Residential Dining

Full-time managers have the right to change these policies at their discretion

Pay Level Information

New Pay Information For Spring 2023 (effective January 15th)

Level 1 $11.00 per hour

Cafes/Markets/West 82

Level 2 $12.00 per hour

The District/Nelson Dining Court/Central Food Facility

Level 3 $13.25 per hour

Dishroom/Pots and Pans/Catering/Latitude 39 Servers & Bartenders

Level 4 $14.00 per hour

Student Leaders/Office Assistants/Hiring Managers/FoodPro Assistants*

Level 5 $14.75 per hour

Student leaders/Office Assistants/Hiring Managers/FoodPro Assistants**

Level 6 $15.00 per hour

Student Coordinators/Latitude 39 Cooks

Level 7 $16.50 per hour

Interns

*In-training

**Who have completed/passed the Student Leader class

Please note: Future updates to State and/or Federal law may necessitate pay changes at any time. Also, Ohio University may institute a pay freeze due to state budget conditions.

All student employees are strongly encouraged to sign up for direct deposit. Please note that depending on the date you start your job, you may not receive your first paycheck for four weeks. After the first paycheck has been received, you will receive your pay every other week. Please refer to the Payroll Calendar, which you may access above.

In addition to the above opportunities, employees will be eligible for a $0.20/hr. pay increase at the end of each semester, given that they have zero no-call, no-shows, no more than one strike, have worked at least 10 weeks that semester and have worked at least two shift during finals week.

Call Off Policy & Sub Board

Students who need to call off their shift due to illness or other reasons must call their venue AT LEAST one hour before the start of their scheduled shift. Call offs via email will not be accepted. Contact information for all residential venues can be found at the bottom of this page. Failure to call off an hour before the start of your shift will result in a strike.

All employees will be allowed one personal day per semester, which allows for one excused call off that does not require a doctor's note or other documentation. In order to use the personal day, employees must follow the proper call off procedure, and must state their intent to use the personal day at the time of their call off. Personal days cannot be used on double strike days, commencement, homecoming, or during finals week.

For planned absences, employees should speak with an office assistant to have their shift placed on the sub board. Academic and university events can be excused with proper documentation. If you place a shift on the sub board that is not excused and another employee does not pick it up, you are responsible for either working that shift or calling off for the shift. Failure to call off for an unexcused shift that was placed on the sub board will be considered a no call/no show.

Once you have been hired, you will receive access to that venue's sub board. Employees may pick up shifts from the sub board without consulting an office assistant. If you sign up for a shift on the sub board, you become responsible for that shift. If you are no longer able to work a shift you picked up from the sub board, you must either call off or speak with an office assistant to put it back on the sub board. You may not delete your name from a sub board shift.

Please see the main handbook page for more information related to absence due to illness and COVID-19.

Double Strike Weekends/Days

Double strike weekends and days are special days throughout the year when the dining courts are expected to be particularly busy and/or employees are more likely to call off due to special events. Consequently, unexcused call offs or no call/no shows on these days will result in double the usual amount of strikes. We encourage employees to utilize the sub board and/or find other employees to cover shifts if they are unable to work on a double strike day.

Your venue will confirm the specific dates of double strike days.

Double strike days include:

Opening weekend
Parent's weekend
Homecoming
Finals week/Commencement
Halloween (block party weekend)
Dad's weekend
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Sib's weekend
All fest weekends
Reopening days following Thanksgiving, winter, and spring break
Mom's weekend
Easter weekend

Finals Week

Each employee is expected to work their regular schedule during finals week. All employees are required to work at least two shift during finals week to be eligible for a semester raise. Exams scheduled during an employee's shift(s) must be communicated at least one week prior to their exam/shift. Any strikes given during finals week will rollover to the following semester.

Shift-for-Shift Policy

In order to accommodate changing schedules and needs, students will have the opportunity throughout the semester to have shifts excused by picking up a different shift to replace it.

Students are limited to 3 shift-for-shifts per semester.
- If a student has frequent events that directly conflict with their current schedule, such as ROTC training or organization functions, they may speak to a Hiring Team member to change their schedule.
The student must have their shift placed on the sub board no later than 3 days before the start of that shift. They are to sign up for their replacement shift at the same time.
- If a student needs to utilize a shift-for-shift within less than 3 days, they may speak to a full-time manager, who will determine if a shift-for-shift can be done on a case-by-case basis.
- Shift-for-shift may not be used to remove any strikes.
There are two separate categories of shifts that a student may pick up--Category 1 and Category 2. Students must pick up a shift that is in the same category as the one they need excused. If there are no shifts available within the same category, then the student may pick up a shift from the other category. Please refer to your venue's specific policy regarding Category 1 and Category 2 shifts.

Check-in Policy

Prior to reporting to work, all employees are to preform a personal health assessment and check their temperature. It is essential that all employees check in with an OA immediately upon arriving for their shifts to ensure that all employees are reporting to work healthy and with proper PPE.

Student Employee Incentives

Positive Points

Positive points earned for going above and beyond while at work can be redeemed for the following rewards:

Students:

10 points- free meal ticket
15 points- free employee hat
20 points- free employee t-shirt
30 points- one strike removal
35 points- Culinary Services hoodie

Meal Policy

One of the benefits of working with Culinary Services is the opportunity to enjoy a free meal before or after your shift. You must work a minimum of 4 hours a day in order to receive a free meal.

Personal Days

All employees will receive one personal day per semester, which will allow them to call off without a doctor's note or other documentation.

The following restrictions apply to using your personal day:

Cannot be applied to late call offs
The intent to use the personal day must be stated at the time of the call; a personal day cannot be applied after the fact
Personal days cannot be used on double strike days

Dress Code

As representatives of Ohio University, student employees should strive to carry themselves in a professional manner. This means acting maturely and respectfully at all times and following all policies, including dress code. Proper dress code also ensures a clean, sanitary work environment that is in compliance with all food codes and safety policies.

Proper uniform consists of the following:

A clean Nelson or District t-shirt or Culinary Services sweatshirt
Clean pants (jeans, khakis, slacks, joggers) that cover the ankle and are free of damage (no holes, no leggings or sweatpants)
Socks that cover the ankle
A clean, black OHIO hat (may not be colored in or drawn upon)
If hair falls below shoulder length it must be pulled into a secure bun. If unable to be in a bun, a hair restraint must always be worn.
Closed-toed shoes that also cover the heel
Slip resistant shoes are highly encouraged
Name tags, employees will be provided with their first name tag free of charge. When filling out the name tag, it should have your first name and if you choose to add your pronoun. Each replacement name tag will be $1.50.

Employees are not permitted to wear the following:

NO Sperry's, Tom's, boat shoes, etc.
NO leggings or sweatpants
NO necklaces (medical necklaces and military dog tags are allowed), bracelets (medical bracelets are permitted), rings (wedding bands are permitted), or dangling earrings. All earrings must be smaller than a dime.

Beard Policy

Facial hair is permitted, but beards and goatees must be covered with a beard net at all times. Beards must be kept neat and no longer than 1". Mustaches are permitted without a beard net as long as they are nearly trimmed.

Personal Hygiene

When working with or around food, sanitation and personal hygiene play a crucial role in ensuring food safety and quality. This means coming to work clean and regularly bathed or showered.

Checker Dress Code

Our checkers are the first employees that customers see when they enter the dining courts, and we want their first impression to be that of professionalism. In addition to the previous dress code guidelines, checkers are permitted to wear the following:

Dress shirts, sweaters, or OU polos
Business casual attire
Hair is not required to be secured back, but it must be clean.
Outerwear that either shows the employee's uniform or is Ohio University affiliated

Scheduling

At the end of each semester, employees will be contacted by their venue with when they will be able to reschedule for the next semester. Please follow the venue instructions regarding rescheduling.

Summer Scheduling

Opportunities for summer work are limited and scheduled on a first come, first serve basis. Scheduling at a summer location is conducted in the following order:

Polo team members from the location that will remain open
Polo team members from other venues
Student employees from the location that will remain open
Student employees from other venues

Professional Development and Promotional Opportunities

Interested in Joining Our Polo Team?

Students interested in taking on a bigger leadership role in their venue should speak to a Student Coordinator or manager for more information
Student Leaders, Office Assistants, FoodPro Assistants & Hiring Managers are all eligible to receive a free meal when working (see meal policy for details) & higher rates of pay
Student Leader Program