―Same Job with Two Different Outcomes‖
First Published in: It’s Your Business, October 2002, published by Times Record News,
Wichita Falls, TX
This is a tale of two supervisors. A work center had five people—each employee worked
15 – 20 hours of overtime weekly. In spite of overtime, work continued to pile up and
quality was poor. The supervisor requested and received additional manning, but it made
no difference. Morale was low.
Another supervisor was placed in charge. Within 30 days, the quality of work improved
and the backlog was reduced. Within another 30 days, the work was caught up, and the
extra personnel previously assigned were reallocated to other work centers. The original
employees, who had worked 15 to 20 hours of overtime a week, were now rotating an
afternoon off.
The work was the same, but the results were markedly improved. The only difference
was the supervisor. What did the second supervisor do?
- He laid out performance standards and enforced them.
- He listened to his employees’ ideas and implemented those that would improve the
work.
- He trained his employees so they could be self-sufficient.
- He used audit reports religiously; if there were problem areas, he trained his
employees to prevent reoccurrence.
- He cross-trained his employees to do every job in the workcenter.
- He set up procedure manuals, so information was at his employees’ fingertips.
- He rewarded good performance.
The second supervisor is what every employer needs. Do your supervisors have the
requisite skills?