Ambassador employment policy

Code of conduct

As a student ambassador you are acting as a member of staff for the University, and as such are expected to adhere to the professional expectations of staff and students.

1. All ambassadors must attend and complete required training as stated by the ambassadors team, or other team associated with specialisms
2. all ambassadors are expected to wear a student ambassador branded uniform for work, unless otherwise specified in a booking
3. ambassadors must not wear their student ambassador branded uniform when not actively working a job to avoid any confusion for visitors, students and other staff (wearing on travel to/from a job is permitted)
4. ambassadors are expected to ensure details relating to job bookings are read through thoroughly prior to accepting a booking. Repeated short notice job cancellations will result in disciplinary procedures
5. as a representative of the University, ambassadors are expected to behave in a professional manner. This includes being punctual and ensuring you are dressed appropriately for booked jobs
6. student ambassadors will be expected to have a proactive attitude and show willingness and enthusiasm in undertaking the variety of tasks requested of them
7. you should be aware of the limit of your responsibilities and refer any matters of which you are unsure of to the event manager, or to the ambassador team
8. negative or derogatory comments about any member of staff, fellow ambassadors, visitors, students or the University of Hertfordshire in general may result in removal from the scheme
9. you should be properly prepared and check you have all the details of the activity/event you are involved in. You will be expected to know what resources and information/ giveaways you can use. You should familiarise yourself with any health and safety instructions as appropriate
10. all ambassadors are required to submit timesheets via the University HR System on a weekly basis after working to ensure payment is made in a prompt manner. Failure to do so will result in a delay in payment.
11. all information given about the University, Further and Higher Education should be accurate and provided in a positive way. Please remember that according to CMA legislation (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-publishes-report-on-regulation-of-higher-education), that information provided to prospective students and accompanying parties are factually correct to allow them to make an informed decision. If unsure about a question, please do not make facts up, but refer to the relevant events manager.

Uniform

All ambassadors are provided with a uniform which must be worn for all events unless stated otherwise in the booking.

If you are working on certain subject specific events, you may be asked to wear alternate clothing such as your subject uniform. The requirement for any course specific uniform will be advised in the job booking you receive. You will be responsible for ensuring that your ambassador uniform is kept clean and presentable for each event.

Ambassadors must not wear their ambassador unform socially, and these uniforms should only be using when working jobs booked via the central ambassador team to avoid confusion for visitors, students and staff.

You do not need to return the Uniform once you are no longer an ambassador. Old uniforms must not be donated due to the branding present.

Attendance and punctuality

Once you have confirmed that you are attending an event, we expect you to be fully committed to the job, and we expect you to attend promptly at the time stated. Failure to attend, or to inform the ambassador team, or event manager, may result in your removal from the ambassador scheme.

If you are unable to work a confirmed job, whether that is due to unforeseen circumstances, or due to illness, we expect you to inform either the ambassador team, or event manager, no later than 24 hours before the event is due to take place. Informing us any later than this may result in your removal from the scheme. Consideration to the circumstances surrounding your absence will be given.

If you are running late for an event, you must contact either the event manager directly, or the ambassador team, letting them know of your estimated time of arrival and reason for being late. Oversleeping, or lack of preparedness are not acceptable. Any reasons given for lateness will be taken into account when considering whether you should be removed from the scheme.

Contact details for the appropriate event organiser should be sent to you after you have booked onto an event. If the event organiser is not contactable, please email the ambassador team by email on ambassadors@herts.ac.uk.

Maintaining a professional image

You are not permitted to smoke or consume alcohol when wearing your ambassador uniform.

You are not permitted to use your mobile phone when working as an ambassador unless you have been asked to do so as part of your ambassador role or using the Ask Herts app to navigate the University campus.

Any ambassador behaving unprofessionally may be subject to disciplinary procures.

Student hours of work

International students have restrictions on employment or engagement as a worker, depending on their situation; those students in the United Kingdom on a student visa are only permitted to work up to 15 hours per week during semesters and will also be subject to different restrictions during vacations depending on whether they are an undergraduate or postgraduate student.

Home students are limited to working up to 37 hours per week as an ambassador, however we do not expect any ambassador to be working these hours. Students must also ensure they are allowing enough time between working to complete their studies.

Payment

It is your responsibility as an ambassador to ensure that your timesheet claims are submitted weekly via the University HR System, you should these submit at the end of your working week for manager approval. Claims later than 3 months old will automatically be held up. These will be investigated for compliance reasons and will not be paid until we are satisfied, they are eligible for payment.

Student Visa Holders please be reminded that you need to comply with your visa conditions and that University roles have a restriction of 15 hours per week (paid or unpaid), and these must be recorded accurately on a weekly basis.

This post is a privileged role, and we appreciate that you are representing our University to a high standard. However, due to this representation we are advising that any break in our policy or process, including late pay claims will lead to an investigation and ultimately you could be withdrawn from your role as an ambassador.

Disciplinary procedures

Failure to adhere to the expectations set out in the above document, or those outlined to you by an event manager during an event, may result in your removal from the ambassador scheme. The circumstances surrounding your conduct will be duly considered before a decision is made to remove you.

The University employs a warning system for ambassadors, where an ambassador will typically be given three warnings before they are removed. Warnings may be given as a result of non-attendance at a booking event, unexplained lateness or behaviour.

In any cases of serious misconduct or breach of University policy, an ambassador may be permanently removed from the scheme with immediate effect.

Acceptance

By accepting the role of student ambassador, you are agreed to the code of conduct outlined on this page.