When changing to a 24/7 schedule, companies often face a number of issues they didn't anticipate. They knew they'd need a new day-on-day-off pattern. And they probably knew they'd have to hire more staff. However, they may not have known about issues related to skill distribution or the need to revise pay policies to match the new schedule.
The more a company digs into this type of project, the more complicated it becomes. Questions such as: “Can we run an 8-hour schedule on one line and a 12-hour schedule on another?” Or, “What should we do with the new schedule if demand drops?” Eventually, the project manager or team will get around to the broad question of “What about supervision?”
This is often left to the very end. There are several reasons for this. First of all, number-wise, there are far fewer supervisors than hourly shift workers to worry about scheduling, so they should be easy to deal with. Additionally, supervisors are managers, so they should be considered “team players” that will do whatever they are called upon to do. And finally, companies simply underestimate the impact of supervision on their operation.
This is not to say that companies think their supervisors are unimportant. They just often fail to realize just how important that position is. Here are a few key points that we think are important when it comes to your supervisors:
- Supervisors are managers AND shiftworkers. They must straddle the wall between the needs of the company and the needs of the people they supervise. When the company needs to get something done, it is the supervisor who sees to its accomplishment on the shop floor. If the workforce has an issue with something, the supervisor is seen as their advocate to get them the help they need. This is a complicated dance, and it takes a special talent to pull it off well.
- If a supervisor is weak, his or her crew will under-perform. This sounds obvious but it's often quite difficult to detect. A poor supervisor will do at least one of the following: (a) blame upper management for difficult decisions instead of taking on the responsibility himself, (b) direct the workforce with an authoritarian fist rather than leading them through coaching and encouragement. The result will be a workforce that is anti-company. This will show up in small ways such as higher than expected absenteeism, periodic quality issues and safety problems. An employee who feels he or she is not part of the company will perform at a level below that which they are capable of. A good supervisor will bring out the best in his people while a poor supervisor will bring out the worst.
- Supervisors need to be on the same schedule as the people they supervise. This will cause a two-way ownership that is important to the smooth operation of your facility. This perfect matching of schedules will enable a supervisor to say “those are my people”. At the same time, the employees will be able to say, “that is my supervisor.” Each knows the other. The supervisor understands his workers' abilities and weaknesses. The workers understand expectations. Communications between the two are consistent. Feedback, both ways, is more readily understood and accepted. When we go to plants where supervisors are on a different schedule from the people they supervise, we know there will be big problems. There will be a lack of accountability, poor communications, duplication of efforts and important projects left unattended because “someone else was supposed to do it.”
- The more supervision is included in the decision process, the more they will support it. All too often, I'll ask a supervisor, “Why is this being done this way?” only to get the response, “I don't know. No one tells me anything.” Do not miss any opportunity to empower your supervisors. Keep them informed and when possible, let them help to make the decision. If they are left out of this loop, expect them to become more “hourly” oriented and less management focused.
A shift schedule change represents an ideal opportunity to get your supervisors involved. Let them know what is going on and invite them to participate in resolving issues; there will be plenty to go around.
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