A concise working summary of principles for those who manage people, particularly new front line supervisors and their bosses. Can be used as a basis for supervisory and leadership training in any type of organization. Based on practical knowledge and lessons learned from over 80 years of combined, successful business experiences.

The Guide for Frontline Supervisors (and Their Bosses)

By Tim Hewitt Tom Zabor

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Tim Hewitt - Tom Zabor
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4634-0170-2

Contents

Preface..............................................................................................................................viiiIntroduction.........................................................................................................................xi1. The Role of the Frontline Supervisor..............................................................................................12. The Business of Your Business.....................................................................................................73. Performance Management and Compensation...........................................................................................174. Communications and Employee Relations.............................................................................................295. Legal Requirements................................................................................................................416. Recruiting, Hiring, and Retention.................................................................................................497. Training and Development..........................................................................................................618. Labor and Union Relations.........................................................................................................719. Leadership and Team Building......................................................................................................8110. Occupational Safety..............................................................................................................9111. Management of Your Time..........................................................................................................10312. Fundamentals.....................................................................................................................113Part A: Company (Senior Management) Fundamentals: The (Hopefully Formal) Structure You Need to Run Your Business.....................114Part B: "Everyday" Fundamentals for Supervisors......................................................................................117Part C: A Sample Contract of Engagement with Employees...............................................................................119

Chapter One

The Role of the Frontline Supervisor

In Chapter one we provide a summary of the high level concepts that enable an employer and its Frontline Supervisors to understand the "balance" of this book and how the specific Tools we provide help the employer and supervisor succeed.

1. The execution of an organization's day-to-day operations is the primary responsibility of the frontline supervisor (FLS). Senior management has given that responsibility to the FLS. To a large extent, the level of an organization's long-term success relies on the effective execution of daily operations by the FLS. If the FLS can be relied on to effectively run daily operations, the rest of senior management can then focus their attention on longer term and more strategic business issues such as business development, acquisitions, market and technical research, and employee growth and development programs.

It seems obvious that the FLS plays a major role in an organization's success. Then why do many organizations struggle with daily operations and the relationship between senior management and the FLS? We believe one reason for this struggle is an absence in the business world of any effective tools that link senior management with the FLS. Senior management always has the best intentions, but as they face market challenges on a daily basis there is simply not enough time or any effective tools to address the linkage between senior management and the FLS.

The primary purpose of this book is to provide the tools that can make any organization more successful by linking all levels of the enterprise.

2. The FLS comes into her business role initially from a foreign perspective from the rest of management. In many cases, the FLS is selected for the position from the nonmanagement group because she is good at the work and probably shows some initiative. But she has very little or no supervisory experience. Frequently the FLS is placed into a situation where she is expected to supervise her old team. At best this is a very tricky situation for everyone. It should be avoided if at all possible until appropriate training is provided. The promoted individual needs to be prepared for this career change.

At the start, the FLS has one foot in the new world and one foot in the old world. She is neither "fish nor fowl." Without immediate and appropriate training, the new FLS will struggle and possibly fail. The failure of an FLS normally negatively impacts the business in myriad ways, such as lost profits, poor customer service, and poor employee relations—longer term, even lost customers.

In this book we intend to define the tools an organization can employ to assist in the effective transformation of an FLS. We want to explore some of the individual tools and concepts that will help make a new FLS more effective in her job.

3. The new FLS must quickly realize that he or she is now part of management. Their daily routine and job responsibilities will likely be drastically different than before they became an FLS.

4. While it is always desirable for all employees to feel like they are part of a larger team, the FLS will likely feel this in a profound way. The FLS will likely be a part of a group of supervisors that are not only linked by common goals and objectives but also linked by operations. The output of each department will impact the output of the other departments. The FLS must embrace the concept/reality that she is now part of a larger team—each member relying on the other.

5. Planning will be a big part of the FLS job duties. In addition to supervising day-to-day departmental operations, the FLS will need to set aside time to plan departmental job activities, prepare and execute employee performance appraisals of some type, budget, forecast and prepare periodic management reports, communicate to employees the company news on a regular basis, and the list goes on. Developing effective time management skills is a must for everyone in management but especially for the FLS. This is the type of basic training that management should make available to everyone in management. By the way, being able to delegate certain job duties can be an effective time management tool, although this may be difficult for most. (Who's available to delegate to?)

6. The FLS must remember her primary allegiance is to the organization, and in most companies this usually means a responsibility to her boss and to her direct reports. Unfortunately, in many companies there is the element of politics. In our experience the best way to avoid or manage the politics is to communicate frequently, openly when appropriate, and honestly. And always remember who your boss is.

7. The FLS must be responsible for her own continued development and learning. This development and learning goes beyond company-sponsored training. The FLS needs to find opportunities to learn more about the overall business operation. Those opportunities may present themselves in less formal ways such as a discussion with a manager from another part of the business at lunch, a coffee break, or at the "water cooler." More formal opportunities may present themselves as well in the form of a division-wide or company-wide management meeting. Not only will understanding the big picture and how all of the "pieces" fit together in the running of the business help the FLS in supervising her department for success, it will give her knowledge that will improve her own worth to the company.

8. Finally, senior management's role is to create the overall environment that promotes the growth and success of the FLS. The role of the FLS in driving the organization's success cannot be ignored or overstated. In our experience it matters not what talent level the senior management team is or the value of the product, the organization's success will be diminished if the FLS cannot do her job effectively.

Chapter Two

The Business of Your Business

The Situation

Jim O'Brian is employed by a midsized manufacturing company, Acme Manufacturing, maker of plastic kitchen products and utensils.

Jim has worked for Acme for ten years as an electrician, having been hired soon after he completed a post-high-school apprenticeship program with a local union. Jim had a very good attendance record for Acme and became well liked by the management organization because of his "can-do" attitude and friendliness with most of the company's 125 employees. He accepted a promotion to a frontline supervisory position about one year ago.

Jim was relatively comfortable in his old electrician job. He liked his boss, and he liked the work he was doing—repairing electrical systems on Acme's manufacturing equipment. Acme's equipment was older and established, with few "state of the art" complications, and their processes had remained relatively stable during Jim's employment. He knew his job and was comfortable with it. He did what his boss assigned to him and didn't think much about the job or his employer once he left work every day.

Jim was now, after the promotion, feeling "out of his comfort zone" and was having second thoughts about why exactly he had taken the promotion to supervisor. He was now directly supervising twenty employees in a production assembly department, a far cry from his electrician's job. He knew the capabilities of the equipment being used in his department and knew his twenty employees, having bowled with many of them and having repaired the equipment most of them used over the years, but something was missing.

Jim had taken the job willingly because of the salary increase he was offered, the new career potential he believed he had acquired, and the "prestige" he thought was associated with being a part of management. His wife was as excited as he was and readily supported his decision to take the new job.

Jim now worked for an Acme general foreman, Teddy Smitts, who had worked his way up after high school and twenty years in the organization. Teddy was friendly, very practical, and knew how to get things done.

Jim had been talking with Teddy over a period of time, trying to figure out what was "bugging" him—what was causing his job frustration. He asked Teddy about future potential with the company and was surprised to learn that Teddy couldn't help, since he didn't know much about Acme's future.

And it then came to Jim—he also was ignorant of Acme's future. Teddy didn't know, and he didn't know anything of the "big picture." They were both following production orders from above, and, although they followed orders well, neither was able to add anything of value to the running of the department. Jim wasn't even comfortable that he knew enough to satisfy the twenty employees working for him, who were continually asking him questions about their job security, their future potential, and the daily "whys" about their jobs.

Jim talked to his wife, and she confirmed that he had been very proud of his prior work and accomplishments as an electrician but appeared to be reticent during the last year, less assured, and certainly less happy with his job.

What's missing in Jim's job satisfaction?

Is the situation salvageable?

How can he fix the problem?

The Tools

Too often FLS's and their team don't understand how their departmental activities impact their business operationally and financially. In this Chapter, Tools are offered to assist the FLS in linking the overall financial success of the business to the success of their department.

1. Each FLS must understand the general accounting principles of "business engagement" in order to communicate effectively with their employees about the organization's business objectives.

2. Know the metrics of your organization, their history, and current challenges, and know how your competition is doing/comparing.

3. Know how your department/function is impacted by functions earlier in the process, and how you impact those later in the process.

4. Understand the basics of budgeting, why it's important, your role in the process, and how to keep track of performance (variance reporting).

5. Understand the basics of your organization's ongoing costs/ expenses and where the major cost factors/opportunities for improvement reside.

6. Understand the capital expense requirements of your organization and their priorities.

7. Know the financing realities and total people costs of your organization and how those costs affect the bottom line.

8. Know how your organization makes money and who your most important and profitable customers are.

9. Know your organization's product—and what differentiates it from competitors.

10. Be familiar with the legal/regulatory process as it affects your organization.

11. Understand the basic framework of your organization's obligation to report and publicly disclose accounting/business information.

12. Understand your organization's plan for the future—and make sure this strategic plan is aligned with the performance of your employees.

13. Know your accounting organization in order to identify your resources for questions that you or your employees may have.

14. In summary, know how your organization makes and spends money (and monitors it), especially as it relates to your part of the business.

15. And understand that 90 percent of your employees will agree with 90 percent of your business decisions if you tell them, in advance, the whats and whys of your decisions.

Tips: The FLS must know how the organization makes and spends money. If the FLS doesn't know, neither will their employees. And, in the business of your business, there are rules of the game and marketplace standards on how to "keep count." This universal language of measurement, required by many accounting and performance standards, will enable you, the FLS, to appropriately communicate the "rules" to your people.

A Story

I first met Robert when he was just a few years from retirement. His reputation preceded him. Robert was reported to be rough and gruff. He suffered fools poorly. Robert only had a high school education. He lived on a farm forty minutes south of headquarters and sometimes his shoes (boots) were muddy when you would see him at work. He was an executive vice president of the company, and was president of the company's largest and most successful division. I worked in that division.

Robert's division had operations in four Midwest states, and he was constantly on the run, visiting all of the facilities. He always seemed to arrive unannounced, and pity the poor manager whose operation was not running in top form. It seemed everyone spent a great deal of time trying to keep track of him and decipher his travel scheme. If he had a scheme, he kept it to himself. In fact, most people tried to avoid him, to be out of the office when he arrived. This included the managers. To them it seemed that nothing good ever came from too much contact with the "big boss."

Robert seemed to know every aspect of the business. He could recite sales goals, margin targets, payroll expenses in total dollars and percent of sales, sales and marketing expenses, etc., all from memory. He knew the history of the division like his family history. Robert knew when each facility was built and why and who the first manager was. He knew the history of the first facility particularly well, since he started it and was the first manager.

One day I drew the short straw. Robert needed a driver all day, and of course no one volunteered. Everyone was too busy. As a young, first-line supervisor, I was probably the busiest person on the management team, but I was the junior member. So I took a quick break and gulped down some coffee while saying a quick rosary.

What I thought was going to be a dreadful day turned out to be one of the most formative and memorable days in my career. Robert was delightful. He knew I drew the short straw, and he was well aware of his reputation. Robert did everything he could to make me feel comfortable.

Initially Robert asked me about myself. Actually he told me about myself. Robert knew where I was from, where I went to college, my major, my interests, and my likes and dislikes. It seemed he knew that information about most of the division's "key" employees. Robert made it his business to know the management team, especially their capabilities and limitations.

I finally got up the nerve to ask Robert about his background. He asked me what I had heard and confirmed most of it while filling in some of the blanks. Robert said most people wondered how a farm boy without a college degree could become so successful in the business world. I asked him the obvious question: "Well, how did you become so successful?" His response was simple. Robert said he always asked questions. Robert said his father told him it was too simple just to follow directions. You had to know why. Robert told me that asking questions made everything more interesting.

When he hired on the company over forty years ago as a general laborer, he just started asking questions. This trait soon set him apart from most employees. Robert knew why certain things were done a certain way. This knowledge helped him improve operations and anticipate problems.

Over the course of our day together, Robert regaled me with story after story of all of the right and wrong things he did, and what he had learned. Robert felt he needed to know every aspect of the business so that he could contribute to the company's overall success in the most effective way. And, along the way, Robert became quite successful himself. (Continues...)

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