Survey Response 6

Ok so I know this is probably going to seem a little strange and kind of out of left field, but I was thinking the other day about how at other places you get promotions after a certain time. Now I'm not saying that I think student workers should be promoted to managerial positions and I know that it's not possible here however, at places like Sonic they have what they call "Shift Leaders." These people aren't managers, but they are there to help their fellow workers with any issues they might be having. I think it would be ideal if we had a few of these, a student who maybe has a little more responsibility and who is maybe expected to learn more. I know it kinda seems redundant, but I feel like this person could also serve as a liason between the students and the supervisors I think it would really improve communication and it might even boost morale. I understand if it's not possible I was just thinking about it and thought I would ask.

At this point, we don’t want students to train other students.  This greatly increases the risk of miscommunication because the student who was trying to help might actually teach the procedure incorrectly.  Having a liaison will only further create a gap between the student workers and supervisors.  We need you to come to us when you have questions so you can get the correct answer directly.  We are your “Shift leaders” and are here to help you.  You already have several supervisors at your disposal for help, so please utilize that.

We are trying very hard to increase communication within Circulation.  We send out emails and blog about issues to help get problems resolved quickly, we correct students when we see someone performing a procedure incorrectly, and we are currently going through refresher training to help bring us all up to speed on policy and procedure.  You mention the liaison idea as a way of “really improving communication” but in what ways does it currently need improving?  We can’t fix problems that we don’t know about.  We want you to each be your own liaison and speak with us directly.