Top Supervisory Problems - Respect for workers pays dividends

“My supervisor doesn’t listen to me.”
One of the biggest complaints of employees is that their supervisors are not taking the time to listen to them. This can be very stressful for employees who believe that they could do a better job if certain changes were made. Sometimes supervisors are reluctant to hear workers’ concerns because they worry that they are not in a position to help solve their problems.

Listening to your workers communicates respect for them. Even if you don’t agree to requested changes, employees feel better when they feel heard. Also, employees that know that their supervisors will listen to them, are more likely to pass along information that they have learned from other employees. This keeps the supervisor in the loop and helps them to act on situations that could become bigger problems.

“I am doing the work of 2 or 3 people.”
Sometimes, due to changing workload, we ask our employees to work under less-than-perfect conditions. We may realize that we are asking them to do more in the same amount of time or with limited resources. One of the keys to keeping the overworked employee from burning out is for supervisors to acknowledge the situation. Let the worker know that you are aware that you are asking more from them than usual and thank them for their extra work. Employees will work better if they are acknowledged for their extra efforts.

It is also important to realize that workers who are being asked to get more done in the same time period will eventually get burned out. As soon as possible, add staff or reassign work loads or priorities. If the overworked employee knows that the supervisor is actively working to normalize the workload, they are much more likely to cooperate.

In industries where work loads often vary, many successful companies create built in extra capacity when hiring workers and purchasing equipment. Much of the time the workgroup will work at 80%-90% capacity, but when the workload increases, the extra work can be absorbed and accomplished in a timely manner.