What kind of management and motivation do students want from supervisors? Utilizing survey answers regarding supervision and motivation of student employees working in circulation departments in public universities in Missouri, the presenter addresses how supervisors can establish better motivational skills and working relations with their student employees.

1. Motivating Student
Employees:
What Circulation Workers
Want From Their Supervisors

2. Would you describe yourself more
accurately as a 'student worker' or
'employee', and why?
Worker
38%
These are the
same to me
38%
Employee
24%

3. Pro-Employee
“I feel like I do quality work for the university, and I
think there is a negative connotation or at least a
belittlement when being called a Student worker”
“Though we are students who work, I feel students
are a very important part of the library staff.”
“because I feel like I am not treated the same way as
the other workers”

4. Pro-Worker
“Because of the limited amount of
hours I work.”
“I am a student first then an
worker/employee.”
“Employees get benefits. I don't.”

5. To what degree of importance do you view your
job in the running of the library?
Minimally Important
Neither
17%
83%
Very Important
0%

6. How Many Direct or Indirect Supervisors
Do You Have?
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1 to 2
3 to 4
Over 4

7. Who motivates you to do your best work in your job?
My co-workers
6%
My supervisor
33%
Myself
61%

8. Where should a supervisor discuss a student
employee’s mistake with them?
At the front desk
In a private office
Indifferent
0%
33%
67%

9. Which of the following descriptions best describes
your current direct supervisor most accurately?
Too Much Supervision
Right amount of supervision
Minimal supervision
Not enough supervision
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16

10. My supervisor is…
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
87
90
30
77
60
45
20
10
0
Easily
approachable
Trusts me
Gives interesting Helps me set
and challenging
goals
jobs
Respects my
work/life
balance

11. Would you like to see a different management
style in your workplace, and if so, why?
Yes
28%
No
72%

12. Of the ones who answered “Yes”…why?
“Have less chains of authority and I would like to only report to
one or two at the most, not five.”
“Instilling a better working ethic in the employees by clearly
defining jobs that are required in this position and better
handling of an issue when an employee is not completing their
work as they agreed to do when they took on this job.”
“Leadership is lacking from the top down.”
“My immediate supervisor is fine but the Director is new and
does not know what she is doing.”
“Because my supervisor has a negative attitude towards
everyone who works in the library and makes the work
environment tense and awkward.”

13. What are professional
characteristics supervisors
should have?

14. What, if anything, would encourage you
to excel at your job?
23%
Merit-based pay
raises
Departmental perks
15%
62%
Supervision
Privileges

15. Conclusions

16. Peter Johnson
johnsonpr@missouri.edu
prj7w2@mail.missouri.edu
@libraryvines
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