Supervisor Expectations
Supervisors play a vital role in ensuring Rice University's mission, values, and divisional or school goals are achieved by engaging, equipping, and empowering staff members on a daily basis. For staff, the most critical relationship in the workplace is with their supervisor. To ensure our staff is set up for success, expectations for supervisors at Rice include:
- Engaging new employees through effective communication and onboarding;
- Establishing robust and achievable goals and providing consistent, timely feedback and direction;
- Equipping staff through effective job training, professional development, and ongoing opportunities for growth;
- Encouraging, recognizing, and rewarding performance excellence and ultimately retaining world-class staff;
- Determining and communicating matters related to total compensation in alignment with the university's compensation philosophy;
- Modeling ethical and responsible behavior by complying with Rice policies, as well as all employment regulations and laws including but not limited to wage and hour, harassment, and equal employment opportunity;
- Addressing performance issues through coaching and other performance development interventions that support staff in returning to and/or achieving expectations; and
- Consistently holding staff accountable for meeting performance expectations and initiating steps for separation when applicable.t
Supervisor Toolkit - The Employee Lifecycle | Link HERE
- Recruiting and Selecting
- Onboarding New Employees
- Training and Development
- Engagement and Recognition
- Performance Commitment and Accountability
- Succession Planning and Retention
- Separation of Employment
Sign up for the Supervisor ListServ by emailing hrbp@rice.edu
Toolkits by Topic
- Performance Commitment and Accountability
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Selected HR Policies | See the full list of policies at policy.rice.edu
- Policy 401 - Staff Expectations for Working at Rice
- Policy 411 - Performance Commitment and Accountability
- Policy 421 - Probationary Period
- Policy 424 - Separation of Employment
- Policy 433 - Performance Appraisal
Managing performance is one of the most important aspects of a supervisor's role. Rice University expects that all employees will perform their job duties in a responsible and ethical manner, act with integrity and respect others in the workplace. Gallup research shows that employees need four things, at minimum, from their manager:
- Job clarity and priorities
- Ongoing feedback and communication
- Opportunities to learn and grow
- Accountability
Performance Commitment and Accountability outlines Rice's expectation and approach to the full scope of performance management, which is more than the annual appraisal and/or the corrective action aspects of performance. It is a continual, ongoing process between supervisor and employee.
In partnership with a Human Resources Business Partner, supervisors can seek guidance, training, and a full suite of resources to use in their supervisory role. Additionally, there are new and updated policies to support performance accountability.
For resources and tools to support performance, please view the Supervisor Toolkit.
Find Your HRBP or email hrbp@rice.edu
- Workplace Flexibility
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Rice University provides flexible work arrangements for staff and organizational units to create a productive work environment, attract and retain talented employees, and provide increased flexibility in employees’ work lives.
Rice is a community built through in-person interactions and relationships and it is expected that most staff will work on campus. Some functions and organizations may be suitable for alternative work arrangements, and this policy provides for those alternatives, with appropriate approval.
Flexible work arrangements may be appropriate for some employees, jobs, and organizational units but not for others. They are not an entitlement, are established at the university’s discretion, and in no way change the terms and conditions of employment at Rice. All university policies, and appropriate school, division, department, or office work expectations continue to apply, regardless of work arrangement, or whether or not staff are working on campus or remotely. The full policy can be accessed at Policy 440 - Flexible Work Policy for Benefits-Eligible Staff Employees.
Training
Remote and Virtual Teams Training
Resources
Flexible Work Arrangements - A Guide for Rice Supervisors
Flexible Work Arrangements - A Guide for Rice Supervisors (with editable templates)
TOOL- Remote Work Suitability Assessment
TOOL- Options for FWA: Benefits and Challenges
TOOL- Criteria for Working Remotely
- Leading a Remote Team
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Tools and Resources
The Remote Leadership Institute (Resources, Blog, eLearning, etc.)
Remote.co (hiring, managing, and working remotely)
15 Questions About Remote Work
The 4 Critical Questions to Ask Remote Employees
How to Train Your Employees to Work Remotely
Videos
- Keeping Teams Connected While You're Apart (4:45)
- 21 Rules for Managing Remote Teams (21:07)
- How to Actually Work When Working From Home (3:09)
Training
LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) is offering a number of courses at no cost. Courses focus on everything from Tips on Using Virtual Meeting Tools, Building Relationships in a New Working Environment
- Information Technology and Remote Work
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Technology Guide to Remote Working: https://kb.rice.edu/98505 (Recommended things to do before working remotely.)
- Setup VPN and Duo – connecting to Rice network and accessing Rice resources
- Computer equipment requirements: Rice-owned or personal – is it ready for remote teaching?
- Setup your Cisco VoIP phone for Single Number Reach
- Guidelines to working remotely
- Quick links to remote working tools – email, VPN, Zoom, Canvas, Library Journal, etc.
Zoom – Collaboration/Online Meeting Tool: https://kb.rice.edu/84808
- Setting up your account – For those that have not used Zoom before, you should have received a Zoom invitation to confirm the new account that has been provisioned for you. Please click the accept link and log in to your account. If you already are a Zoom user no action is required.
- All Rice Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students have been granted a Professional license which provides for up to 100 attendees and a maximum of 24-hour session duration. Undergraduate Students have been provisioned with a Zoom Basic license.
- For meetings with over 100 attendees, you may request a Webinar License from the OIT Helpdesk and these will be granted by priority need.
- Joining or Hosting a Zoom meeting session – https://kb.rice.edu/67469
Cisco VoIP Phone:
- Single Number Reach: https://kb.rice.edu/98804
- Single Number Reach will allow you to set up an additional phone number (such as your mobile phone) that will also ring when your office line is called.
- Scheduling when this feature is active is optional.
- Call Forwarding: https://kb.rice.edu/77512
- Forward all calls to Voicemail or another number
- Remote Access to Voicemail https://kb.rice.edu/64041
- You may access your office phone voicemail remotely by calling 713-348-3000 and following prompts
Other Resources:
- Rice Emergency | Rice Crisis Management: https://emergency.rice.edu/
- Requesting additional assistance for your technology needs:
- For technical assistance, email the Help Desk: helpdesk@rice.edu or call 713-4357(HELP).
- IT Status: https://status.rice.edu – stay informed on IT maintenance and events; subscribe to IT Alerts.
- Virtual Productivity
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Toolkit - Virtual Productivity
ebook-Work Smarter Not Harder 2.0
Article -Time Blocking: How to Get the Most Out of Your Schedule
Article - Virtual Meetings Do Not Have to Be a Bore
Article - How to Run a Successful Online Meeting
Virtual Meeting Fatigue
VIDEO - Zoom Fatigue is Real. Here's How To Fight It (2:48) by Tech Talk
Article - OnlineMeeting Fatigue Article - How to Combat Zoom Fatigue
Article - 5 Hacks to Avoid Virtual Meeting Fatigue
Article - The Age of Faster Meetings
On-Demand by OpenRice (Glasscock) Tending the Fire Without Burning Out
Other Articles & Resources:
- Video - How to Build Trust on a Virtual Team (3:06) by HBR
- Video - Connecting Teams Across Distance (25:00) by Work Human
- 4 Tips to Keeping Your Newly Remote Team Engaged
- 9 Things for Leaders to Watch for When Their Team Goes Remote
- Short Course (20 min.) Leading Virtual Meetings (by DDI)
- How Managers Can Support Remote Employees
- Making Virtual Teams Work (by HBR)
- Getting Virtual Teams Right (by HBR)
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- Building Resilience
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Building Resilience
Additional Resources
- Equal Opportunity
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Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (LinkedIn Learning Path); Courses range from 24 to 55 minutes. Courses include:
- Unconscious Bias
- Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
- Confronting Bias
- Skills for Inclusive Conversations
- Communicating About Culturally Sensitive Issues
- Communicating Across Cultures
- Bystander Training accordion content
Visit Equal Opportunity Services for training and education options.
Training and Development Options for Supervisors and Leaders
Please visit this page for specific resources.
Goals of Supervisor Development
- To provide clear expectations of the supervisor role and the related competencies required to serve in this capacity.
- To provide competency-based development through learning experiences that allow participants to apply what is learned both during development experiences and on the job.
- To provide options and access to deeper competency development through curation of resources (accessible for self-directed development) and peer/social learning through hands-on experiences (e.g., Leadership Huddles, Supervisor Training, Bagels, and Laws, etc.).
- To understand how Rice's values and principles (see RICE MILE) serve as the foundation for all employees at Rice, regardless of one’s position within the university.
Helpful Resources
- Employee Assistance Program
- Employee Resource Center by i4cp
- Rec Center Resources – Virtual Classes | Stress Relief | Working From Home | Mindfulness | Rejuvenation | Staying Connected
Free LinkedIn Learning
| Format | Organization | Course(s) |
|---|---|---|
| ON-DEMAND | Free LinkedIn Learning |
1. Remote Work Foundations 2. Time Management - Working From Home |
|
ON-DEMAND |
OpenRice by Glasscock |
Tending the Fire Without Burning Out |
Training and Professional Development
- Change & Transition
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The Difference Between Change and Transition
Adapting to Change Requires 3 Types of Flexibility
- Curated Resources (March-May 2020)
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edX Remote Access Program (partnership with Rice)
Example courses include:
University/Organization Courses Harvard
Data Science, Neuroscience Purdue Personal Financing, Communicating Strategically
IBM
Introduction to Data Science, Data Science Tools Microsoft
Introduction to Data Analysis with Excel, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, Introduction to Design Thinking
COVID-19 FAQ for Employees now located HERE