Supervisors: The Key to Employee Retention

Focus groups and employee surveys have revealed that the supervisor is the key to success in any organization. Their interaction with employees on a day-to-day basis is crucial for limiting grind and burnout. It's important to acknowledge that supervisors require the proper support in order to prevent attrition among their teams. 

The Supervisors Role Then and Now

Before the great shift to an at-home office environment, supervisors and employees had a multitude of resources at their fingertips. Departments like HR and IT were readily available to offer instantaneous help, and employees had other coworkers they could rely on and train with. Supervisors now are at the center of the employee experience, coordinating and mediating activities previously handled through other channels. Yet, most supervisors are ill-prepared for this new level of engagement required to bridge the physical gap between them and their team members.

Brian Kearney, Sr. Consultant, Customer Service Advisory, J.D. Power and Co-Founder, 5th Talent reveals from his studies why certain managers struggled with this shift and why others thrived. Regarding their extensive survey of supervisors and how prepared they were for working with remote employees:

"The (survey) question was… ‘Did you receive any training from your company to do that? And if you did receive it, how good was it, was it not helpful, somewhat helpful, or very helpful?’ If you take the two dynamics of people who didn't receive any training, and those who may have received some training, but it was not helpful, their teams were not doing nearly as well as those who received training. They (who received effective training) were not having problems with adherence and absenteeism, and they were far superior on things like first contact resolution and customer satisfaction... You can see it definitely has an impact on the employee and performance."

The Important Role Supervisors Play in Retention and Preventing Burnout

Employees progress through a series of stages before their ultimate resignation from their role. However, their decision to leave doesn’t happen overnight. Supervisors can intervene with team members throughout their process of disengagement and eventual exit from the company. However, to do so effectively, supervisors need to adopt a mindset for remote work and learn new skills to bridge the physical gap between them and their team.

What Keeps Employees From Leaving?

Employees cite the necessary drive for staying in a position is whether they feel that the work that they're doing is meaningful. The supervisor plays a huge part in creating a culture of fulfillment by providing the tools for employees to succeed and excel on their own during customer interactions. Supervisors need to change their mindset and focus on what their team members want to experience and what would make their work more fulfilling. This could range from specific development the employee needs to excel with customers or encouraging the employee by stressing the importance of serving the customer rather than just focusing on operational metrics.

What Can You Do to Support Your Supervisors?

To keep employees engaged and motivated, it's especially important to help supervisors and managers operate in this challenging environment. What steps can you take?

• Take the time to train: Develop in-depth training programs to assist your managers and supervisors in becoming stronger leaders and communicators, especially in a work at home environment.
• Strengthen supervisor support: Ensure that the supervisors' direct report is equipped to offer assistance and guidance. The support they receive sets up the foundation for the employees they manage.