3 Ways to Offer Your Student Workers Flexibility

By Danielle Wirsansky on September 6, 2017

While college students often make great employees, there is no denying the fact that they can often be stressed out. We all know that college can be hectic and tough, and often the best and most high achieving employees have the most on their plate between work and school. The turnover rate of student workers can be high, often because the workplace does not offer them enough flexibility with their school schedule which has to come first.

Often, if you force a student to choose between work and school, they will choose school. A great way to try and lower that turnover rate and retain not only your everyday workers but your best workers is to offer them flexibility. This flexibility can come in many forms, but will always add value to your business in regards to your student workers.

Read on to learn the different ways that you can offer your student workers more flexibility!

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Flexibility on location

A really great way to allow your student workers more flexibility is to allow them flexibility on the location from which they can do your work. This does not mean that you need to open many offices, branches, or locations in order to accommodate your workers. That would be an inefficient plan, as you well know.

But you can consider if every assignment must be done in or at your office. Is there any work that can be done at home or remotely? Allowing your student workers to work from home can make their job and their ability to work for you even easier. This can help students keep their jobs when they live on campus and do not have easy transportation access.

Offering remote work positions has been on the rise and many college students flock to it. The convenience of being able to work from home without losing time on traveling to and from a work location makes it very appealing for student workers. Of course, you need to be able to monitor that they are accomplishing the work necessary and are not taking advantage of your kindness in allowing them to work from home. You cannot let the student workers abuse the privilege of working from home.

But if you trust your student workers and have ways to monitor and be sure that they are accomplishing the tasks you have set for them, then offering them remote positions (even if it is only a few days a week) can really draw them in. This kind of flexibility goes a long way in showing that your student workers are important to you.

Flexibility on weekly scheduling

Another way to offer flexibility to your student workers is to be flexible when scheduling them. Some students need a set schedule that never changes from week to week. That way they have the certainty of what their schedule is supposed to be and then can work around those parameters. By understanding this limitation and being flexible by not changing around their weekly schedule, a student worker will be very appreciative.

On the other hand, some student workers really need that flexibility and the option to adapt their schedule on a month to month, or even week to week, basis. By understanding that the school schedule of a student worker has its ups and downs, from exams to big projects, and allowing them to schedule their work days around those important events, student workers will be very thankful.

Employers that offer the ability to still work while in school are in high demand for student workers. By offering your student workers this flexibility, you will not only help to retain your best employees but help to attract more of the same.

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Flexibility on scheduling between semesters

Finally, a great way to continue showing your flexibility to student workers is to allow them the ability to completely change their work schedule when a new semester starts. Sometimes employers forget that the school schedule of a student changes from semester to semester instead of year to year.

Perhaps the schedule you set with your student worker in the fall is great but no longer works for them in the spring. Perhaps your student employee has a required class that they must take to graduate — and it is only offered once, at a very specific time and day. By allowing the student workers to redo their schedule as each semester rolls around will help them to keep their jobs.

Without the option to change their schedule from semester to semester, student workers are often forced to quit a job they already had and find a new one that better fits their new semester schedule. By being flexible, your student workers are a lot more likely to stick around.

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