Workplace Philosophy

What is the Memorial Union’s Employment Philosophy?

Our hope is, that as a student employee, you will…

• Care about the work we do and who we do it for (those we serve),
• Care about and respect one another,
• Learn something that you feel you can use to enhance your personal and future professional life.
• Have fun and develop close relationships with staff and fellow student co-workers.

What will I learn?

We would like the Memorial Union to be more than just a great place to work, we want it to be a place where learning takes place.

For this reason, we have established learning goals, which we refer to as “learning outcomes.” Learning outcomes are behaviors that student employees will learn when a job is done correctly; it’s about what you will learn (take away) from your work experience

As a result, we focus on both job tasks and learning outcomes.

What are the learning outcomes established for the Memorial Union?

It’s hard to list all the learning possibilities at the Memorial Union; each one of us will learn differently, based on the job we have. However, regardless of where you work, employment at the Memorial Union should help you become better prepared to:

• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Develop a strong work ethic
• Use teamwork skills (work well with others)
• Show initiative
• Develop analytical skills
• Use technology (computer skills)
• Show flexibility/adaptability
• Polish your interpersonal skills (relates well to others)
• Use problem-solving skills
• Learn technical skills

Demonstrate understanding of social-cultural diversity and use that understanding to address issues, solve problems, and shape civic, personal, and professional behavior.

Use ethics and values in decision-making.

Use time management skills to manage your schedule, prioritize work tasks and meet deadlines..

Enhance your customer service skills through your service to others.

Demonstrate your understanding of standards and expectations, and use them to manage an efficient and professional work environment.

Learning Outcome Statements

Where do these learning outcomes come from?

Some of these are UND’s Essential Studies requirements. By using Essential Studies outcomes as learning goals, the Memorial Union is able to connect what you are learning on the job directly to academic outcomes and your academic success. It also helps us integrate the work experience with the education and preparation of the whole student, as it relates to your total collegiate experience.

In addition, many are also a result of what employers are looking for in college graduates, as reported in the annual Job Outlook Survey compiled by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

We review these lists each year to make sure that what you are learning at the Memorial Union closely matches what will be expected of you after graduation.

How will we know if learning is taking place?

At the end of the spring semester, we send out a Student Employee Workplace Survey to all our student employees. Your response provides a wealth of information on job satisfaction, workplace communications, student/staff relations, likes/dislikes, training, etc. The survey also gives you a chance to tell us what you feel you are learning. As a result, this survey is one way we assess how well learning is taking place throughout the Union.

In addition, supervisors will also conduct performance evaluations. This is more of an individual assessment of how well you are doing with your job tasks. This time also allows you and your supervisor to reflect on your learning experience.

But don’t wait for these times to let us know what’s on your mind. Your comments are welcome anytime, so please let the staff know anytime you have ideas or comments to share about your work experience.

This is Our Vision for your Workplace

As you can see, our vision is to create an environment that helps student employees benefit from their work experience, in terms of both what they are doing (tasks) and what they are learning.

So if you ask any of our student employees “What’s it like working at the Memorial Union?” we hope they say:

• It’s fun
• People care about me
• It fits my schedule
• I make a lot of friends
• I learned something