Working with supervisors

The supervisor’s job is difficult, demanding and often frustrating. Supervisors usually picture themselves as people squeezed between line employees and management.

They are management’s representatives to the work force, and yet management does not accept them as equals.

They are frequently the last to know about decisions that affect their areas of responsibility. In most organizations, they can’t hire, fire, transfer, or promote. Usually they have very little say about salary changes for employees.

It is vitally important that stewards understand the constraints and pressures under which supervisors are forced to work. Stewards must be able to work effectively with supervisors to solve problems and to settle grievances.

Stewards must also begin to look more closely at the behavior of supervisors in given situations. They must analyze how supervisors interact on the job and determine how they can use this information to represent workers and enforce the contract.

Keep in mind that supervisors are human beings and that they exhibit common characteristics in most situations. These are outlined briefly below:

Self-interest: Supervisors are egocentric and look at situations in terms of how they will affect them personally. Supervisors will often fight a grievance which they think might affect their relationship with workers or management.

The Authority Complex: Being able to give orders to other people generally inflates one’s sense of importance. However, employees resent following orders given an arrogant manner.

The Communications Barrier: Spoken and written words are often misunderstood. What is communicated is determined by the tone of the voice, facial expressions, and the body language of the sender.

Self- justification: Once a decision is made, the decision maker will most often try to justify it, even when he or she has made a mistake.

Gut Reactions: Most people react to situations in a particular predetermined manner, without knowing why. Moreover, they assume that their reactions are correct and that most other people would react in the same way.

Supervisors as A Source Of Grievances

Some supervisors are responsible for causing grievances because of incorrect decisions or failure to take proper action when they should.

Wrong Attitudes

A supervisor’s attitude toward the union is often the cause of grievances. Supervisors and managers often resent having their decisions questioned and having to answer formal grievances.

If a supervisor’s attitudes are antagonistic or arrogant, he or she is likely to act in a manner which will irritate subordinates, thereby causing grievances. An arrogant supervisor usually issues orders in a heavy-handed manner and reprimands employees with little or no reason.

A supervisor’s attitude of “Do as you are told because I’m the boss” will be resented, particularly by an employee performing work which requires a relatively high level of knowledge or skill. The employee’s personal dignity will be offended. Such arbitrary and inconsiderate action by a supervisor inevitably irritates employees and causes grievances.

Weak Supervision

The opposite of tough, arrogant supervisors are weak supervisors who fail to command proper respect from their subordinates. This type of supervisor can also cause grievances.

Unjust Discipline

Undeserved or excessively harsh discipline may cause grievances. Unjust discipline is almost always due to the supervisor’s failure to control emotions, or the failure to get all the facts before imposing discipline.

If a supervisor loses his or her temper and disciplines employees while still angry, the supervisor is unlikely to be objective and will probably impose a penalty more severe than is warranted by the employee’s act. Supervisors should cool off, make sure they have all the facts concerning the incident, and then determine what discipline is justified. Unfair discipline is almost sure to cause grievances, and they may even find that the facts do not justify discipline of any kind.

Favoritism and Inconsistency

Favoritism shown by supervisors is almost certain to eventually cause grievances. Inconsistency on the part of supervisors is a form of favoritism. If they reprimand one employee for tardiness, but overlook the tardiness of another; permit one employee to leave early, yet deny the same privilege to another; they are favoring certain employees and discriminating against others. This will cause grievances.

Supervisors must treat all employees fairly and impartially; it is important not only to be consistent, but also to avoid any appearance of inconsistency.

Promises to Employees

Promises should seldom be made to employees, but any promise made by supervisors should be fulfilled, or the employee will have a grievance. Supervisors must be careful to avoid statements which can be interpreted as a promise. All of us are prone to read into other people’s statements just what we want to hear, and sometimes an employee will regard a supervisor’s casual remark as an implied promise.

Unclear Orders and Inadequate Instructions

If an order is not clear or if employees do not completely understand it, a grievance may result.

Inadequate instructions, like unclear orders, can also cause grievances. This applies particularly in the case of a newly hired employee. New employees may be experienced in the type of work assigned, but supervisors must make sure that employees know exactly what they are supposed to do, how they are to perform the work, and the results expected. In addition, the supervisor should show them where to obtain special tools, materials, and equipment and should explain the procedures to follow. If new employees are inexperienced in the work they are to do, the supervisor should instruct them thoroughly.

Unless orders are clearly understood by employees, and unless employees are properly instructed, misunderstandings will occur and cause grievances. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that subordinates fully understand orders, and that they are properly instructed to do their work.

Failure to Keep Employees Informed

Employees are entitled to know about any changes planned by management or by the supervisor which will affect them in any way. Any change planned should be communicated to them as soon as possible after a definite decision has been made to effect the change. It is not enough merely to announce the change; the reason for the change should be explained. The employees should be given an opportunity to ask questions and get answers.

Failure to Consider Employee’s Best Interests

If a supervisor acts in a manner which obstructs an employee’s progress or otherwise affects an employee’s best interests, a grievance may result.

Incomplete Understanding of Labor Contract

Failure to abide strictly by the contract provisions nearly always causes grievances: any violation of the labor agreement justifies a grievance and the union will undoubtedly present one.

Not only should supervisors know the contract and company policies and rules, they should make sure their subordinates understand them.