Welcome New Supervisors
This manual will effectively demonstrate to the appropriate methods for performing job duties as a supervisor with this company. Each practice will be explained in detail with practical examples for every situation. These practices are a necessity for employment with this company. If you have any questions or concerns please direct them to your immediate supervisor or your HR manager for clarification.
Demonstrating Communication Skills
Rue, 2004 "Communication is the act of exchanging information. It can be used to inform, command, instruct, assess, influence, and persuade other people (p. 39)." Good supervisors will develop effective communication skills. Good communications skills are a necessity in the job of a Supervisor. As a supervisor ninety percent of the job requires effective communication skills. If one does not have these skills miscommunication, misunderstanding, and anger can result. Messmer, 2005 "As experienced managers know, this can result in costly mistakes, low morale, and even turnover (p. 1)."
A good supervisor makes sure that their employees are kept informed about changes in polices, incoming shipments, changes in job tasks and assignments of duty. Deciding what information to inform them of and how to do communicate it are two very important aspects of effective communication. Messmer, 2005 "Effective communication can only happen when there is a free ex-change of information (p.1)." "The way you choose to convey in formation can make all the difference (p. 1)."
Using interoffice e-mail to convey staff meetings and general notices is common practice; however when it concerns more important information, such as salary changes, or changes in policies it is good to do that face to face and back it up with an e-mail. In case there are any questions or concerns a supervisor will want to be available to field those questions. Holding staff meetings on a weekly or monthly basis is a good way to keep in communication with your employees and make sure they are up to day with needed information.
Determining effective Orientation and Training methods
Allen 1998 "Orientation is a program that introduces new employees to the organization as whole, their work unit and co-workers, and their job duties (para. 1)." Allen 1998 "Supervisors develop an effective training program by assessing training needs and designing training programs to meet those needs (para. 13)." An effective orientation and training program needs to incorporate the employee's job function. By breaking down what is required of an employee and assessing what skills the employee already has one can implement an orientation and training program that will benefit the company as well as the employee.
Orientation will define what the expectations are for the employee, what their job functions are, and how the chain of command. Orientation should also go over procedure, policies and address issues such as employee behavior, codes of conduct, mission statement and the company's morals. Allen 1998 "Formal orientation programs can include tours of facilities, discussions about the history of the organization, vision and mission, meeting with human resource representatives to discuss policy and compensation, and/or being assigned a mentor to introduce employees to processes and people (par. 2)."This initial contact will serve as a lead in for the training that the employee will need to be successful in his/her job.
In devising a training method one must first determine the needs of the employee and what the functions are of the job of the employee. The next step is in determining what your objectives are for the employee. Once they have completed the training what should they know. To determine how one will be trained one needs to develop instruction; whether it be classroom instruction, on the job training, or self instruction. Then once the method is decided one can determine the materials that would best be used to teach, some may learn better by showing and telling, some may learn better by being hands on and learning as they go.
One may also want to use web based training that shows visuals but allows them to work at their own pace with no supervision. Once training is complete, it may be necessary to develop assessments to gauge whether or not the employee has achieved the objectives. Some assessments may be written or oral examinations, or perhaps a practical examination. This is the best way to determine if more instruction in necessary. One also wants to make sure that before the employee is left to perform job tasks on their own that they have had ample time to practice with adequate supervision. Be around to field questions and concerns if they are unsure of how to do something.
Improving Productivity for Teams
Rue (2004) "Productivity may be defined as units of output per employee hour (p. 145)." Methods for improving productivity for teams are varied. When working with teams it is always best to assess the personalities of the employees you want to put in the team. Making sure that their personalities do not clash is an important step in assuring team productivity. If the personalities are varied and one is unsure of how they will work together try to ensure that they each have individual tasks and that group tasks are few and very structured. If it is necessary to have the teams meet the supervisor should be present. Setting specific guidelines for meeting and specific deadlines for project completion allows for team members to work toward the goal. When they know what is expected they can effectively schedule their time to complete projects on time.
To improve productivity among teams communication is very important. Meetings and inter office e-mails as well as discussions with the supervisor on a regular basis provides the opportunity to assign tasks to other members of teams to find out where the employees are in their projects and address any difficulties or timing issues. Organization is also an important step to improving the productivity of teams. If everyone is organized then teams can interact effectively because they know what is expected and where to go for information needed to proceed with tasks.
Rue (2004) "...productivity is the result of three separate major components-efficiency of technology, efficiency of labor, and the effectiveness of management (p. 145)." Technology can play a role in the effectiveness of teams and improve productivity. In cases where one member of the team is on the road most of the time, but is required to attend meetings to receive updates as well as share his/her updates can use technology to solve the issue. Video Web Conferencing can allow for that team member to be present at meetings and still remain on the move as required in his area of the job. Inter office e-mails and phone conferencing can also be useful aids in facilitating improved productivity. Rue (2004) "Efficiency of labor is a function of the labor available and the motivation to work. Given high efficiencies of technology and labor, these inputs must be effectively combined by management if high productivity is to result (p. 145)."
Conducting Performance Appraisals
Rue (2004) "Performance appraisal is a process that involves communicating to an employee how well he or she is performing the job and also, ideally, involves establishing a plan for improvement (p. 186)." Performance appraisals are a necessary part of the supervisor's job. Developing fair performance appraisals can be a difficult task. There are a few methods for gauging performance and depending on the employee's job functions you may use all of them or just one.
Rue (2004) "Performance refers to how well an employee is fulfilling the requirements of the job. Basically, the quality of an employee's performance is determined by a combination of three factors- effort, ability, and direction (p. 188)." There are two basic types of performance appraisals, formal and informal. An informal performance appraisal is where the supervisor gives a general indication of the employee's performance. Perhaps a suggestion or two if the supervisor feels that there is an issue that is developing. A formal appraisal is also done by the supervisor but is more structure. Specific indicators are judged based on productivity, behavior, motivation and ability. Rue (2004) "The most frequently used performance appraisal methods are: 1. Graphic rating scale. 2. Essay appraisals. 3. Checklist. 4. Forced-choice rating. 5. Critical-incident appraisals. 6. Work-standards approach. 7. Ranking methods. 8. Management by objectives (MBO) ( p.190)."
Often there are rating scales, written appraisals, checklists, and ranking methods. Check lists and rating scales are suited more to jobs that require quantity than quality. Measuring behavior, quality of work and attitude are hard to rate using the check list and rating scales. Using a method that encompasses all eight of the methods would be a better gauge of an employee's performance. When a supervisor takes the time to look over an employee's job performance this shows that they are genuinely interested in seeing the employee do well in their jobs. This also makes the employee have confidence in their supervisors that they are actually taking these evaluations seriously.
Performance Appraisals are also an opportunity to address raises and promotions. This is a beneficial time to do such evaluations because the employee's performance has just been validated. Therefore addressing salaries and promotions is appropriate. Based on the evaluations, a supervisor can suggest increases that directly reflect the employee's performance. Annual bonuses may also be addressed during this time for those employees that have reached the max on their pay rate.
Resolving Conflict
Rue (2004) "Conflict is a condition that results when one party feels that some concern of that party has been frustrated or is about to be frustrated by a second party (p. 274)."
Conflict is a dynamic process that does not usually appear suddenly. In fact, conflict generally passes through several stages, or cycles. The usual stages of conflict are as follows:
1. Latent conflict. At this stage, the basic conditions for conflict exist but have not been recognized by the parties.
2. Perceived conflict. The basic conditions for conflict are recognized by one or both of the parties.
3. Felt conflict. Internal tensions begin to build in the involved parties, but the conflict is still not out in the open.
4. Manifest conflict. The conflict is out in the open, and the existence of the conflict becomes obvious to parties that are not involved.
5. Conflict aftermath. The conflict is stopped by some method. How the conflict is stopped establishes new conditions that lead either to a new conflict or to more effective cooperation between the involved parties.
A particular conflict situation does not necessarily pass through all of these stages. In addition, the parties involved in the conflict may not be at the same stage at the same time. For example, it is entirely possible for one party to be at the manifest stage and the other to be at the perceived stage.
There are generally two types of conflict, positive and negative. Positive conflict can affect change if the conflict causes issues to be resolved in a new and positive way. For example if there is a conflict regarding the two employees who have a disagreement about the way a task is performed by resolving the conflict a new way of performing that task that is beneficial to all will develop. When negative conflict arises a need to assess the situation is the first thing to be done.
By determining the factors of the conflict a supervisor can develop a plan to resolve the conflict. This is a situation where good communication skills are necessary. By listening to both parties and gathering all the information, a supervisor can begin to suggest ideas for resolving the conflict. Rue (2004) "Supervisors can use these strategies in dealing with interpersonal conflicts: 1. Compromise. 2. Smoothing over the conflict and pretending that it does not exist. 3. Withdrawing. 4. Forcing the conflict to a solution. 5. Confrontation (p. 279)."
Compromising is the ultimate goal to conflict resolution but using these four other strategies are as helpful. By compromising each party gets some part of what they want. The both agree to give up some of the control and meet in the middle on the issue. In some instances you can smooth over the conflict and pretend it does not exist if the conflict does not affect the individuals work productivity or if the office staff are not affected by the conflict. Withdrawing gives the parties an opportunity to reflect and cool off. Allowing for time to evaluate the situation can cause cooler heads to prevail. The employees involved my realize that the conflict was unnecessary. In the event that no resolution can be found the supervisor can force a solution by presenting one of his/her own and stating that his/her way is the way it is going to be. In this instance, neither party gets what they want nor therefore there no longer is any conflict.
Improving Employee Relations
Effective and fair discipline as well as effectively explaining the policies, procedures and guidelines to employees can go a log way to improving employee relations. By being up front with employees on how disciplinary actions will be taken and when they will be taken, the supervisor maintains a sense of trust and confidence from his/her employees. Rue (2004) "Discipline should be viewed as a condition within an organization whereby employees know what is expected of them in terms of the organization's rules, standards, and policies and what the consequences are of infractions (p. 383)."
When disciplinary actions are needed, the employee must understand why these actions are being taken and the actions must be appropriate to the violation. The method of increasing discipline with each infraction is a fair way to enforce policies and procedures. Rue (2004) "A formal discipline procedure usually begins with an oral warning and progresses through a written warning, suspension, and ultimately discharge. Formal discipline procedures also outline the penalty for each successive offense and define time limits for maintaining records of each offense and penalty (p. 383 -384)."
Explaining to the employee their methods for recourse are also a part of improving employee relations. When an employee understands the rules and what will happen if the rules are not followed they are more likely to not break those rules. Also when an employee knows their rights and who they can contact if they feel certain rules and guidelines are not being followed the have a sense of confidence and safety in their jobs. Rue (2004) "One of the most important ways of maintaining good discipline is communication. Employees cannot operate in an orderly and efficient manner unless they know the rules (p 384)."
Conclusion
A good supervisor will adopt these practices and use them to effectively manage his/her employees. By following these principles the supervisor will have happy productive employees and will be seen as an asset to the company.
References
Allen, G. (1998). Training, Supervision. Retrieved November 4, 2007, from http://ollie.dcccd.edu/mgmt1374/book_contents/4directing/trng/train.htm
Messner, M. (2005). Communicating Effectively with Employees. Retrieved November 4, 2007, from http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:B-Di1T4S05YJ:www.imanet.org/pdf/2887.pdf+communicating+effectively+with+employees&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
Rue, L. W., & Byars, L. L. (2004). Supervision: Key link to productivity (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
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