rls122 9. supervising staff+volunteers

supervision

a means of directing, supporting, and monitoring those for whom a supervisor is responsible.

importance of supervisors

• Helps supervisees to feel supported and valued, enhancing organization effectiveness.

• Can clearly explain expectations (e.g., requirements, norms, responsibilities, techniques)

  • verbal, visual, anything that is clearly communicated

• Supervisees will know that they have support available if needed.

  • if they have questions, need support, need feedback, or they made a mistake, they do not feel afraid to ask for help

• Problems can be recognized and addressed through good supervision.

expectations of supervisors

• Supervisors are often caught in the middle between administrative or senior management (e.g., directors, superintendents, CEOs) and front-line employees (e.g., coaches, program leaders, camp directors).

  • strict policies of what higher ups think should be happening/treated vs. the employees expectations.

  • may not always align, esp because the higher ups do not actually know what is going on down with the employees

  • e.g., ceo expects this to be done in two days but employees feel they cannot navigate that within two days. puts supervisors in a tough position. should they abide by higher ups, or advocate for employees? or not

• Being in the middle, supervisors must find a balance to ensure that a balance to ensure that the goals of the organization (i.e., developed by senior management) are delivered to the organization’s clientele (i.e., through the actions of front-line staff)

  • in a perfect world there is a balance for the both

managers expect supervisors to…

• Demonstrate loyalty to the organization

• Follow and enforce all policies

• Monitor and evaluate employees

  • how well are they doing their job? are they progressing as intended? are they on time?

• Keep management regularly informed and updated

  • in reality its difficult to constantly give updates on everything. esp hard with bigger organizations

employees expect supervisors to…

• Provide goals, feedback, and direction

• Support and motivate them

  • can i call in late with a valid reason and be understood ? are they giving good motivation to keep going?

• Demonstrate respect and fairness

• Provide training

  • are we providing good training on every aspect?

• Represent their interests

• Defend them when needed

  • advocate for your employees! understand their limits and make sure they are not being overworked

• Recognize efforts and successes

  • even little “good job!” is recognizing efforts!

difference between manager expectations and employee expectations

managers are more strict and want their org to be a certain way, and employees want guidance, a fair workload, and appreciation

key responsibilities of supervisors

• There are a range of responsibilities that supervisors may have. (do not have to have all)

• Such responsibilities require a variety of skills.

• Being aware of the unique needs, contexts, and characteristics surrounding supervisees is crucial.

• Supervisors must be able to tailor their behaviours to most appropriately address the demands of the situation.

• LIST

  • problem solving and decision making

  • orientation and training

  • evaluation

  • discipline

  • communication and meetings

  • supporting personnel and organizational policies

  • observing, monitoring and providing feedback

  • encouraging professional development

  • delegation

  • motivation

key responsibilities: problem solving and desicion making

• refers to determining solutions to correct the discrepancy between a desired state and a current reality.

  • usually for supervisors + above, not much employees

• There are two types of decisions:

• Programmed decisions

• Nonprogrammed decisions

• Most issues requiring supervisor’s attention are complex and don’t fit neatly into a prescribed set of rules, and as such, require nonprogrammed decision making.

programmed decisions

• Routine decisions typically based on policies (i.e., largely prescribed)

• “by the book” predetermined responses. black and white response to problem

• Less time consuming

• Easier to make

• e.g., “you’re twenty minutes late and therefore we cannot allow entry for you”

nonprogammed decisions

• Require new, unique, and often unexpected circumstances

• “outside the box” newly determined responses. problem may not have a solution predetermined because its new, unexperienced, has circumstances, or no clear policy.

• More time consuming

• More difficult to make

• e.g., “you are late but you are also a student, so we have to discuss before making a decision”

  • thinking about if a homeless person stole food because they were about to die. theres punishment for stealing, but not in order to survive. obv stealing is bad but they’re almost dead so we need to come up with a new solution. maybe work there to recover money, or look for a shelter nearby

key responsibilities: orientation and training

• Orientation and training helps to ensure all incoming supervises are up to date with a variety of organizational factors (e.g., expectations, methods, policies, norms, rules, physical space).

  • ensure that the new worker knows what to do, how to do it, and what is expected of them.

• A mentor (i.e., a go-to person for the new employee) can supplement orientation.

• Many organizations offer introductory workshops to all newcomers (e.g., conflict resolution, time management, diversity).

key responsibilities: evaluation

• Evaluations (e.g., performance appraisal, review) help to assess employee performance to develop improvement plans as needed.

  • are they making a good amount of sales? are they on time? are they doing what they need to do? are they slacking off?

  • can be relational too. are they developing? are they working well with the team? how can they be better?

• Evaluations can help employees understand how to improve and to understand how they are doing.

• Evaluations can cause discomfort.

  • make sure it is OBJECTIVE, not subjective and also CLEAR. do NOT let your emotions on employees get the best of you. also make sure you know the context around why they’re doing what they are doing before conforonting, or at least keep an open mind

key responsibilities: discipline

• needs to be:

  • measured

  • not emotional (take a day to recover from immediate emotions)

  • open minded with circumstance but still stern

  • private (don’t yell at them in front of everyone, that is just bad)

  • clear with desired behaviours (don’t just say “u should do better” without explaining what to actually do)

• four step format for discipline:

  • verbal warning

  • written warning

  • intervention

  • termination

• When encountering disciplinary problems, the supervisor should monitor their response to the problem to avoid speaking in the heat of the moment.

• Specificity is required when engaging in disciplinary action.

true or false: disciplinary action should be carried out in private.

true

four steps for discipline: verbal warning

Addressing the employee directly, identifying the problem, explaining acceptable behaviour, and outlining potential consequences.

• “don’t to that, there will be these consequences if u keep going”

four steps for discipline: written warning

If the problem occurs again, the incident should be formally documented. The employee should have the opportunity to respond in writing if they choose.

• if they keep doing it, formally write a complaint about what they r doing wrong and what should be done. keep a copy for yourself in case!

four steps for discipline: intervention

Develop an employee improvement plan, ideally, with input from the employee. The plan identifies the problem, the impacts of the problem, reviews expected performance standards, and indicates possible solutions.

• develop plan WITH input from employee who is doing bad*** and work to fix what is being done. identify problem, outcomes/impacts, review standards, solutions

four steps for discipline: termination

Requires a great deal of documentation and must adhere to policies and procedures

• they’re fired. have proof that you have tried to do previous steps + employee still didn’t correct behaviour

key responsibilities: communication and meetings

• Supervisors can promote strong, ongoing internal communication so that all employees are up-to-date on the latest activities and concerns of the organization.

• Some recommendations for such communication include:

• Have all employees provide weekly status reports to supervisors

  • whats going on, challenges, suggestions to work

• Hold regular meetings with all supervisees (i.e., as a group)

• Hold regular meetings with supervisees individually

  • without communicating irl, there is a loss of contact and therefore connection, leading to a weaker bond between supervisors and employees.

meeting management can be strengthened by…

• Selecting participants based on what the meeting is expected to accomplish

  • what’s the meeting for? everyone invited should have to do something with the meeting

• Outline expectations and purposes of the meeting in advance

  • prepares employees on what to say + stuff

• Maintain meeting minutes

  • Keep track of what was said and done during meeting. what ACTUALLY happened

• Develop a thorough agenda that will be available before, during, and after meetings

  • write key points of each meeting for you and your employees if they need. what you PLAN to do in the meeting

• Clearly indicate needed action, desired result, and time expectation for agenda items

  • what are the action items? ensure that the items apply to them and are communicated in advance

• Clarify ground rules of the meeting

  • state what is expected and what is needed

• Monitor time

  • ensure meeting doesn’t go on for too long. might even have to cut someone’s statement short

key responsibilities: supporting personnel and organizational policies

• Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that employees follow organizations’ policies and procedures.

• Supervisors should be knowledgeable about organizational policies so as to respond appropriately when needed.

key responsibilities: observing, monitoring and providing feedback

• Supervisors must keep track of all employees, their assignments, and their progress.

• Below are some recommendations for helping supervisees with this in mind:

  • Ensure supervisees fully understand and accept responsibility for assignments. be CLEAR

  • Help supervisees understand how their assignment contributes to the overall organization.

    • make sure employees feel like they are helpful!**** be transparent about progress and encouragement so they feel their contributions are positive

  • Ensure supervisees have everything that they need to accomplish their assignments (supplies, proper training, access, etc.)

  • Provide feedback focused on supervisee work, both positive and negative.

    • strengths with rewards and weaknesses (shutdown on behaviour, or change in behaviour to be better)

  • Avoid micromanaging, which is excessive control over people and projects, a preoccupation with the work to be done, and anxiety over the work to be done.

    • let people have some freedom to do the work. micromanaging just leads to it not wanting to be done or no enjoyment working

key responsibilities: encouraging professional development

• Supervisors should encourage supervisees to attend professional development opportunities to develop more skills and gain valuable knowledge and experience.

  • are there any additional training you can get?

• Supervisors should encourage supervisees to remain current with issues and developments within their field (e.g., via journals, networking).

  • they need to be up-to-date with the best practices, funding, learning new findings etc. but so do YOU! you are partially resposnsible for sharing stuff!

• Earning relevant certifications should be encouraged

  • like my BLS!

key responsibilities: delegation

• Delegation involves assigning supervisees tasks for which the supervisor has the ultimate responsibility.

  • just because it is assigned to an employee, YOU still have the ultimate responsibility for it + ensuring it gets done

• Delegation can help employees develop new skills and a sense of ownership of tasks.

• Supervisors must be willing to let go of power and trust employees.

  • this can lead to micromanaging so be careful!!!

• make sure who ur delegating to has all the resources and ability to complete it. if u delegate to someone who is not prepared, that’s on you!

key responsibilities: motivation

• Motivation is the drive to work toward certain goals and to expend considerable energy in reaching them.

• you want ur employees to strive to do better for work!

• Motivation is commonly encouraged through raises, promotions, and contests.

Supervisors can foster motivation through…

• Helping supervisees feel responsible

• Praising good performance and productivity

  • employees like your babies and you’ll feel super proud haha. you can’t just give neg feedback!

• Listening to suggestions and complaints

  • take in feedback too, not just give it out. if employees feel they have a voice, it’ll increase motivation

• Provides opportunities for involvement in decision making

  • feeling more valued = more motivation

• Bringing in fun

  • have parties or fun events! joke around with employees! foster a community, not just a workplace!

volunteers

people who perform services without remuneration (getting paid)

• They often play a large role in recreation and leisure organizations.

roles of volunteers

• Direct service (e.g. interacting with clients)

• Clerical or administrative work (e.g., registration, communications)

• Public relations (e.g., speaking, news releases)

• Fundraising (e.g., phone calls, campaigns)

• Policy making and advising (e.g., advisory councils, boards)

motivations of volunteers

• Self-satisfaction

• Altruism (giving back to others)

• Companionship and meeting others (ex. volunteering with friends/family)

• Learning about a field

• Obtaining training in a field

• Helping maintain an organization

• Developing professional contacts (networking)

• Getting ahead in a particular field or occupation (experience! getting ur foot in the door!)

• Providing entry into an organization

• Social prestige

benefits of volunteering

• Satisfaction of helping others

• Opportunity to offer skills, expertise, or talents that the organization can’t provide

• A new emotional ingredient

• Serving as a link between community and agency

• Enjoying activity