Best Practices Manual for New Supervisors - Essay Example

Best Practices Manual for New Supervisors Becoming a supervisor requires knowledge and skills on how to motivate employees. It requires the abilityto communicate with them and the common sense to handle the employees. Effective supervision in the distribution of the duties, determines the success or the failure of the programs and the goals of the firm. The duties of the supervisor is to attain an effective first-rate performance by their juniors and is significant than what an individual can do by themselves. The imprint created by others is important in that it helps to obtain outstanding performance through the staff. Supervision can be described as the first level of management in the firm and is frequently apprehensive with inspiration of members of a work unit so that they can contribute positively towards triumph of the goals and objectives set by the firm (Rue & Byars, 2006). It means that the supervisor does not only do the operative work but sees that the duties assigned to the members have been accomplished through the efforts of others. This paper evaluates two best practices principles for the six different supervisory responsibilities. I hope that my contribution will help the new supervisors in our company. The drive of a best practice manual for supervisors is to make available reference guideline for new supervisors. As a reference, this handbook could help as a training aid for management and supervisors as a resource for routine assessments of employees. The handbook contains a synopsis of the best practices to use for the following supervisory accountabilities. This includes demonstrating communication skills, determining effective orientation, and training methods, improving productivity for teams, conducting performance appraisals, resolving conflict, and improving employee relations (Rue & Byars, 2006). Demonstrating Communication Skills This is the most important tool that a leader, manager, or a supervisor uses in dispensing duties. The supervisor should always be positive, enthusiastic and demonstrate open communications with the staff members. This will motivate the members and keep them engaged in the dispensing of their work duties. Motivated workers will then be instrumental in helping the organization achieve its objectives. In addition, the supervisor will then build trust through open and honest communication. To become a supervisor, listening, and speaking skills will be vital to effective communication. This is because they are important in team building and providing effective feedback during the performance appraisal evaluations. In addition, listening is vital in leadership communication. This means acting and behaving in a way that connects the speaker with the listener. An effective listener actively increases the quality of their listening. Other listeners who do not necessarily concentrate on giving the maximum attention to the speaker seldom listens effectively. For any supervisor to be effective, they ought to listen effectively and maintain proper eye contact and body language, give full focus on the speaker and not on the activities taking place out of the place they are doing their duties (Rue & Byars, 2006). The supervisors can follow many steps in order to become effective in listening. One of them is the tendency not to interrupt the speaker or multi-tasking while listening. Secondly, it involves the regular recapping and using some connecting words. Thirdly, the use of body language is very important as it motivates the listener to listen effectively and gage the extent of seriousness of the speaker. This steps help improve the superiority of material swapped, the supervisor’s skill as a listener, the skill of the worker the supervisor is listening to, and the connection between the supervisor and the employee. Face-to-face communication is the most effective way of communicating in business. However, the use of electronic media such as cell phones and emails has boosted further and improved the way of communicating in the internal organization of the firm. Likewise, the use of online communication has brought about an expanded demand for effective written communication skills. These skills have brought about the difference in getting a supervisor’s message across in reports, letters, and e-mails. Another way of communication has been writing. This method improves the ability of a supervisor to become an effective leader and enhance their ability to influence others. To become a supervisor, they are normally chosen depending on their ability to be effective or a specialist in the technical fields that they are involved. Most supervisors have to write a report on the day-to-day running of the business concerning their technical fields. There is no particular style that is needed to business supervisors that demand both brevity and clarity. In order for a supervisor to be effective in writing skills, especially the business writing skills such as memos, emails and invoices, there are writing coaches and writing classes at local community colleges which they can engage. This will improve largely the supervisors writing skills(Rue & Byars, 2006). Besides, willing supervisors can learn business communication skills, which are vital to effective leadership. Various institutions such as colleges and universities provide a great resource for learning such skills, which involve creative writing, public speaking, and business writing. Many of these courses provide assistance in communication skills for supervisors. I would advise the newly promoted supervisors to engage in such courses in order to be effective in their communication skills (Weld, 2012). Determining Effective Orientation and Training Methods This is the second most important tool for a supervisor. It involves training program and orientation. It can be embarrassing to be thrown into a department of any organization that one has no knowledge about. This brings out the importance of training and orientation to new employees. When this is carried out effectively, it can help boost the morale of the employees. The objectives of training and orientation are to familiarize the new employees and enable them have proper interaction with other staff members. It also enables them identify benefits of customer service, recognize barriers that are important to the delivery of exceptional customer service, enable the new employee to recognize and adapt to specific customer behavior styles, and have knowledge of the popular products sold by the company. Moreover, this training and orientation will help will help saves a lot of time, increase the time to evaluate errors for the supervisor, reduce employee’s frustrations, and encourage retraining. A big difference will be made, when employees are given an explanation from the beginning of the companies’ policies, procedures, and work ethics, which makes in a new employee’s attitude about the job. Training and orientation programs help the firm effectively orient the new staff in a few days. This instills the importance of three critical aspects of the job of the firm to the new employees. Additionally, it helps gage an in-depth look into the proper procedures and policies to operate the firm’s equipment. Orientation and training shows the new employees the importance of proper ways to interact with customers and gives a fundamental knowledge of the products in the department that the new employees will be working. Hence, the new employees will have an in-depth knowledge of the firms’ most popular product, which can be of great help in strategizing in marketing. Training and orientation aims at letting the new employees feel more contented on the sales department and offer tremendous customer service. The effective orientation program will start with a welcome message to the new employees. It will then give an overview of the objective and the philosophy of the organization. This program should then introduce new employees to the members of the management and other employees in those departments. The program should also orient the employees to the chain of command in the organization. This will help the employees know the order of decision-making in the firm, and to whom they should consult in case of any misunderstanding. The training and orientation program will help familiarize the new employees with their job functions and responsibilities. Training and orientation enables the firm to have effective team building, which has reached to great ramifications in an organization. It helps improve the way team members interact and improves their ability to solve problems. This in turn improves efficiency. Improvement in efficiency boosts the employees’ morale and overall productivity. Moreover, it helps to reduce stress, reduce operating costs and employee turnover. The finest training package will focus on building vastly inspired, operational, and efficient staffs that will be capable of steering the business to its modest best (Shohet, 2011). Then, it will comprise the advances in technology, which the employees require to gain awareness and skills. Thirdly, it should detect training needs by examining the longstanding strategic plans of the company. The forth aspect is that it should choose trainers cautiously to ensure that they have the essential information and talents and know how to link with staff in the effective learning process. In addition, it should select novices prudently based on their aptitude to learn the material provided and using it successfully. In addition, it should regulate the skill level of each employee proceeding to training through reflective testing and analysis and emphasis on enhancing individual skill sets. Lastly, it should comprise periodic supervisor assessment of the employees’ newly learned skills against the intentions of the training program. If collective differences exist, supervisors should note these and regulate the training program in view of that (Weld, 2012). Conducting Performance Appraisals Performance appraisal is described as the process where supervisors communicate to subordinates and how they are fulfilling the requirements of the job. It is part of communication that helps the employees to understand how to better their roles and fulfill the firms’ objectives and expectations. This is the most resourceful tool available to supervisors and the firm at large that helps bring out higher productivity for the firm and the organization (Shohet, 2011). It is very important to conduct employee appraisal as part of the supervisors’ area of responsibility. However, it poses one of the most difficult areas in a supervisor’s job. In order to come up with the best performance appraisal system that will allow supervisors to make objective judgment, some basic guidelines should be followed. These principles contain the basic purpose for conducting performance appraisal. They are, to improve employee performance in the present job, to provide a record of employee performance that supervisors can use as a basis for future decisions and to prepare employees for future opportunities that may arise in the organization (Shohet, 2011).. Appraisal systems, which show higher levels of participation, generate higher levels of acceptance. This is according to recent research conducted that involves the link to improved productivity. The acceptance generated is important in that it engenders appraisal system satisfaction, motivation, and productivity. An inclusive partaking performance appraisal system will let both raters and rated in association develop performance canons, the rating form, employee self-assessment, and the involvement of those who are rated in the appraisal consultation. There are two important processes that vital and control effectiveness of participation. They include quantity and quality of casual performance feedback and goal setting, which focuses on the future. They help strengthen a participatory, empowered work culture. To conduct a fair and ethical evaluation of an employee’s performance participatory performance appraisal is a crucial. This helps improves the employees self-esteem, career success, supervisors will have an ethical obligation to perform this complex function in a fair and unbiased manner and will improve both parties mental health (Weld, 2012). Improving Productivity for Teams The setting and implementation of unrealistic goals is the main cause the overall failure for teams. This is because of the mistakes made by both the management and the team members. The cause of these mistakes is mostly the supervisors. This is because they act as the link between the employees and the management and are aware of the potential that the ability of the workforce. This results to teams trying to achieve too much in a little time, which leads to a failure result (Briscoe & Thomas, 1977). One more management error is that supervisors often set up antagonistic atmospheres for teams such the existence of a command-and-control culture, and by means of competitive individual reward plans. Such supervision arrangement can result in team members conflicting over dissimilarities in personal work styles and causing character conflicts between team members. When the team members have poor interpersonal skills and use hostile instead of emphatic communication, and employ win-lose compromise strategies this causes negative conflict. Conflict then takes on a life of its own overriding what should be productive time thus reducing productivity (Briscoe & Thomas, 1977). To improve on this, supervisors are responsible to lessen the overall productivity of the teams if their ability to meet the set targets cannot be met and have no benefits. Participation of the supervisor in decision-making is important since help overcome unforeseen challenges. Therefore, the supervisors should focus more on the team than on the results. Lastly, there is a need for the supervisor to take the lessons of past team experiences into account when forming new teams. This will help improve the overall productivity of the team on the organization and eliminate hindrances on their best practices towards achieving the set targets (Shohet, 2011). Resolving Conflict Conflict is defined as the struggles that two or more interdependent parties engage in when they perceive incompatible goals, insufficient rewards, and interference from the other party in achieving their goals. It always involves creating a negative image of the organization. However not all conflicts are bad to the organization. Conflict involves two stages, which are, recognizing potential problems and dealing with the situation (Briscoe & Thomas, 1977). Different levels of conflict can occur in the work place. This involves supervisor verses employee conflict, employee verses employee conflict, supervisor verses management conflict and management verses employees conflict. It is important to note that employees rely on supervisors to convey leadership and provide skills that will empower the employees to achieve their job requirements (Shohet, 2008). Moreover, the employees will require the supervisors’ feedback in order to get raises and advance in their careers. Inversely, the supervisor will rely on employees for cooperation in order to accomplish job related objectives. These codependent relations set the stage for conflict, which can follow. Conflict in most cases is inevitable and does not have to be damaging or disturb business and efficiency. Supervisors should reduce and manage the level of conflict is experienced in an organization. Several methods can be employed to minimize regularity and strength of conflict. This can be done by creating good relationship with their employees. This can be accomplished by taking time to learn the employees’ general approach to work and life and to distinguish their precise process of culture. This will provide the right guidance and training for employees. To avoid conflict, the supervisor-employee relationship should be strengthened. An effective supervisor plainly sketches logistics, elucidates the managerial relationship, classifies goals, designates management methods, and stipulates assessment techniques (Brackett, 2009). Improving Employee Relations Dealing with persons or worker groups can hinder the ability to make just and reliable decisions, which is the basis of robust, optimistic employee affairs. Creating a sturdy employee relations package means that you make a setting that nurtures such decisions and conveys what people want. The important essentials of an organization’s employee relations program are discipline and complaints. This is achieved through communication. Open communication brings out better chance of having excellent employee relations. To achieve the maximum height in discipline, the organization ought to convey their principle through the supervisor to the employee. The employees should then comprehend and implement the laid down principles. This strategy helps improve the overall results achieved in the organization as it avoids conflicts. Secondly, the supervisor should be willing to listen to complains of the employees. They should then solve them in their capacity or forward the complaints to the higher management if the complaint is above their capacities to handle (McNamara, n.d.). Conclusion The link to improved productivity is composed of various stages that the supervisor should follow. These are demonstrating communication skills, which comprises of listening, speaking, and writing. Secondly, it involves determining effective orientation and training methods. This takes into consideration of the companies’ policies and employee training. Thirdly, good supervisory involve improving productivity for teams. This in turn encompasses team morale and delegating responsibility to the employees. The fourth element is conducting performance appraisals. This method involves answering the question what is and making a review of the organization. The fifth element involves resolving conflict. It involves recognizing potential problems and dealing with the situation. Lastly, supervision skills require improving employee relations. This involves incorporating discipline and listening to the employee complains. References Brackett, R. (2009). Supervision and Education in Charity. New York: Books LLC. Briscoe, C. & Thomas, N. (1977). Community Work. Learning and supervision, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. McNamara, C. (n.d.). All About Supervision. Management help. Retrieved from http://managementhelp.org/supervision/index.htm Rue, L. & Byars, L. (2006). Supervision: Key Link to Productivity. India: McGraw-Hill Companies. Shohet, R. (2008). Passionate Supervision. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Shohet, R. (2011). Supervision as transformation: A passion for learning. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd. Weld, N. (2012). A practical guide to transformative supervision for the helping professions: Amplifying insight. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Read More