Are Your Supervisors Employee-Focused?

A company's supervisors can play a critical role in keeping individual contributors, teams, and companies performing at top levels in a competitive landscape. At the same time, complex labor supply and demand demographics can make it harder to keep the workforce running at full production. Here's a look at an example of an ideal supervisor — an employee-focused coach who provides key management guidance — and what you can do to support those needs.

Focusing on the Top Concerns

Supervisors are often your key players. Their direction and coaching are invaluable assets toward making the most of your company's human capital resources. But it's important to ask whether your supervisors are giving their attention to what matters most, or being distracted by administrative tasks and other low-value activities. Supervisors can be overburdened by employee paperwork, time scheduling and approvals, frequently asked questions, and other related activities. With only so much time available each week, your supervisors can end up with a divided focus that impairs their ability to maximize performance.

How Employee Focused Supervisors Work

When your supervisors are able to focus on employees, there can be several direct benefits, including the ability to strategically evaluate each employee's performance. High performing employees can be praised, rewarded, and groomed for growth opportunities. Underperformers can be identified and targeted for additional training, mentoring, and supervision. Fully engaged supervisors can help improve employee satisfaction, which may reduce turnover and the risks associated with decreased productivity. Supervisors that are focused on their employees are often more likely to understand specific challenges that individual employees face, and to be able to assist them with targeted scheduling or pointing them toward company benefits that could help. Supervisors may also be able to maximize productivity through scheduling while minimizing exposure to issues such as unnecessary overtime and similar concerns.

The Role of Technology

New web-based technologies are available that can automate many of these burdens, even when the supervisor is in a remote location or requires mobile access. New workforce management technologies are enabling supervisors to spend far less time on administrative tasks. Employees are able to submit time and attendance, time off requests, and other questions online for quick digital review and approval, eliminating the need for supervisors to handle reams of paperwork. Online data analytics can make it easier to review productivity details, production trends, schedule overviews and much more. Strategic decisions are empowered from more accurate data that takes less time to collect. Mobile integration gives supervisors the ability to work anytime and from any location.

An employee-focused supervisor can be a critical asset for improving productivity, keeping your business running at full production, and maximizing the quality of work your business produces. Help support this skill set in your supervisors with workforce management technology. In today's competitive business environment, companies need every advantage possible. The right workforce management technology can automate routine tasks and free up your supervisory talent to focus on your employees.