A New Look at The Role of the Frontline Supervisor

Did you know that frontline supervisors make up roughly 50-60% of a company’s management ranks and directly supervise around 80% of the total workforce? This could be information we already know but the question is what do we do with it. This is adequate information to build the business case for delivering value through frontline supervisors.

Frontline supervisors directly influence the following:

• Productivity

• Profitability

• Quality of goods and services

• Work environment (climate for cooperation)

A recent study by Seth Prins revealed that frontline supervisors (middle management) have dual roles that embody aspects of ownership and front-line labor, without the full benefits of being one or the other—they get criticism from above and below. Thus, they are most prone to both depression and anxiety emanating from internalizing failures. In my coaching work, I have noted that frontline supervisors have genuine passion and concerns regarding their work and performance.

The biggest challenge is that conventional wisdom does not regard frontline supervisors as leaders. They are usually the least to be considered in leadership development programs. Thus, leaving them to suffer secretly. On the other hand, leaders who pay attention to the developmental needs of their frontline supervisors evolve into coaching and advisory roles. They create more time to focus on the strategic goals of the organization because the frontline supervisor is adequately equipped to focus on the day to day issues and deliver results.

Research shows that 83% of the workforce is stressed out and 53% feel burned out.

Here are top 4 reasons for stress and burnout in the workplace:

• Too much work

• Poor work-life balance

• Lack of professional development opportunities

• Lack of job security

If we want to transform the workplace, a new look at the role of frontline supervisor is required. We are currently running “The Frontline Supervisor Coaching and Mentoring Program’ which we developed to address this business need. We look back and smile at the impact this program has had on work teams.

Author: Naomi Chitambira