Learning Commons Manual & Resources

The dress code is business casual. If job duties involve handling books, closed-toe shoes must be worn. Because the positions involve active walking and standing for long periods, employees should wear clothing/footwear that will allow them to work effectively. Jeans and the black Instructional Support t-shirt are permitted. Please be in the dress code unless leadership gives an exception. Business casual is a balance between formal and less-formal clothing. It never equates to sloppiness and is still appropriate for a professional environment; i.e. a buttoned-down, collared shirt and jeans. Some clothing items tip the scales too far and are prohibited. Some examples of prohibited attire include:

• Items containing obscene, profane, discriminatory, or inflammatory words/ pictures
• Items advertising alcoholic beverages, drugs, drug paraphernalia or tobacco products
• Tattoos exhibiting any of the above characteristics must be covered
• Items that are worn, ripped, frayed, torn or unkempt
• Sweatshirts, sweatpants, and other loungewear
• See-through garments, halter tops, bare midriff/back tops, tank tops/muscle shirts, low-cut blouses or pants, tops with bare shoulders
• Pool/beach attire including beach sandals/flip-flops and thongs
• Shorts, spandex or other form-fitting pants (unless the top covers below the buttocks)
• Shirts/tops consisting of t-shirts (other than LSC)

This list is not intended to be all-inclusive, it should help to set general parameters for proper attire and assist in making intelligent judgments about items that are not specifically addressed.

LSC employees must maintain and practice good hygiene. Offensive odors (body, animal, cigarette smoke, breath, excessive perfumes/colognes) are not professionally acceptable. Employees are expected to:

• Maintain oral hygiene (brushing of teeth)
• Clean and trim fingernails
• Use deodorant/antiperspirant to minimize body odors
• Maintain neat, clean, well-groomed hair (sideburns, mustaches, and beards when applicable)
• Wash hands after eating or using the restrooms.

Employees may be subject to leave without pay for the purpose of obtaining appropriate apparel or tending to personal hygiene. If this should occur, it will result in disciplinary action. An exception to this policy may be made on a case-by-case basis for employees under the Americans with Disabilities Act or those with a medical condition or religious responsibilities that impact the above policies. To receive an exception, employees must provide HR with a request for accommodation.

Due to a change in TRS and LSC policies, time clock in and out needs to be managed with the utmost care. Time management will be managed by supervisors. It is a priority to clock in once ready to work at the assigned station using a computer that is already logged in, in the room. At the end of the shift, you must clock out! There should be multiple computers logged in at any given time at the service desk.

 

Clocking in and out is your responsibility. With such a tight budget, there is no wiggle room for early or late punches. This means clocking in and out at the assigned shift time. If an extraordinary circumstance occurs, you can contact your approver regarding the situation ASAP. Repeated missed/late/overly early punches will result in a disciplinary write-up. This is a system-wide policy and it is VERY important.

For the wellness of our employees and the quality of our services, employees scheduled for shifts longer than five hours will have a thirty-minute unpaid break automatically included in their schedules. Employees must meal out for that break time.

For shifts shorter than five hours, employees are entitled to take a fifteen-minute break.

Exceptions (to include or exclude breaks) must be discussed with the employee's supervisor.

Students

Yes, we allow food and drinks as long as things are kept tidy.

We want to ensure that the Learning Commons is a welcoming and inclusive space. Students eat and drink* while they study. Let them! We want this to be THE PLACE on campus for students. If there is a five-course feast or a live cooking demo, please inform a full-time staff member, otherwise, smile and enjoy that they choose to hang out in the Learning Commons. That's a win!

*Covered drinks encouraged.

Exception: The computer labs are the only place in the Learning Commons that are food and drink-free zones. For more information about this space's policy visit the Classrooms/Computer Labs page.

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Staff

Employees are welcome to have a drink at the service desk with them. It is encouraged that one's beverage be in an enclosed container to prevent accidents at the service desk.
Our break room (LIB 118) is a fantastic, welcoming space with a refrigerator, microwave, Keurig, and a sink. For optimal customer service, please enjoy your food in the break room or your space of choice elsewhere on campus, not at the service desk.
There are two cabinets under the microwaves that may be used to house food. All food must be stored in sealed containers (plastic, metal, or glass) to discourage pest visits. Any food left unsealed will be tossed immediately and without warning. Please label all your food left in the space (in the fridge and cabinets). There are two drawers under the Keurig that has an assortment of hot beverages and tools for all to enjoy. At the end of the semester, supervisors will toss all remaining items that are not taken home.

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Keep the Learning Commons Clean

We would like the Learning Commons to remain a beautiful and enjoyable space for all working here. Please clean up the spaces after your snack or meal. Put away cleaned cutlery and dishes used in the process of making or consuming your food. There are paper towels and wipes next to the sink in the Break Room and on the shelves in the Workroom.
If you see a mess in the public space, clean up what you can. If it is beyond our resources, email Jennifer with the location and details about the mess. She will submit a ticket to facilities services.

Refrain from logging into social media, and personal emails, and conducting personal business while on duty. Computer games and entertainment sites are also discouraged. It looks bad if anyone, including our administration, saw an employee “playing.” It makes it harder for us to justify getting sufficient funds for staffing needs. We have some wonderful resources that you can explore and we have a tab of ideas for self-paced professional development.
We are delighted to see the team getting along and enjoying each other's company. Please be mindful that students come to the learning commons and our voices travel very easily in the open space. Make sure that you are monitoring the full area to avoid leaving a patron waiting for extended times while the team grouped together chatting. That does not look good on us and it upsets the patron being ignored.

Cell phones cannot be visible at the service desk. Phones can be with you in a pocket, purse, or drawer for EMERGENCY purposes. Set the ringer to vibrate. Emergencies are defined as medical for self or family member, damage/repair of auto or house, etc. Excuse yourself and answer the phone after you have stepped away from the desk to avoid appearing rude to the customers at the counter. What is not acceptable is social media activity, texting with friends, etc.

• Date when the item was found.

Item	Hold Duration
Valuable items: jewelry, phones, keys	Immediately give to the Welcome Center (the SCC reception counter).
Umbrellas	Place in breakroom umbrella basket
Glasses and clothing	2 weeks donate
Technology accessories: wires, chargers, flash drives	2 weeks keep
Listening devices: earbuds, headphones	2 weeks toss
Beverage containers: travel mugs, water bottles	24 hours dump contents
Textbooks	2 weeks rental =goes to a bookstore
Notebooks	2 weeks dispose as you see fit

In order to minimize disruptions to services, employees are asked to please follow these steps any time they will not be present for all or part of their scheduled hours. Failure to consistently follow appropriate processes or excessive uncovered absence events (tardiness, leaving early, planned and emergent absences, etc.) may be grounds for disciplinary action and possible dismissal. Excessive absence requests that impact services, regardless of how early they are requested, may be denied.

Being on Time

Employees are expected to:

• Save the service desk and supervisor’s phone numbers to their cell phone
  • Tutoring Check-In Station – 281.312.1439
  • Circulation & IDs Station– 281.312.1691
  • Tech & Research and Citation Help Stations: 281.312.1693
• Drop off personal effects (purse, backpack, lunch, etc.) prior to clocking in for the shift.
• Be at their assigned station and ready to work at the beginning of their shift.
• Clock-in at their station at the start of their shifts.

Any deviation to the above will be considered late.

Running Late/Leaving Early

If You’re Running Late for Your Shift:

• If you’ll be late for your shift, please call your service point to notify us and give your ETA.
  • Tutoring Check-In Station – 281.312.1439
  • Circulation & IDs Station– 281.312.1691
  • Tech & Research and Citation Help Stations: 281.312.1693
• If no one answers:
  • Contact your supervisor and the supervisor of the assigned service if different. Include scheduled start time, estimated arrival time, and a callback number in case we have follow-up questions.
• If your arrival is delayed further after calling us, please call back and update us so we can update any waiting students!

If You Need to Leave Early from Your Shift:

• Employees are expected to be present for their entire shift, regardless of how busy or slow the Learning Commons is, unless prior arrangements have been made.
• If a personal emergency or illness requires employees to leave before their scheduled shift is over, they are expected to:
  • Communicate with their supervisor with the nature of the event (ex: illness, personal emergency, etc.) and their estimated departure time. Do this before leaving the Learning Commons, please.
  • Notify their coworkers/service desk team on duty – don’t interrupt; they can tell one and ask him/her to pass it on.
• Taking “lunch” at the beginning or end of your shift is not permitted without prior approval. Shortening an employee’s shift to start late or leave early can cause operational/coverage issues for the Learning Commons.

Absences

Emergent (Short Notice) Absences

• When an employee must miss a shift on short notice due to illness or emergency, contact the service desk and supervisor as soon as possible.
  • Text, call, or email the supervisor with the information about the absence (including scheduled shift info).

Planned Absences

• For service consistency, employees are expected to keep planned absences to a minimum. While we understand that occasional absences are unavoidable, we expect employees to plan personal activities (travel, personal business, academic pursuits, non-emergency appointments etc.) to occur outside of their scheduled work hours.
• We endeavor to maintain a student-focused environment while also providing flexibility to employees. To help us maintain this flexibility while providing full service to our community, employees are expected to:
  • Consult with their supervisor prior to making plans for an extended (more than 2 consecutive shifts) absence.
  • Give as much notice as possible for planned absences so there is sufficient time to find a sub and to troubleshoot any challenges an absence will cause.
  • Find their own sub for the shift. – It is the employee’s job to make sure the Learning Commons’ services to students are not interrupted by their absence. If an employee has difficulty locating a sub, contact their supervisor.
• Sub Process:
  • Employees are expected to email all colleagues in their service area (circ contact circ; tutors contact subject-area tutors; librarians contact librarians, etc) and copy supervisor. Provide information about the shifts that need to be covered.
  • All recipients must respond to this email (reply all) promptly with a yea/nay so there is a definitive response that everyone’s seen.
  • The requesting employee will send a “confirmation” email with the details of the sub coverage and any uncovered shifts to all service area employees and the supervisor once sub arrangements are made.
  • Once an employee agrees to cover a shift, that shift becomes theirs, and the same expectations apply as normally do. Tardiness, leaving early, or absence without notice will not be excused just because it’s a sub shift – “I forgot” and “I had the information wrong” are no more valid as excuses than they are normally.