assistance. You will likely need to provide documentation of poor job performance and coaching sessions, and/or confirmation of decision to the Student Employment Office before acting.

My supervisor has asked if my illness is related to COVID-19, do I have to answer that?

Yes, in the case of a potential pandemic situation, you may be asked to disclose whether your absence/illness is related to COVID-19.

If I have recently traveled within the United States to a location that has reported COVID-19 infections, do I need to be cleared by my doctor before returning to work?

The Kansas Department of Health (KDHE) has issued new recommendations for quarantine and isolation of travelers. Please review the latest updates from Kansas Department of Health at the following site: https://www.fhsu.edu/student-health/covid19-resources

What resources are available if I am feeling anxious about COVID-19?

The Kelly Center is available as a resource and can be reached at (785) 628-4401.

How will I know when to return to work?

Fort Hays State University will closely monitor federal and state guidance as the situation continues to evolve, and will provide more information as circumstances change. Please be sure to check your FHSU email regularly for updates.

Where do I find information to assist with my transition to working remotely?

From VPN installation, forwarding office phones, to accessing various applications, etc. What everyone may not know is that most of this information is available on our FHSU website. Please go to this website to find this information: https://www.fhsu.edu/technology/working-remotely

I still have questions about my options, who should I contact?

Please contact the Student Employment Office or the Human Resource Director should you have questions. You can reach the Student Employment Office at (785) 628-5227 or the Human Resource Office at (785) 628-4462. We appreciate your patience, particularly in situations where we may need to do some additional research in order to answer your question or address your concern.

04/17/2020