Often employers promote their employees into supervisory positions because of their skills and knowledge of the job, but don’t provide adequate training to enhance their competencies as supervisors. An entirely new set of skills is required when we work in a supervisory position. Nowadays, supervisors and managers are required to know more and know it better than any other generation before us. That is why learning to be an effective supervisor is so challenging.
Being an effective supervisor isn’t any one skill or trait; rather it is many different ones that, when combined, can lead to success. So, here’s what you need to know.
Understanding and Applying Applicable Employment Legislation
Understanding employment legislation and how it applies to your industry and the employees you supervise will help to ensure that the rights of employees are upheld and will mitigate risks for the employer. When supervisors know and understand applicable legislation, they can answer employee questions, provide support, and are better equipped to hold employees accountable. This will ultimately create a more positive and respectful workplace culture.
Each province and territory in Canada have employment legislation that supervisors should be aware of in the areas of employment standards, occupational health and safety, workers’ compensation, human rights, and accessibility. To learn more about the legislation and how it applies, Click Here.
Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution
Being an effective communicator can make or break a supervisor’s success in their role. Supervisors require the ability to communicate expectations clearly and to hold employees accountable to those expectations and standards. They need to adapt their communication style to meet the needs of their employees, and to build trust and relationships within their teams. Focusing on both verbal and non-verbal communication skills, active listening, building your emotional intelligence, and knowing how to address barriers to communication will positively impact your ability to communicate with your employees. This is also critically important when resolving workplace conflicts, mediating disputes, and fostering team collaboration.
Performance Management, Coaching, and Progressive Discipline
When we think of performance management, we often think of the daunting and time-consuming annual performance review process. While annual reviews are part of the performance management process, they are just one small part. An effective supervisor requires the knowledge and skills to provide on-going, year-round, consistent performance management to their employees. Finding opportunities to coach employees and identifying employee behaviours that require discipline and how to execute both in a timely and appropriate manner are skills that all supervisors should have.
Our comprehensive Essentials of Supervision program assists supervisors in gaining the confidence and knowledge in becoming an effective supervisor and to provide practical tips and strategies for immediate application in their workplaces. Click Here for more information or to register today!
Resources
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If you are an employer who needs help reviewing or revising your company’s policies, or need guidance on a particular issue, HR Performance & Results can help. Click here for contact information.