“That’s why we decided to get rid of our six supervisors and hire three managers to replace them,” Valerie explained. “The three managers will work with a lead technician on each crew.”
“Tell me why you eliminated the supervisor layer?” I asked.
“They weren’t really doing the job. At the pay rate, we weren’t getting our money’s worth. We think if we pay a little bit more, we can get a better person. That’s why we decided having three managers would be better than having six supervisors.”
“Valerie, I am a bit disturbed about the way you have structured the accountabilities. Let’s talk about the general expectations of a supervisor, you know, the ones you decided to get rid of.
“The primary role of the supervisor is to make sure the work gets done,” I continued. “The primary tools of the supervisor are schedules, checklists and meetings. It is the job of the supervisor to anticipate the required volume of work, make sure we have the right amount of materials on-hand to complete the tasks, schedule the proper equipment and assign the right number of people. During the day, as tasks are being completed, it is the job of the supervisor to monitor progress toward the daily goal.”
Valerie was almost laughing. “Well, I can tell you that is definitely NOT what our supervisors were doing, not even close.”
“And that’s not all,” I continued. “Supervisors should be looking ahead specifically to tomorrow and the rest of the week. They should be reviewing production demand for the rest of the month, making sure materials will be on-hand, that equipment will be available and that we have sufficient personnel.”
Valerie was smiling but shaking her head. “Not a chance,” she replied.
This is absolute gold!
In many of the organizations I’ve worked for, I’ve seen supervisors working far below or far above what they should be. Ranging from being a regular worker with a special title, all the way to being essentially an extra manager who catches the tasks that those above them are too busy to do.
“…schedules, checklists, and meetings.” That puts a fine point on it, right there, but keeps it simple.
Thanks Tom
Can you put a manager’s general responsibilities into similar terms?
Hi, Kevin,
I find one of the biggest difficulties for most employers is truly understanding the roles necessary in a functional organization. We need people to do the work, and we need people to make sure that work is done (according to specifications and deadlines) and we need people to create the systems in which that work is done. This is the theme for this week. And yes, we will likely get to your request for a role description for a manager.