Is your supervisor trained to be a supervisor

What is "Safety
Management"? What Do
Managers/Supervisors Do?
Most safety culture improvement initiatives either start at
the top or the bottom of the organizational structure, with executive coaching for
senior managers or work force teambuilding for the rank and file. Some experts
believe that safety begins with leadership; others stress that worker behavior has
the most impact on safety. Both approaches can achieve improvement. However,
there are organizations with good reasons to delay these approaches and start
safety improvement in the middle. The role of the supervisor is to get work done
through others. Getting work done means projects or tasks are completed on time
and on budget. But what happens when there is an incident in the workplace?
Typically the project is delayed, which impacts the schedule and the budget.

Health and safety is often viewed as an add-on after a project or task has been
started. There is a persistent view that doing things safely has a negative impact on
productivity.
In fact, the opposite is true. Integrating health and safety into the daily activities of
the workplace is a proactive way to manage projects or tasks and ensure they are
completed on time and on budget.
Do your new supervisors know the importance of training their employees? Do they
know the best ways to make their training efforts effective? Today’s Advisor gives
you training information to convey to your new supervisors. Training employees is a
big part of any supervisor’s job. Whether it’s formal classroom training, safety
meetings, on-the-job training, or coaching, teaching employees how to do their jobs
properly is an important part of your supervisory responsibility. Training improves
worker performance and productivity. Formal and informal training should build skills
and competence as well as help employees understand: Their responsibilities and
functions Tasks and teamwork Equipment and technology Policies and procedures
Standards of quality, behavior, and so on How to work safely Why It Matters
Employees often get promoted to supervisor because they’re good at their jobs and
they’ve shown leadership skills. But that doesn’t mean they come to the supervisory
position with all the skills they need—including the ability to train. If you require your
new supervisors to train their staff, then train these new trainers in the skills they
need to transfer information effectively.
The Legal Responsibilities section focuses on teaching supervisors about the legal
duties and responsibilities of employers, supervisors, and workers under the health
and safety legislation. The concept of due diligence is discussed and activities that
demonstrate due diligence are explained.

The Elements of Supervising section explains how the supervisor gets work done
through others. The four basic management functions are discussed and students
learn how to deal with problems using three different leadership styles. We also
show supervisors how to integrate health and safety into their daily managerial
activities.
The Supervisor Safety Tasks section shows supervisors how to fulfil their role of
implementing health and safety in the workplace. These tasks include
• investigating incidents
• communicating the hazards
• inspecting the workplace
• enforcing the rules.
What is "Management"?
Traditional Interpretation
There are a variety of views about this term. Traditionally, the term "management"
refers to the set of activities, and often the group of people, involved in four general
functions, including planning, organizing, leading and coordinating activities. (Note
that the four functions recur throughout the organization and are highly integrated.)

Another Interpretation
Some writers, teachers and practitioners assert that the above view is rather
outmoded and that management needs to focus more on leadership skills, e.g.,
establishing vision and goals, communicating the vision and goals, and guiding
others to accomplish them. They also assert that leadership must be more
facilitative, participative and empowering in how visions and goals are established
and carried out. Some people assert that this really isn't a change in the
management functions, rather it's re-emphasizing certain aspects of management.
What Do Managers Do?
Both of the above interpretations acknowledge the major functions of planning,
organizing, leading and coordinating activities -- they put different emphasis and
suggest different natures of activities in the following four major functions. They still
agree that what managers do is the following:
1. Planning
including identifying goals, objectives, methods, resources needed to carry out
methods, responsibilities and dates for completion of tasks. Examples of planning
are strategic planning, business planning, project planning, staffing planning,
advertising and promotions planning, etc.
2. Organizing resources
to achieve the goals in an optimum fashion. Examples are organizing new
departments, human resources, office and file systems, re-organizing businesses,
etc.
3. Leading
Including to set direction for the organization, groups and individuals and also
influence people to follow that direction. Examples are establishing strategic
direction (vision, values, mission and / or goals) and championing methods of
organizational performance management to pursue that direction.
4. Controlling, or Coordinating
This occurs with the organization's systems, processes and structures to effectively
and efficiently reach goals and objectives. This includes ongoing collection of
feedback, and monitoring and adjustment of systems, processes and structures
accordingly. Examples include use of financial controls, policies and procedures,
performance management processes, measures to avoid risks etc.

Another common view is that "management" is getting things done through others.
Yet another view, quite apart from the traditional view, asserts that the job of
management is to support employee's efforts to be fully productive members of the
organizations and citizens of the community.
To most employees, the term "management" probably means the group of people
(executives and other managers) who are primarily responsible for making decisions
in the organization. In a nonprofit, the term "management" might refer to all or any of
the activities of the board, executive director and/or program directors.
What is "Supervision"? What Do Supervisors Do?
What is "Supervision"?
There are several interpretations of the term "supervision", but typically supervision
is the activity carried out by supervisors to oversee the productivity and progress of
employees who report directly to the supervisors. For example, first-level
supervisors supervise entry-level employees. Depending on the size of the
organization, middle-managers supervise first-level supervisors, chief executives
supervise middle-managers, etc. Supervision is a management activity and
supervisors have a management role in the organization.
What Do Supervisors Do?
Supervision of a group of employees often includes
1. Conducting basic management skills (decision making, problem solving, planning,
delegation and meeting management)

2. Organizing their department and teams
3. Noticing the need for and designing new job roles in the group
4. Hiring new employees
5. Training new employees
6. Employee performance management (setting goals, observing and giving
feedback, addressing performance issues, firing employees, etc.)
7. Conforming to personnel policies and other internal regulations
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Much of what managers and supervisors do is solve problems and make decisions.
New managers and supervisors, in particular, often solve problems and decisions by
reacting to them. They are "under the gun", stressed and very short for time.
Consequently, when they encounter a new problem or decision they must make, they
react with a decision that seemed to work before. It's easy with this approach to get
stuck in a circle of solving the same problem over and over again. Therefore, as a
new manager or supervisor, get used to an organized approach to problem solving
and decision making. Not all problems can be solved and decisions made by the
following, rather rational approach. However, the following basic guidelines will get
you started. Don't be intimidated by the length of the list of guidelines. After you've
practiced them a few times, they'll become second nature to you -- enough that you
can deepen and enrich them to suit your own needs and nature.
(Note that it might be more your nature to view a "problem" as an "opportunity".
Therefore, you might substitute "opportunity" for "problem" in the following
guidelines.)

1. Define the problem
This is often where people struggle. They react to what they think the problem is.
Instead, seek to understand more about why you think there's a problem.
Defining the problem: (with input from yourself and others)
Ask yourself and others, the following questions:
a. What can you see that causes you to think there's a problem?
b. Where is it happening?
c. How is it happening?
d. When is it happening?
e. With whom is it happening? (HINT: Don't jump to "Who is causing the problem?"
When we're stressed, blaming is often one of our first reactions. To be an effective
manager, you need to address issues more than people.)
f. Why is it happening?
g. Write down a five-sentence description of the problem in terms of "The following
should be happening, but isn't ..." or "The following is happening and should be: ..."
As much as possible, be specific in your description, including what is happening,
where, how, with whom and why. (It may be helpful at this point to use a variety of
research methods. See .
Defining complex problems:
a. If the problem still seems overwhelming, break it down by repeating steps a-f until
you have descriptions of several related problems.
Verifying your understanding of the problems:
a. It helps a great deal to verify your problem analysis for conferring with a peer or
someone else.
Prioritize the problems:
a. If you discover that you are looking at several related problems, then prioritize
which ones you should address first.
b. Note the difference between "important" and "urgent" problems. Often, what we
consider to be important problems to consider are really just urgent problems.
Important problems deserve more attention. For example, if you're continually
answering "urgent" phone calls, then you've probably got a more "important"
problem and that's to design a system that screens and prioritizes your phone calls.
Understand your role in the problem:
a. Your role in the problem can greatly influence how you perceive the role of others.
For example, if you're very stressed out, it'll probably look like others are, too, or,

you may resort too quickly to blaming and reprimanding others. Or, you are feel very
guilty about your role in the problem, you may ignore the accountabilities of others.
2. Look at potential causes for the problem
a. It's amazing how much you don't know about what you don't know. Therefore, in
this phase, it's critical to get input from other people who notice the problem and
who are effected by it.
b. It's often useful to collect input from other individuals one at a time (at least at
first). Otherwise, people tend to be inhibited about offering their impressions of the
real causes of problems.
c. Write down what your opinions and what you've heard from others.
d. Regarding what you think might be performance problems associated with an
employee, it's often useful to seek advice from a peer or your supervisor in order to
verify your impression of the problem.
e.Write down a description of the cause of the problem and in terms of what is
happening, where, when, how, with whom and why.
3. Identify alternatives for approaches to resolve the problem
a. At this point, it's useful to keep others involved (unless you're facing a personal
and/or employee performance problem). Brainstorm for solutions to the problem.
Very simply put, brainstorming is collecting as many ideas as possible, then
screening them to find the best idea. It's critical when collecting the ideas to not
pass any judgment on the ideas -- just write them down as you hear them.
4. Select an approach to resolve the problem
When selecting the best approach, consider:
a. Which approach is the most likely to solve the problem for the long term?
b. Which approach is the most realistic to accomplish for now? Do you have the
resources? Are they affordable? Do you have enough time to implement the
approach?
c. What is the extent of risk associated with each alternative?
5. Plan the implementation of the best alternative (this is your action plan)
a. Carefully consider "What will the situation look like when the problem is solved?"
b. What steps should be taken to implement the best alternative to solving the
problem? What systems or processes should be changed in your organization, for
example, a new policy or procedure? Don't resort to solutions where someone is
"just going to try harder".
c. How will you know if the steps are being followed or not? (these are your
indicators of the success of your plan)

d. What resources will you need in terms of people, money and facilities?
e. How much time will you need to implement the solution? Write a schedule that
includes the start and stop times, and when you expect to see certain indicators of
success.
f. Who will primarily be responsible for ensuring implementation of the plan?
g. Write down the answers to the above questions and consider this as your action
plan.
h. Communicate the plan to those who will involved in implementing it and, at least,
to your immediate supervisor.
(An important aspect of this step in the problem-solving process is continually
observation and feedback.)
6. Monitor implementation of the plan
Monitor the indicators of success:
a. Are you seeing what you would expect from the indicators?
b. Will the plan be done according to schedule?
c. If the plan is not being followed as expected, then consider: Was the plan
realistic? Are there sufficient resources to accomplish the plan on schedule? Should
more priority be placed on various aspects of the plan? Should the plan be changed?
7. Verify if the problem has been resolved or not
One of the best ways to verify if a problem has been solved or not is to resume
normal operations in the organization. Still, you should consider:
a. What changes should be made to avoid this type of problem in the future?
Consider changes to policies and procedures, training, etc.
b. Lastly, consider "What did you learn from this problem solving?" Consider new
knowledge, understanding and/or skills.
c. Consider writing a brief memo that highlights the success of the problem solving
effort, and what you learned as a result. Share it with your supervisor, peers and
subordinates.
Planning
Quick Look at Some Basic Terms
Planning typically includes use of the following basic terms.

NOTE: It's not critical to grasp completely accurate definitions of each of the
following terms. It's more important for planners to have a basic sense for the
difference between goals/objectives (results) and strategies/tasks (methods to
achieve the results).
1. Goals
Goals are specific accomplishments that must be accomplished in total, or in some
combination, in order to achieve some larger, overall result preferred from the
system, for example, the mission of an organization. (Going back to our reference to
systems, goals are outputs from the system.)
2. Strategies or Activities
These are the methods or processes required in total, or in some combination, to
achieve the goals. (Going back to our reference to systems, strategies are processes
in the system.)
3. Objectives
Objectives are specific accomplishments that must be accomplished in total, or in
some combination, to achieve the goals in the plan. Objectives are usually
"milestones" along the way when implementing the strategies.
4. Tasks
Particularly in small organizations, people are assigned various tasks required to
implement the plan. If the scope of the plan is very small, tasks and activities are
often essentially the same.
5. Resources (and Budgets)
Resources include the people, materials, technologies, money, etc., required to
implement the strategies or processes. The costs of these resources are often
depicted in the form of a budget. (Going back to our reference to systems, resources
are input to the system.)
Basic Overview of Typical Phases in Planning
Whether the system is an organization, department, business, project, etc., the basic
planning process typically includes similar nature of activities carried out in similar
sequence. The phases are carried out carefully or -- in some cases -- intuitively, for
example, when planning a very small, straightforward effort. The complexity of the
various phases (and their duplication throughout the system) depend on the scope of
the system. For example, in a large corporation, the following phases would be

carried out in the corporate offices, in each division, in each department, in each
group, etc.
NOTE: Different groups of planners might have different names for the following
activities and groups them differently. However, the nature of the activities and their
general sequence remains the same.
NOTE: The following are typical phases in planning. They donot comprise the
complete, ideal planning process.
1. Reference Overall Singular Purpose ("Mission")
or Desired Result from System
During planning, planners have in mind (consciously or unconsciously) some overall
purpose or result that the plan is to achieve. For example, during strategic planning,
it's critical to reference the mission, or overall purpose, of the organization.
2. Take Stock Outside and Inside the System
This "taking stock" is always done to some extent, whether consciously or
unconsciously. For example, during strategic planning, it's important to conduct an
environmental scan. This scan usually involves considering various driving forces, or
major influences, that might effect the organization.
3. Analyze the Situation
For example, during strategic planning, planners often conduct a "SWOT analysis".
(SWOT is an acronym for considering the organization's strengths and weaknesses,
and the opportunities and threats faced by the organization.) During this analysis,
planners also can use a variety of assessments, or methods to "measure" the health
of systems.
4. Establish Goals
Based on the analysis and alignment to the overall mission of the system, planners
establish a set of goals that build on strengths to take advantage of opportunities,
while building up weaknesses and warding off threats.
5. Establish Strategies to Reach Goals
The particular strategies (or methods to reach the goals) chosen depend on matters
of affordability, practicality and efficiency.
6. Establish Objectives Along the Way to Achieving Goals
Objectives are selected to be timely and indicative of progress toward goals.

7. Associate Responsibilities and Time Lines With Each Objective
Responsibilities are assigned, including for implementation of the plan, and for
achieving various goals and objectives. Ideally, deadlines are set for meeting each
responsibility.
8. Write and Communicate a Plan Document
The above information is organized and written in a document which is distributed
around the system.
9. Acknowledge and Celebrate Accomplishment of the Plan
This step is frequently forgotten, which can lead to increasing frustration and
skepticism on the part of those people who are responsible to carry out the plan.
Guidelines to Ensure Successful Planning and Implementation
A common failure in many kinds of planning is that the plan is never really
implemented. Instead, all focus is on writing a plan document. Too often, the plan
sits collecting dust on a shelf. Therefore, most of the following guidelines help to
ensure that the planning process is carried out completely and is implemented
completely -- or, deviations from the intended plan are recognized and managed
accordingly.
1. Involve the Right People in the Planning Process
Going back to the reference to systems, it's critical that all parts of the system
continue to exchange feedback in order to function effectively. This is true no matter
what type of system. When planning, get input from everyone who will responsible to
carry out parts of the plan, along with representative from groups who will be

effected by the plan. Of course, people also should be involved if they will be
responsible to review and authorize the plan.
2. Write Down the Planning Information and Communicate it Widely
New managers, in particular, often forget that others don't know what these
managers know. Even if managers do communicate their intentions and plans
verbally, chances are great that others won't completely hear or understand what
the manager wants done. Also, as plans change, it's extremely difficult to remember
who is supposed to be doing what and according to which version of the plan. Key
stakeholders (employees, management, board members, funders, investor,
customers, clients, etc.) may request copies of various types of plans. Therefore, it's
critical to write plans down and communicate them widely.
3. Goals and Objectives Should Be SMARTER
SMARTER is an acronym, that is, a word composed by joining letters from different
words in a phrase or set of words. In this case, a SMARTER goal or objective is:
Specific:
For example, it's difficult to know what someone should be doing if they are to
pursue the goal to "work harder". It's easier to recognize "Write a paper".
Measurable:
It's difficult to know what the scope of "Writing a paper" really is. It's easier to
appreciate that effort if the goal is "Write a 30-page paper".
Acceptable:
If I'm to take responsibility for pursuit of a goal, the goal should be acceptable to me.
For example, I'm not likely to follow the directions of someone telling me to write a
30-page paper when I also have to five other papers to write. However, if you involve
me in setting the goal so I can change my other commitments or modify the goal, I'm
much more likely to accept pursuit of the goal as well.
Realistic:
Even if I do accept responsibility to pursue a goal that is specific and measurable,
the goal won't be useful to me or others if, for example, the goal is to "Write a 30-
page paper in the next 10 seconds".
Time frame:
It may mean more to others if I commit to a realistic goal to "Write a 30-page paper
in one week". However, it'll mean more to others (particularly if they are planning to
help me or guide me to reach the goal) if I specify that I will write one page a day for
30 days, rather than including the possibility that I will write all 30 pages in last day
of the 30-day period.

Extending:
The goal should stretch the performer's capabilities. For example, I might be more
interested in writing a 30-page paper if the topic of the paper or the way that I write
it will extend my capabilities.
Rewarding:
I'm more inclined to write the paper if the paper will contribute to an effort in such a
way that I might be rewarded for my effort.
4. Build in Accountability (Regularly Review Who's Doing What and By When?)
Plans should specify who is responsible for achieving each result, including goals
and objectives. Dates should be set for completion of each result, as well.
Responsible parties should regularly review status of the plan. Be sure to have
someone of authority "sign off" on the plan, including putting their signature on the
plan to indicate they agree with and support its contents. Include responsibilities in
policies, procedures, job descriptions, performance review processes, etc.
5. Note Deviations from the Plan and Replan Accordingly
It's OK to deviate from the plan. The plan is not a set of rules. It's an overall
guideline. As important as following the plan is noticing deviations and adjusting the
plan accordingly.
6. Evaluate Planning Process and the Plan
During the planning process, regularly collect feedback from participants. Do they
agree with the planning process? If not, what don't they like and how could it be
done better? In large, ongoing planning processes (such as strategic planning,
business planning, project planning, etc.), it's critical to collect this kind of feedback
regularly.
During regular reviews of implementation of the plan, assess if goals are being
achieved or not. If not, were goals realistic? Do responsible parties have the
resources necessary to achieve the goals and objectives? Should goals be changed?
Should more priority be placed on achieving the goals? What needs to be done?
Finally, take 10 minutes to write down how the planning process could have been
done better. File it away and read it the next time you conduct the planning process.
7. Recurring Planning Process is at Least as Important as Plan Document
Far too often, primary emphasis is placed on the plan document. This is extremely
unfortunate because the real treasure of planning is the planning process itself.
During planning, planners learn a great deal from ongoing analysis, reflection,
discussion, debates and dialogue around issues and goals in the system. Perhaps

there is no better example of misplaced priorities in planning than in business ethics.
Far too often, people put emphasis on written codes of ethics and codes of conduct.
While these documents certainly are important, at least as important is conducting
ongoing communications around these documents. The ongoing communications are
what sensitize people to understanding and following the values and behaviors
suggested in the codes.
8. Nature of the Process Should Be Compatible to Nature of Planners
A prominent example of this type of potential problem is when planners don't prefer
the "top down" or "bottom up", "linear" type of planning (for example, going from
general to specific along the process of an environmental scan, SWOT analysis,
mission/vision/values, issues and goals, strategies, objectives, timelines, etc.) There
are other ways to conduct planning.
9. Critical -- But Frequently Missing Step -- Acknowledgement and Celebration of
Results
It's easy for planners to become tired and even cynical about the planning process.
One of the reasons for this problem is very likely that far too often, emphasis is
placed on achieving the results. Once the desired results are achieved, new ones are
quickly established. The process can seem like having to solve one problem after
another, with no real end in sight. Yet when one really thinks about it, it's a major
accomplishment to carefully analyze a situation, involve others in a plan to do
something about it, work together to carry out the plan and actually see some
results. So acknowledge this -- celebrate your accomplishment!
Effective Delegation
The hallmark of good supervision is effective delegation. Delegation is when
supervisors give responsibility and authority to subordinates to complete a task, and
let the subordinates figure out how the task can be accomplished. Effective
delegation develops people who are ultimately more fulfilled and productive.
Managers become more fulfilled and productive themselves as they learn to count on
their staffs and are freed up to attend to more strategic issues.
Delegation is often very difficult for new supervisors, particularly if they have had to
scramble to start the organization or start a major new product or service
themselves. Many managers want to remain comfortable, making the same decisions
they have always made. They believe they can do a better job themselves. They
don't want to risk losing any of their power and stature (ironically, they do lose these
if they don't learn to delegate effectively). Often, they don't want to risk giving
authority to subordinates in case they fail and impair the organization.

However, there are basic approaches to delegation that, with practice, become the
backbone of effective supervision and development.
1. Delegate the whole task to one person
This gives the person the responsibility and increases their motivation.
2. Select the right person
Assess the skills and capabilities of subordinates and assign the task to the most
appropriate one.
3. Clearly specify your preferred results
Give information on what, why, when, who and where. You might leave the "how" to
them. Write this information down.
4. Delegate responsibility and authority -- assign the task, not the method to
accomplish it
Let the subordinate complete the task in the manner they choose, as long as the
results are what the supervisor specifies. Let the employee have strong input as to
the completion date of the project. Note that you may not even know how to
complete the task yourself -- this is often the case with higher levels of management.
5. Ask the employee to summarize back to you, their impressions of the project and
the results you prefer
6. Get ongoing non-intrusive feedback about progress on the project
This is a good reason to continue to get weekly, written status reports from all direct
reports. Reports should cover what they did last week, plan to do next week and any
potential issues. Regular employee meetings provide this ongoing feedback, as well.
7. Maintain open lines of communication
Don't hover over the subordinate, but sense what they're doing and support their
checking in with you along the way.
8. If you're not satisfied with the progress, don't take the project back
Continue to work with the employee and ensure they perceive the project as their
responsibility.
9. Evaluate and reward performance
Evaluate results more than methods. Address insufficient performance and reward
successes. See the next major section, "Employee Performance Management."
Basics of Internal Communications
Effective communications is the "life's blood" of an organization. Organizations that
are highly successful have strong communications. One of the first signs that an

organization is struggling is that communications have broken down. The following
guidelines are very basic in nature, but comprise the basics for ensuring strong
ongoing, internal communications.
1. Have all employees provide weekly written status reports to their supervisors
Include what tasks were done last week, what tasks are planned next week, any
pending issues and date the report. These reports may seem a tedious task, but
they're precious in ensuring that the employee and their supervisor have mutual
understanding of what is going on, and the reports come in very handy for planning
purposes. They also make otherwise harried employees stand back and reflect on
what they're doing.
2. Hold monthly meetings with all employees together
Review the overall condition of the organization and review recent successes.
Consider conducting "in service" training where employees take turns describing
their roles to the rest of the staff. For clarity, focus and morale, be sure to use
agendas and ensure follow-up minutes. Consider bringing in a customer to tell their
story of how the organization helped them. These meetings go a long way toward
building a feeling of teamwork among staff.
3. Hold weekly or biweekly meetings with all employees together if the organization
is small (e.g., under 10 people); otherwise, with all managers together
Have these meetings even if there is not a specific problem to solve -- just make
them shorter. (Holding meetings only when there are problems to solve cultivates a
crisis-oriented environment where managers believe their only job is to solve
problems.) Use these meetings for each person to briefly give an overview of what
they are doing that week. Facilitate the meetings to support exchange of ideas and
questions. Again, for clarity, focus and morale, be sure to use agendas, take minutes
and ensure follow-up minutes. Have each person bring their calendar to ensure
scheduling of future meetings accommodates each person's calendar.
4. Have supervisors meet with their direct reports in one-on-one meetings every
month
This ultimately produces more efficient time management and supervision. Review
overall status of work activities, hear how it's going with both the supervisor and the
employee, exchange feedback and questions about current products and services,
and discuss career planning, etc. Consider these meetings as interim meetings
between the more formal, yearly performance review meetings.
Meeting Management
Meeting management tends to be a set of skills often overlooked by leaders and
managers. The following information is a rather "Cadillac" version of meeting
management suggestions. The reader might pick which suggestions best fits the
particular culture of their own organization. Keep in mind that meetings are very

expensive activities when one considers the cost of labor for the meeting and how
much can or cannot get done in them. So take meeting management very seriously.
The process used in a meeting depends on the kind of meeting you plan to have, e.g.,
staff meeting, planning meeting, problem solving meeting, etc. However, there are
certain basics that are common to various types of meetings. These basics are
described below.
(Note that there may seem to be a lot of suggestions listed below for something as
apparently simple as having a meeting. However, any important activity would
include a long list of suggestions. The list seems to become much smaller once you
master how to conduct the activity.)
Selecting Participants
1. The decision about who is to attend depends on what you want to accomplish in
the meeting. This may seem too obvious to state, but it's surprising how many
meetings occur without the right people there.
2. Don't depend on your own judgment about who should come. Ask several other
people for their opinion as well.
3. If possible, call each person to tell them about the meeting, it's overall purpose
and why their attendance is important.
4. Follow-up your call with a meeting notice, including the purpose of the meeting,
where it will be held and when, the list of participants and whom to contact if they
have questions.
5. Send out a copy of the proposed agenda along with the meeting notice.
6. Have someone designated to record important actions, assignments and due
dates during the meeting. This person should ensure that this information is
distributed to all participants shortly after the meeting.
Developing Agendas
1. Develop the agenda together with key participants in the meeting. Think of what
overall outcome you want from the meeting and what activities need to occur to
reach that outcome. The agenda should be organized so that these activities are
conducted during the meeting.
In the agenda, state the overall outcome that you want from the meeting
2. Design the agenda so that participants get involved early by having something for
them to do right away and so they come on time.
3. Next to each major topic, include the type of action needed, the type of output
expected (decision, vote, action assigned to someone), and time estimates for
addressing each topic
4. Ask participants if they'll commit to the agenda.
5. Keep the agenda posted at all times.
6. Don't overly design meetings; be willing to adapt the meeting agenda if members

are making progress in the planning process.
7. Think about how you label an event, so people come in with that mindset; it may
pay to have a short dialogue around the label to develop a common mindset among
attendees, particularly if they include representatives from various cultures.
Opening Meetings
1. Always start on time; this respects those who showed up on time and reminds
late-comers that the scheduling is serious.
2. Welcome attendees and thank them for their time.
3. Review the agenda at the beginning of each meeting, giving participants a chance
to understand all proposed major topics, change them and accept them.
4. Note that a meeting recorder if used will take minutes and provide them back to
each participant shortly after the meeting.
5. Model the kind of energy and participant needed by meeting participants.
6. Clarify your role(s) in the meeting.
Establishing Ground Rules for Meetings
You don't need to develop new ground rules each time you have a meeting, surely.
However, it pays to have a few basic ground rules that can be used for most of your
meetings. These ground rules cultivate the basic ingredients needed for a successful
meeting.
1. Four powerful ground rules are: participate, get focus, maintain momentum and
reach closure. (You may want a ground rule about confidentiality.)
2. List your primary ground rules on the agenda.
3. If you have new attendees who are not used to your meetings, you might review
each ground rule.
4. Keep the ground rules posted at all times.
Time Management
1. One of the most difficult facilitation tasks is time management -- time seems to
run out before tasks are completed. Therefore, the biggest challenge is keeping
momentum to keep the process moving.
2. You might ask attendees to help you keep track of the time.
3. If the planned time on the agenda is getting out of hand, present it to the group
and ask for their input as to a resolution.
Evaluations of Meeting Process
It's amazing how often people will complain about a meeting being a complete waste
of time -- but they only say so after the meeting. Get their feedback during the
meeting when you can improve the meeting process right away. Evaluating a
meeting only at the end of the meeting is usually too late to do anything about

participants' feedback.
1. Every couple of hours, conduct 5-10 minutes "satisfaction checks".
2. In a round-table approach, quickly have each participant indicate how they think
the meeting is going.
Evaluating the Overall Meeting
1. Leave 5-10 minutes at the end of the meeting to evaluate the meeting; don't skip
this portion of the meeting.
2. Have each member rank the meeting from 1-5, with 5 as the highest, and have
each member explain their ranking
3. Have the chief executive rank the meeting last.
Closing Meetings
1. Always end meetings on time and attempt to end on a positive note.
2. At the end of a meeting, review actions and assignments, and set the time for the
next meeting and ask each person if they can make it or not (to get their
commitment)
3. Clarify that meeting minutes and/or actions will be reported back to members in at
most a week (this helps to keep momentum going).
Managing Yourself
There are many sources of additional information and advice referenced at the end
of this section.
Role of New Manager or Supervisor of Often Very Stressful
The experience of a first-time supervisor or manager is often one of the most trying
in their career. They rarely have adequate training for the new management role --
they were promoted because of their technical expertise, not because of their
managerial expertise. They suddenly have a wide range of policies and other
regulations to apply to their subordinates. Work is never "done". They must represent
upper management to their subordinates, and their subordinates to upper
management. They're stuck in the middle. They can feel very alone.
Guidelines to Manage Yourself
Everyone in management has gone through the transition from individual contributor
to manager. Each person finds their own way to "survive". The following guidelines
will help you keep your perspective and your health.
1. Monitor your work hours
The first visible, undeniable sign that things are out of hand is that you're working

too many hours. Note how many hours you are working per week. Set a limit and
stick to that limit. Ask your peers or boss for help.
2. Recognize your own signs of stress
Different people show their stress in different ways. Some people have "blow ups".
Some people get very forgetful. Some people lose concentration. For many people,
they excel at their jobs, but their home life falls apart. Know your signs of stress.
Tell someone else what they are. Ask them to check in with you every two weeks to
see how you are doing. Every two weeks, write down how you are doing -- if only for
a minute. Stick in it a file marked "%*#)%&!!#$".
3. Get a mentor or a coach
Ideally, your supervisors is a very good mentor and coach. Many people have "been
there, done that" and can serve as great mentors to you.
4. Learn to delegate
Delegating is giving others the responsibility and authority to carry out tasks. You
maintain the accountability to get them done, but you let others decide how they will
carry out the tasks themselves. Delegation is a skill to learn. Start learning it.<
5. Communicate as much as you can
Have at least one person in your life with whom you are completely honest. Hold
regular meetings with staff -- all of them in one meeting at least once a month, and
meet at least once every two weeks with each of your direct reports. A common
problem among new managers and supervisors (or among experienced, but
ineffective ones) is not meeting unless there's something to say. There is always
something to communicate, even if to say that things are going well and then share
the health of your pets. New managers and supervisors often assume that their
employees know as much as they do. One of the first signs of an organization in
trouble is that communications break down. Err on the side of too much
communication, rather than not enough.
6. Recognize what's important from what's urgent -- fix the system, not the problem
One of the major points that experienced manages make is that they've learned to
respond to what's important, rather than what's urgent. Phone calls, sick employees,
lost paperwork, disagreements between employees all seem to suddenly crop up and
demand immediate attention. It can seem like your day is responding to one crises
after another. As you gain experience, you quit responding to the crisis and instead
respond to the problem that causes the crises. You get an answering machine or
someone else to answer the phone. You plan for employees being gone for the day --
and you accept that people get sick. You develop a filing system to keep track of
your paperwork. You learn basic skills in conflict management. Most important, you
recognize that management is a process -- you never really "finish" your to-do list --
your list is there to help you keep track of details. Over time, you learn to relax.

7. Recognize accomplishments
Our society promotes problem solvers. We solve one problem and quickly move on to
the next. The culture of many organizations rewards problem solvers. Once a
problem is solved, we quickly move on to the next to solve that one, too. Pretty soon
we feel empty. We feel as if we're not making a difference. Our subordinates do, too.
So in all your plans, include time to acknowledge accomplishments -- if only by
having a good laugh by the coffee machine, do take time to note that something
useful was done.
Designing Organization and Staff
Overall, the organization and its various groups should be organized in the
configuration that reaches business goals in the most effective and efficient fashion.
Guidelines in this section will help you ensure your organization and its various
groups are organized in the best configuration possible.
NOTE: Sources for additional and advanced information are included at the end of
this section.
If You Are In An Already Established Organizations, Then Organizing Will Be Easier if
You Have Been ...
1. Conducting strategic planning to regularly review the purpose of your
organization, its overall goals and who should be doing what to meet those goals
2. Using sound principles of employee performance management to regularly review
what employees should be doing to produce results, how they're doing toward their
results, and what must be done to help them do a better job of achieving results
If You Are In An Already Established Organizations, Then Typical Problems That
Suggest Need for Organizing (or Re-Organizing) Are ...
There are several problems that seem to keep coming up in small businesses,
whether for-profit or nonprofit. These problems include:
1. An employee keeps complaining (and you agree) that he or she is overloaded with
work.
2. Employees complain that their activities overlap.
3. An employee indicates (and you agree) that he or she does not have enough work
to do during a work day.
4. Employees complain that they're reporting to more than one boss, or supervisor.
5. An employee complains that their work includes very different tasks. For example,
they may have a highly complex and demanding project (e.g., leading strategic
planning) and a large routine, recurring task (sorting a great deal of the
organization's daily mail).
6. Management notices a large amount of employee turnover, that is, employees
don't stay long enough with the organization.
7. A department, or major function in the organization, has recurring problems.

NOTE: It is not always problems that provoke the need for organizing. For example, if
the organization has been conducting strategic planning and produced new goals,
these goals may require the organization to reorganize. For example, if the business
wants to expand marketshare in a certain region, then the organization may need a
new office in that region, more sales people, etc.
General Principles to Remember
Whether you're in an already established or a new organization, the activity of
organizing and re-organizing can be a major undertaking that has substantial effect
on everyone in the organization. Therefore, before we visit some specific guidelines
for carrying out change, it's important to keep the following general principles in
mind:
1. Don't get wrapped up in doing change for the sake of change. Know why you're
making the change. Know what overall goal(s) do you hope to accomplish.
2. Successful change must involve the strong, ongoing, visible participation of top
management.
3. Usually there's a champion who initially instigates the change by being visionary,
persuasive and consistent.
4. A change agent role is usually responsible to translate the vision to a realistic
plan and carry out the plan.
5. Take care of yourself first. Organization-wide change can be highly stressful.
6. The process won't be an "aha!" It will likely not be as bad as you might expect, but
won't be as good as you'd prefer either.
7. Keep perspective. Keep focused on meeting the needs of your customers.
8. Don't seek to control change, but rather to expect it, understand it and manage it.
9. Change is usually best carried out as a team-wide effort.
10. Communications about the change should be frequent and with all organization
members.
11. To sustain change, the structures of the organization itself should be modified,
including strategic plans, policies and procedures.
General Guidelines for Planning the Organizing
Recurring problems often seem to have little to do with the business's overall
purpose and goals. However, any attempts at reorganizing may be just fine tuning, or
tweaking, if not done with the long term in mind. In fact, the recurring problems may
be a symptom of the organization's not having clearly thought out what its overall
purpose and goals are. Without visiting the overall purpose and goals, redesign is
usually a highly reactive and very short-term fix. Therefore:
1. Carefully consider conducting a strategic planning process to guide you through
reviewing your organization's purpose.
2. Consider using a consultant. Ensure the consultant is highly experienced in
organization-wide change. Ask to see references and check the references.
3. Plan the change. How do you plan to reach the goals, what will you need to reach
the goals, how long might it take and how will you know when you've reached your
goals or not? What will you need in resources and how much will they probably cost?

Focus on the coordination of the departments/programs in your organization, not on
each part by itself. Have someone in charge of the plan.
4. Document a plan. Forums should be held for organization members to express
their ideas for the plan. They should be able to express their concerns and
frustrations as well. Note that plans do change. That's fine, but communicate that
the plan has changed and why.
5. Include closure in the plan to acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments.
6. Get as much feedback as practical from employees during planning and
implementation of the change, including what they think are the problems and what
should be done to resolve them. If possible, work with a team of employees to
manage the change.
7. Widely communicate the plan, including the need for change. The best approaches
to address resistance to change is through increased and sustained communications
and education.
Guidelines During Organizational Design
One of the most frequent and straightforward means to guide decisions about
organizational design is to examine similar businesses, including similar design and
nature of services and products. However, management should still undertake
careful examination of the design of their business. The following guidelines will help
you in this activity.
Lewis, Lewis and Souflee, in Management of Human Service Organizations
(Books/Cole, 1991, p. 80) list several key questions developing an organizational
design. These questions apply, whether for-profit or nonprofit organization. [Items in
brackets "[!!]" were inserted by Carter McNamara.!!]
1. What are the primary goals and objectives that the organization should be
designed to meet? (Strategic planning will help you determine what these goals are.)
2. What continuing activities need to be performed in order to implement the
strategies that have been selected as part of the planning process? (Strategic
planning will help you determine the answer to this question, too.)
3. How can the necessary activities to be divided so that individuals or groups can
be assigned responsibility for performing them [that is, organized into separate roles
and jobs!!]? [Activities should be grouped into related and similar activities as much
as possible so that individuals are working on tasks that are related and similar.!!]
4. Once activities have been grouped into specific jobs, what kind of authority and
responsibility should be assigned?
5. How and by whom should decisions be made? [Attempt to always and ultimately
have one person who is singularly responsible for decisions!!].
6. How specialized should roles be?
7. Who should control the work being performed?
8. How can communication and coordination among members of the organization be
facilitated?
9. How can job and role descriptions be developed to take into account both
functions and accountabilities?

10. How can coordination and communication with the external social environment
be facilitated?
Also strive to have:
11. Every employee ultimately reporting to one person, if possible, and they should
know who that person is. Job descriptions are often complained about, but they are
useful in specifying who reports to whom.
12. Carefully consider the span of control, that is, how many people are reporting to
whom. Can each manager really supervise that many people in an effective fashion?
13. When done designing the group, always build structure into the new design
through the use of organizational charts, job descriptions, policies and procedures
that document the design and who is doing what in it.
Defining a New Job Role
1. Recognizing the need for the new role
Often, managers realize the need for a new organizational role when employees
continue to report being short-handed and mention the same tasks are not being
done. Ideally, planning for a new role is done during strategic planning or when a
new product or service is added to the organization.
2. Draft a job description
Management should draft a job description which specifies the general
responsibilities of the position along with some of the specific duties to be
conducted by the role, the title for the position, and any special skills, training or
credentials required. (Do not seek job descriptions from other organizations and
merely adopt those. Your open position is unique and job descriptions are very
important so you should develop your own -- the process of completing the job
description is usually enlightening.) Note which job activities are essential and
which are non-essential. Add whom the position reports to and note if the position is
full-time or part-time. Consider if the position requires any special physical skills
(this may be important when considering accommodations to candidates with
physical disabilities and effects from the Americans with Disabilities Act). If the
position must be filled by a paid employee (see the next paragraph to consider if a
volunteer or consultant is more appropriate), consider if the position is exempt or
non-exempt (exempt from being paid overtime). Usually, highly skilled and/or
professional roles are exempt, while entry-level positions are non-exempt and will be
paid for over-time. Invite employees to review and edit the drafted job description.
Consider including a six-month probationary period for the new position and if you do
so, be sure to update your personnel policies to describe your organization's use of
the probationary conditions. A probationary period allows you to fire an employee
during the six months if you have concerns and greatly decreases the chances you
will be sued for wrongful termination.

3. Would a volunteer (in the case of nonprofits) or consultant be appropriate?
At this point, consider if the new position might be filled by a volunteer or
consultant. If the activities associated with the role are highly critical for an
extended duration, e.g., over six months, and require both critical and general skills,
you may be better off to count on hiring an employee. On the other hand, if the role's
activities are entry-level and if you are not sure that the position is really needed for
the long term, consider getting volunteers to fill the role. If the role requires highly
skilled personnel for a fixed duration, consider hiring a consultant.
4. Determine the approximate cost of the new role
Estimate the salary range for the new position. Set this range by talking to other
organizations with similar product or services, or by scanning classified sections of
newspapers with ads for similar roles. Finalize how much the position will cost the
organization by adding "fringe" to the salary. For planning purposes, fringe might be
estimated at 40% of the salary. Fringe includes costs of benefits planned for the new
role, including health and dental and life insurance, and retirement benefits, along
with required unemployment taxes, worker's compensation and any pension plans.
Note that, depending on the state in which you live, you may be required to required
to pay certain employment taxes for part-time people, often if they are at or over
half-time. Additional costs of the position result from training, equipment, rental of
space, postage, copying, etc. (You should develop a compensation program, with
policies that outline the procedure for determination of salary and benefits.
5. Get feedback and authorization from the board (in the case of corporations)
You may want to work with the board chair to prepare for communication of the new
job to the board. Propose the new position to the board by attaching a proposal letter
to the drafted job description along with description of how the position will be
funded and sending it to all board members for their review before the next board
meeting. At the board meeting, invite open discussion and questions about the new
role. Seek their authorization for the new position.
6. Finalize the job description
Update the job description with relevant feedback from the boar (in the case of
corporations). It's important that the job description be as accurate as possible
because it is the basis for determining initial compensation, conveying the role to
the new employee and conducting regular performance appraisals. Be sure to note
the version of the job description by including the date on the bottom. The job
description should be reviewed and updated annually, usually by the employee and
supervisor during the performance review cycle (described later on in this section).
Building Safety Teams

Management experts assert that most work (and most learning) occurs in teams.
Therefore, it's important to know how to design, build and support highly effective
teams.
NOTE: There are several major "breakthroughs" in how teams are designed and
carried out. These activities can be done. These breakthroughs are in regard to the
extent of independence of the teams, producing, for example, self-organized teams,
self-directed teams and self-managed teams.
Major Types of Teams (or Groups)
There are many types of teams. The type used depends very much on the nature of
the results the team is to accomplish.
Formal and informal teams
are "official" parts of the overall organization, assigned to a major, ongoing function,
for example, quality management, patient care, etc. Management appoints formal
teams. Informal teams are usually loosely organized groups of people who volunteer
to come together to address a non-critical, short-term purpose.
Committees
Are organized to address, major ongoing tasks in an organization and membership is
based on position, for example, committees in boards of directors, grievance
committees, etc.
Problem solving teams
These teams are formed to address a particular, major problem currently faced by
the organization. Often, their overall goal is to provide a written report that includes
recommendations for solving the problem. Membership is comprised of people who
perceive and experience the problem, as well as those who can do something about
it.
Self-directed and self-managed teams
These increasingly used types of teams afford members great latitude in how they
achieve the overall results preferred from the team. For example, they may select
their leader who serves for a limited time and purpose, depending on the particular
point in the group's process. This type of team is used especially when the team is
working in a complex, rapidly changing environment.
Stages of Team Development

It helps a great deal to have some basic sense for the life of a team. Teams go
through several major phases including the following:
Forming:
Members first get together. Individually, they consider "What am I here for?", "Who
else is here", "Who am I comfortable with?", etc. During this stage, it's important to
get members involved, including to introduce themselves to each other. The team
may require clear leadership to facilitate clarity and comfort for involvement of
members.
Storming:
During this stage, members are beginning to voice their individual differences, trying
for join with others who share the same beliefs, trying to jockey for position in the
group. Therefore, it's important for members to continue to be highly involved,
including voicing their concerns in order to feel represented and understood. The
team leader should focus on clarity of views, achieving consensus (or commonality
of views) and recording decisions.
Norming:
In this stage, members begin to share common commitment to the purpose of the
group, including its overall goals and how it will reach those goals. The team leader
should focus on achieving clarity of roles, structure and process of the group.
Performing:
In this stage, the team is "humming". Members are actively participating in the team
process in order to achieve the goals of the group and its organization. During this
stage, the style of leadership becomes more indirect as members take on stronger
participation and involvement in the group process.
Closing and Celebration:
At this stage, it's clear to members and their organization that the team has
achieved its overall purpose (or a major milestone along the way). It's critical to
acknowledge this point in the life of the team, lest members feel unfulfilled and
skeptical about future team efforts.
Guidelines for Designing Teams
1. Set clear goals for the results to be produced by the team
The goals should be designed to be "SMARTER", that is, be specific, measurable,
acceptable to members, realistic, and have a time frame to be started and stopped,
extend the capabilities of members and provide reward for their accomplishment. As

much as possible, include input from other members of the organization when
designing and wording these goals. Goals might be, for example, "produce a project
report that specifies project plan, schedule and budget to develop and test a
complete employee performance management system within the next year". Write
these goals down for eventual communication to and discussion with all team
members.
2. Set clear goals for the effectiveness of the team process
The goals should also be designed to be "SMARTER". Goals might be, for example,
attain 90% participation of all members during the first 6 weeks of weekly
attendance, achieve 90% satisfaction ratings among members, each person takes at
least one turn at facilitating the group, meetings start and stop on time, etc. Write
these goals down for eventual communication to all team members. Write these
goals down for eventual communication to and discussion with all team members.
3. Determine time frames for commencing and terminating the team, if applicable
Write these times down for eventual communication to and discussion with all team
members.
4. Determine the type of team
Various types of teams have various purposes. Consider use of permanent teams,
committees, self-directed teams, problem solving teams, etc. (See additional
information provided at the end of this section.)
5. Determine the membership of the group
Consider the extent of expertise needed to achieve the goals, including areas of
knowledge and skills. Include at least one person who has skills in facilitation and
meeting management. Attempt to include sufficient diversity of values and
perspectives to ensure robust ideas and discussion. A critical consideration is
availability -- members should have the time to attend every meeting.
6. Determine the structure of the group
Structure includes the number of people in the group, how often they will meet and
when and who will be the leader of the group.
7. Determine the process of the group
Depending on the nature of the results to be produced by the group, the process
might be focused on open discussion, action planning, problem solving and decision
making, generating recommendations, etc.
8. Identify any needs for training and materials
For example, members might benefit from brief overview of the stages of
development of a team, receive training and packets of materials in regard to their
goals and the structure and process of their team, etc.

9. Identify the costs to provide necessary resources for the team
Consider the cost of paying employees to attend the meeting, trainers and/or
consultants, room rental, office supplies, etc.
10. Plan the first meeting
In the first meeting, communicate the goals of the team, why each member was
selected, the overall benefit of the goals to the organization, the time frame for the
team effort, who will lead the team (at least, initially), when the team might meet
and where, etc. Have this information written down to hand out to each member.
11. Early on, plan team building activities to support trust and strong working
relationships among members
Team building activities can include, for example, a retreat in which members
introduce themselves, exercises in which members help each other solve a short
problem or meet a specific and achievable goal, extended period in which members
can voice their concerns and frustrations about their team assignments, etc.
12. Support team meetings and processes
At this point, it's critical that supervisors remain available to provide support and
resources as needed. Monitor that team goals are being met. Provide ongoing
encouragement and visibility to members. One of the most important forms of
support a supervisor can provide is coordination with other supervisors to ensure
that team members are freed up enough to attend team meetings.
Orienting New Employees
Develop an employee orientation checklist and consider the following activities for
inclusion on the list. The following activities should be conducted by the employee's
supervisor.
1. Before the employee begins employment, send them a letter welcoming them
to the organization, verifying their starting date and providing them a copy of the
employee policies and procedures manual. Note that you'll dedicate time for them to
discuss with manual with you later.
2. When the employee begins employment, meet with them
to explain how they will be trained, introduce them to staff, give them keys, get them
to sign any needed benefit and tax forms, explain the time-recording system (if
applicable), and provide them copies of important documents (an organization chart,
last year's final report, the strategic plan, this year's budget, and the employee's
policies and procedure manual if they did not get one already).
3. Show them the facilities,
including layout of offices, bathrooms, storage areas, kitchen use, copy and fax

systems, computer configuration and procedures, telephone usage, and any special
billing procedures for use of office systems.
4. Schedule any needed computer training,
including use of passwords, overview of software and documentation, location and
use of peripherals, and where to go to get questions answered.
5. Review any policies and/or procedures about use of facilities.
6. Assign an employee to them as their "buddy"
who remains available to answer any questions.
7. Take them to lunch on the first day
and invite other employees along.
8. Meet with them at the end of the day
to hear any questions or comments.
9. Meet with the new employee during the first few days
of employment to review the job description again. Remind them to review the
employee manual and sign a form indicating they have reviewed the manual and will
comply with its contents. Review any specific goals for the position, e.g., goals from
the strategic plan. In the same meeting, explain the performance review procedure
and provide them a copy of the performance review document.
10. Have one-on-one meetings with the new employee on a weekly basis for the first
six weeks,
to discuss the new employee's transition into the organization, get status on work
activities, hear any pending issues or needs, and establish a working relationship
with their supervisor.
Some Basics to Know About Training
Variety of Reasons for Training
Employee job training can be initiated for a variety of reasons for an employee or
group of employees, e.g.,:
a.) When a performance appraisal indicates performance improvement is needed
b.) To "benchmark" the status of improvement so far in a performance improvement
effort
c.) As part of an overall professional development program
d.) As part of succession planning to help an employee be eligible for a planned
change in role in the organization
e.) To "pilot", or test, the operation of a new performance management system
f.) To train about a specific topic

Very Basic Types of Training
When planning training for your employees, it helps to understand some basics about
training. Let's look at four types of training.
Self-Directed Learning
Self-directed learning is where the learner decides what he or she will learn and
how.
Other-Directed Learning
Other-directed learning is where other people decide what the learner will learn and
how.
Informal training
Informal training has no predetermined form. Examples are reading books to learn
about a subject, talking to friends about the subject, attending a presentation, etc.
Formal Training
Formal training has a predetermined form. The form usually includes specification of
learning results, learning objectives and activities that will achieve the results, and
how the training will be evaluated. Examples might be college courses, workshops,
seminars, etc. Note that because formal training has a form, it does not necessarily
mean that formal training is better than other forms.
Informal Means of Training
This is probably the most common type of training and includes, for example, on-the-
job training, coaching from supervisors, using manuals and procedures, advice from
peers, etc.
Coaching
Probably the most common form of informal training is job coaching.
1. The supervisor, or some other expert at the subject matter or skill, tells the
employee how to do something.
2. The employee tries it.
3. The expert watches and gives feedback.
4. The employee tries it until he or she gets it right.
The above approach works best in tasks or jobs that include straightforward
procedures or routines. As jobs and roles become more complex, employees often
require more formal training.

Common Pitfalls in Employee Training
1. New managers and supervisors often underestimate the value of training.
2. Or, they perceive it as occurring only in classrooms.
3. Or, they assume that because an employee has attended a course, workshop or
seminar, than he or she must have learned what they needed to know.
4. Or, they believe that good training can only occur from highly trained
professionals.
Learn How to Plan Your Training
Supervisors and employees can accomplish highly effective training by following
certain guidelines.
Determining Your Overall Goals in Training
1. Are there any time lines that you should consider in your plan?
2. Are you pursuing training and development in order to address a performance gap?
3. Or, is your plan to address a growth gap?
4. Or, is your plan to address an opportunity gap?
5. Get feedback from others
6. Should you conduct a self-assessment?
7. Is a list of competencies, job descriptions or job analysis available to help you
identify your training and development goals?
8. Begin thinking about how much money you will need to fund your plan.
9. Write down your training goals.
Identifying Your Learning Objectives and Activities
1. What new areas of knowledge or skills are needed to reach the training goals.
Each of these new areas is a learning objectives. Write down the learning objectives.
2. In what sequence should the learning objectives be attained?
a. Carefully consider -- When you have achieved all of your learning objectives, will
you indeed have achieved all of your overall training goals?
b. What are the best learning activities (methods) for you to achieve your learning
objectives? Do your learning activities include your ongoing reflections about your
learning?
c. What observable results, or evidence of learning, will you produce from your
learning activities that can be reviewed for verification of learning?
d. Who will verify that each of your learning objectives were reached?
3. Now that you know what activities that will be conducted, think again about any
costs that will be needed, e.g., for materials, facilities, etc.
4. How will you handle any ongoing time and stress management issues while
implementing your plan?

Developing Any Materials You May Need
1. Consider if you need to obtain, or start:
a. Enrolling in courses
b. Buying books
c. Scheduling time with experts
d. Getting a mentor
e. Scheduling time with your supervisor, etc.
Planning Implementation of Your Training Plan
1. During your training, how will you be sure that you understand the new information
and materials?
2. Will your learning be engaging and enjoyable?
3. Are you sure that you'll receive the necessary ongoing feedback, coaching,
mentoring, etc., during your training and development activities?
4. Where will you get necessary administrative support and materials?
Planning Evaluation of Your Training Plan and Experiences
1. Who's in charge of implementing and tracking your overall plan?
2. Consider having a local training expert review the plan.
3. Are approaches to evaluation included in all phases of your plan?
For example, are your methods being pretested before being applied? Do you
understand the methods as they're being applied? Are regularly providing feedback
about how well you understand the materials? How will the you (and your supervisor,
if applicable) know if implementation of the plan achieves the training goals
identified in the plan? Are there any plans for follow-up evaluation, including
assessing your results several months after you completed your plan?
New Managers and Supervisors Often Lack Perspective on Performance of
Employees
One of the common problems that new managers and supervisors experience is no
clear, strong sense whether their employees are really being effective or not. The
first step toward solving this problem is to establish clear performance goals.
Some people have a strong negative reaction toward setting goals because they fear
goals as "the law" that must be maintained and never broken. Some people fear they
will not achieve the goals. Others have disdain for goals because goals seem to take
the "heart" out their work.
Advantages of Goals

Despite the negative views that one can have about goals, they hold certain strong
advantages in the workplace. They:
1. Provide clear direction to both supervisor and employee
2. Form a common frame of reference around which the supervisor and employee can
effectively communicate
3. Clearly indicate success, and can facilitate strong sense of fulfillment for
employee and supervisor
4. Help clarify the roles of the supervisor and employee.
Goals for Performance Gaps, Growth Gaps, Opportunity Gaps and Training Gaps
Goals can be established for a variety of reasons, for example, to overcome
performance problems, qualify for future jobs and roles, take advantage of sudden
opportunities that arise and/or give direction to training plans.
Performance gaps are identified during the employee performance management
process. Ideally, performance gaps are addressed by performance improvement
plans. In these plans, goals are established to improve performance, and may
include, for example, increased effort on the part of the employee, support from the
supervisor, and certain training and resources to assist the employee in their
development. Dedicated employees can greatly appreciate having specific
performance goals for them to achieve in order to keep their jobs, verify their
competence to their supervisor and accomplish overall professional development.
Growth gaps are identified during career planning. Employees perceive certain areas
of knowledge and skills that they would like to accomplish in order to qualify for
certain future roles and positions. Employees often appreciate having clear-cut goals
that mark what they need to do to advance in their careers.
Opportunity gaps are identified when a sudden opportunity arises for the employee.
If the employee is highly interested in taking advantage of the opportunity, then he
or she will appreciate knowing exactly what they need to accomplish (what goals
they need to achieve) to grab the opportunity.
Training gaps are identified when hiring a new employee, during employee
performance management or career planning. Gaps are usually in terms of areas of
knowledge, skills or abilities. Training plans can be designed with clear-cut training
goals to give direction to the employee and trainer.
Whatever the type of goal, it's critical that the employee have strong ownership and
commitment to achieving the goal.
Goals Can Be Agreeable to Supervisors and Employees

These views can be addressed, largely by
a) ensuring that employees are strongly involved in identifying them,
b) goals are conveyed as guidelines and that they can be missed as long as there is
clear explanation for missing the goals before they are missed, and
c) the goals are "SMARTER" (more on this below).
When setting goals with employees, strive to design and describe them to be
"SMARTER". This acronym is described in this guide, in a subsection listed above,
and stands for:
1. Specific
2. Measurable
3. Acceptable
4. Realistic
5. Timely
6. Extending capabilities
7. Rewarding
If goals seem insurmountable to the employee, then break goals down into smaller
goals, or sub-goals or objectives. Each of these should be SMARTER, as well.
Supporting Employee Motivation
Clearing Up Common Myths About Employee Motivation
The topic of motivating employees is extremely important to managers and
supervisors. Despite the important of the topic, several myths persist -- especially
among new managers and supervisors. Before looking at what management can do
to support the motivation of employees, it's important first to clear up these common
myths.
1. Myth #1 -- "I can motivate people"
Not really -- they have to motivate themselves. You can't motivate people anymore
than you can empower them. Employees have to motivate and empower themselves.
However, you can set up an environment where they best motivate and empower
themselves. The key is knowing how to set up the environment for each of your
employees.
2. Myth #2 -- "Money is a good motivator"
Not really. Certain things like money, a nice office and job security can help people
from becoming less motivated, but they usually don't help people to become more
motivated. A key goal is to understand the motivations of each of your employees.
3. Myth #3 -- "Fear is a damn good motivator"
Fear is a great motivator -- for a very short time. That's why a lot of yelling from the
boss won't seem to "light a spark under employees" for a very long time.

4. Myth #4 -- "I know what motivates me, so I know what motivates my employees"
Not really. Different people are motivated by different things. I may be greatly
motivated by earning time away from my job to spend more time my family. You
might be motivated much more by recognition of a job well done. People are
motivated by the same things. Again, a key goal is to understand what motivates
each of your employees.
5. Myth #5 -- "Increased job satisfaction means increased job performance"
Research shows this isn't necessarily true at all. Increased job satisfaction does not
necessarily mean increased job performance. If the goals of the organization are not
aligned with the goals of employees, then employees aren't effectively working
toward the mission of the organization.
6. Myth #6 -- "I can't comprehend employee motivation -- it's a science"
Nah. Not true. There are some very basic steps you can take that will go a long way
toward supporting your employees to motivate themselves toward increased
performance in their jobs. (More about these steps is provided later on in this
article.)
Basic Principles to Remember
1. Motivating employees starts with motivating yourself
It's amazing how, if you hate your job, it seems like everyone else does, too. If you
are very stressed out, it seems like everyone else is, too. Enthusiasm is contagious.
If you're enthusiastic about your job, it's much easier for others to be, too. Also, if
you're doing a good job of taking care of yourself and your own job, you'll have much
clearer perspective on how others are doing in theirs.
A great place to start learning about motivation is to start understanding your own
motivations. The key to helping to motivate your employees is to understand what
motivates them. So what motivates you? Consider, for example, time with family,
recognition, a job well done, service, learning, etc. How is your job configured to
support your own motivations? What can you do to better motivate yourself?
2. Always work to align goals of the organization with goals of employees
As mentioned above, employees can be all fired up about their work and be working
very hard. However, if the results of their work don't contribute to the goals of the
organization, then the organization is not any better off than if the employees were
sitting on their hands -- maybe worse off! Therefore, it's critical that managers and
supervisors know what they want from their employees. These preferences should
be worded in terms of goals for the organization. Identifying the goals for the
organization is usually done during strategic planning. Whatever steps you take to
support the motivation of your employees (various steps are suggested below),
ensure that employees have strong input to identifying their goals and that these

goals are aligned with goals of the organization. (Goals should be worded to be
"SMARTER". More about this later on below.)
3. Key to supporting the motivation of your employees is understanding what
motivates each of them
Each person is motivated by different things. Whatever steps you take to support the
motivation of your employees, they should first include finding out what it is that
really motivates each of your employees. You can find this out by asking them,
listening to them and observing them. (More about this later on below.)
4. Recognize that supporting employee motivation is a process, not a task
Organizations change all the time, as do people. Indeed, it is an ongoing process to
sustain an environment where each employee can strongly motivate themselves. If
you look at sustaining employee motivation as an ongoing process, then you'll be
much more fulfilled and motivated yourself.
5. Support employee motivation by using organizational systems (for example,
policies and procedures) -- don't just count on good intentions
Don't just count on cultivating strong interpersonal relationships with employees to
help motivate them. The nature of these relationships can change greatly, for
example, during times of stress. Instead, use reliable and comprehensive systems in
the workplace to help motivate employees. For example, establish compensation
systems, employee performance systems, organizational policies and procedures,
etc., to support employee motivation. Also, establishing various systems and
structures helps ensure clear understanding and equitable treatment of employees.
Steps You Can Take
The following specific steps can help you go a long way toward supporting your
employees to motivate themselves in your organization.
1. Do more than read this article -- apply what you're reading here
This maxim is true when reading any management publication.
2. Briefly write down the motivational factors that sustain you and what you can do
to sustain them
This little bit of "motivation planning" can give you strong perspective on how to
think about supporting the motivations of your employees.
3. Make of list of three to five things that motivate each of your employees
Notice the list of motivating factors in the section "Assessing Your Approach." Fill
out the list yourself for each of your employees and then have each of your
employees fill out the list for themselves. Compare your answers to theirs.
Recognize the differences between your impression of what you think is important to
them and what they think is important to them. Then meet with each of your

employees to discuss what they think are the most important motivational factors to
them. Lastly, take some time alone to write down how you will modify your
approaches with each employee to ensure their motivational factors are being met.
(NOTE: This may seem like a "soft, touchy-feely exercise" to you. If it does, then talk
to a peer or your boss about it. Much of what's important in management is based
very much on "soft, touchy-feely exercises". Learn to become more comfortable with
them. The place to start is to recognize their importance.)
4. Work with each employee to ensure their motivational factors are taken into
consideration in your reward systems
For example, their jobs might be redesigned to be more fulfilling. You might find
more means to provide recognition, if that is important to them. You might develop a
personnel policy that rewards employees with more family time, etc.
5. Have one-on-one meetings with each employee
Employees are motivated more by your care and concern for them than by your
attention to them. Get to know your employees, their families, their favorite foods,
names of their children, etc. This can sound manipulative -- and it will be if not done
sincerely. However, even if you sincerely want to get to know each of your
employees, it may not happen unless you intentionally set aside time to be with each
of them.
6. Cultivate strong skills in delegation
Delegation includes conveying responsibility and authority to your employees so they
can carry out certain tasks. However, you leave it up to your employees to decide
how they will carry out the tasks. Skills in delegation can free up a great deal of time
for managers and supervisors. It also allows employees to take a stronger role in
their jobs, which usually means more fulfillment and motivation in their jobs, as well.
7. Reward it when you see it
A critical lesson for new managers and supervisors is to learn to focus on employee
behaviors, not on employee personalities. Performance in the workplace should be
based on behaviors toward goals, not on popularity of employees. You can get in a
great deal of trouble (legally, morally and interpersonally) for focusing only on how
you feel about your employees rather than on what you're seeing with your eyeballs.
8. Reward it soon after you see it
This helps to reinforce the notion that you highly prefer the behaviors that you're
currently seeing from your employees. Often, the shorter the time between an
employee's action and your reward for the action, the clearer it is to the employee
that you highly prefer that action.
9. Implement at least the basic principles of performance management
Good performance management includes identifying goals, measures to indicate if
the goals are being met or not, ongoing attention and feedback about measures

toward the goals, and corrective actions to redirect activities back toward achieving
the goals when necessary. Performance management can focus on organizations,
groups, processes in the organization and employees.
10. Establish goals that are SMARTER
SMARTER goals are: specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic, timely, extending of
capabilities, and rewarding to those involved.
11. Clearly convey how employee results contribute to organizational results
Employees often feel strong fulfillment from realizing that they're actually making a
difference. This realization often requires clear communication about organizational
goals, employee progress toward those goals and celebration when the goals are
met.
12. Celebrate achievements
This critical step is often forgotten. New managers and supervisors are often
focused on a getting "a lot done". This usually means identifying and solving
problems. Experienced managers come to understand that acknowledging and
celebrating a solution to a problem can be every bit as important as the solution
itself. Without ongoing acknowledgement of success, employees become frustrated,
skeptical and even cynical about efforts in the organization.
13. Let employees hear from their customers (internal or external)
Let employees hear customers proclaim the benefits of the efforts of the employee .
For example, if the employee is working to keep internal computer systems running
for other employees (internal customers) in the organization, then have other
employees express their gratitude to the employee. If an employee is providing a
product or service to external customers, then bring in a customer to express their
appreciation to the employee.
14. Admit to yourself (and to an appropriate someone else) if you don't like an
employee --
Managers and supervisors are people. It's not unusual to just not like someone who
works for you. That someone could, for example, look like an uncle you don't like. In
this case, admit to yourself that you don't like the employee. Then talk to someone
else who is appropriate to hear about your distaste for the employee, for example, a
peer, your boss, your spouse, etc. Indicate to the appropriate person that you want
to explore what it is that you don't like about the employee and would like to come
to a clearer perception of how you can accomplish a positive working relationship
with the employee. It often helps a great deal just to talk out loud about how you feel
and get someone else's opinion about the situation. As noted above, if you continue
to focus on what yousee about employee performance, you'll go a long way toward
ensuring that your treatment of employees remains fair and equitable.
Observing and Giving Feedback

McGill and Beatty (in "Action learning: A practitioner’s guide", London: Kogan Page,
1994, p. 159-163) provide useful suggestions about sharing effective feedback:
1. Clarity -- Be clear about what you want to say.
2. Emphasize the positive -- This isn’t being collusive in the person's dilemma.
3. Be specific -- Avoid general comments and clarify pronouns such as “it,” “that,”
etc.
4. Focus on behavior rather than the person.
5. Refer to behavior that can be changed.
6. Be descriptive rather than evaluative.
7. Own the feedback -- Use ‘I’ statements.
8. Generalizations -- Notice “all,” “never,” “always,” etc., and ask to get more
specificity -- often these words are arbitrary limits on behavior.
9. Be very careful with advice -- People rarely struggle with an issue because of the
lack of some specific piece of information; often, the best help is helping the person
to come to a better understanding of their issue, how it developed, and how they can
identify actions to address the issue more effectively.
Addressing Performance Issues
(Note that if your organization's policies about performance management indicate a
specific procedure for handling performance issues, that procedure should be
followed very carefully. Otherwise, a court may interpret your official policies to be
modified by how you actually handled a performance issue and you may lose
protection from your related policies in court.)
1. Note that performance issues should always be based on behaviors that you see,
not on characteristics of the employee's personality
2. Convey performance issues to employees when you see first see the issues!
Don't wait until the performance review! Worse yet, don't ignore the behaviors in
case they "go away."
3. When you first convey a performance issue to an employee, say what you noticed
and would like to see instead
Be specific about what you saw that you consider to be a performance problem. Ask
the employee for feedback. Ask the employee if there's any special training or more

resources they need to do their job. Explore if the job is configured so that most
people would probably fail, and so the job needs to be redesigned. Tell them that you
want the behavior to improve. If they react strongly and claim they will quit, give
them a day to think it over. In any case, remind them that you support them in their
role.
4. Consider special circumstances:
You can usually fire someone if they committed certain gross acts, such as theft,
blatant insubordination, a major impropriety, e.g., telling information to competitors
or spreading confidential information about customers, etc. However, if there is poor
performance or chronic absenteeism because of potential verified alcoholism or
depression, it's best to consult an expert to deal with this situation.)
5. Make notes about the first meeting and its results, and keep it in a file for yourself
This note may come in handy later on if the performance problem persists. (In the
case of a corporation, you might mention the situation to your board. The board will
likely be a precious and objective asset to dealing with this situation, especially if
things with the employee get worse.)
6. If the problem occurs again over the next month or two, immediately issue them a
written warning
In the memo, clearly specify what you saw, mention the previous meeting and its
date, say the behaviors have not improved, warn them that if this occurs again over
some period (e.g., the next month), they will be promptly terminated. Meet with them
to provide them the memo. If you are convinced that the employee is trying hard, but
can't improve, consider placing him or her elsewhere in the organization. Attempt to
have this meeting on other than on a Friday. Otherwise, employees are left to
ruminate about the situation without ready access to you for at least three days. (In
the case of corporations, update the board.)
Conducting Performance Appraisals/Reviews
Yearly performance reviews are critical. Organization's are hard pressed to find good
reasons why they can't dedicate an hour-long meeting at least once a year to ensure
the mutual needs of the employee and organization are being met. Performance
reviews help supervisors feel more honest in their relationships with their
subordinates and feel better about themselves in their supervisoral roles.
Subordinates are assured clear understanding of what's expected from them, their
own personal strengths and areas for development and a solid sense of their
relationship with their supervisor. Avoiding performance issues ultimately decreases
morale, decreases credibility of management, decreases the organization's overall
effectiveness and wastes more of management's time. Conduct the following
activities.

1. Design a legally valid performance review process; consider these legal
requirements of the performance review process:
Patricia King, in her book, Performance Planning and Appraisal,states that the law
requires that performance appraisals be: job-related and valid; based on a thorough
analysis of the job; standardized for all employees; not biased against any race,
color, sex, religion, or nationality; and performed by people who have adequate
knowledge of the person or job. Be sure to build in the process, a route for recourse
if an employee feels he or she has been dealt with unfairly in an appraisal process,
e.g., that the employee can go to his or her supervisor's supervisor. The process
should be clearly described in a personnel policy.
2. Design a standard form for performance appraisals
and include the name of the employee, date the performance form was completed,
dates specifying the time interval over which the employee is being evaluated,
performance dimensions (include responsibilities from the job description, any
assigned goals from the strategic plan, along with needed skills, such as
communications, administration, etc.), a rating system (e.g., poor, average, good,
excellent), space for commentary for each dimension, a final section for overall
commentary, a final section for action plans to address improvements, and lines for
signatures of the supervisor and employee. Signatures may either specify that the
employee accepts the appraisal or has seen it, depending on wording on the form.
3. Schedule the first performance review for six months after the employee starts
employment
Schedule another six months later, and then every year on the employee's
anniversary date.
4. Initiate the performance review
Tell the employee that you're initiating a scheduled performance review. Remind
them of what's involved in the process. Schedule a meeting about two weeks out.
5. Have the employee suggest any updates to the job description and provide written
input to the appraisal
(Note that by now, employees should have received the job descriptions and goals
well in advance of the review, i.e., a year before. The employee should also be
familiar with the performance appraisal procedure and form.) Have them record their
input to the appraisal concurrent to the your recording yours. Have them record their
input on their own sheets (their feedback will be combined on the official form later
on in the process). You and the employee can exchange each of your written
feedback in the upcoming review meeting.
6. Record your input to the appraisal -- always reference the job description and
associated formal goals for basis of review
Be sure you are familiar with the job requirements and have sufficient contact with
the employee to be making valid judgments. Don't comment on the employee's race,

sex, religion, nationality, or a handicap or veteran status. Record major
accomplishments, exhibited strengths and weaknesses according to the dimensions
on the appraisal form, and suggest actions and training or development to improve
performance. Use examples of behaviors wherever you can in the appraisal to help
avoid counting on hearsay. Always address behaviors, not characteristics of
personalities. The best way to follow this guideline is to consider what you saw with
your eyes. Be sure to address only the behaviors of that employee, rather than
behaviors of other employees.
7. Hold the performance appraisal meeting
State the meeting's goals of exchanging feedback and coming to action plans, where
necessary. In the meeting, let the employee speak first and give their input. Respond
with your own input. Then discuss areas where you disagree. Attempt to avoid
defensiveness; admitting how you feel at the present time, helps a great deal.
Discuss behaviors, not personalities. Avoid final terms such as "always," "never,"
etc. Encourage participation and be supportive. Come to terms on actions, where
possible. Try to end the meeting on a positive note.
8. Update and finalize the performance appraisal form
Add agreed-to commentary on to the form. Note that if the employee wants to add
attach written input to the final form, he or she should be able to do so. The
supervisor signs the form and asks the employee to sign it. The form and its action
plans are reviewed every few months, usually during one-on-one meetings with the
employee.
9. Note that if the supervisor has been doing a good job supervising, then nothing
should be surprising to the employee during the appraisal
Any performance issues should have been conveyed when they occurred, so nothing
should be a surprise in the review meeting.
Firing/Dismissing Employees
1. You should consider firing the employee only if you have:
a) given the employee clear indication of what you originally expected from him or
her (via a written job description previously provided to the him or her);
b) have clearly written personnel policies which specify conditions and directions
about firing employees and the employee initialized a copy of the policy handbook to
verify that he or she had read the policies;
c) warned the employee in successive and dated memos which clearly described
degrading performance over a specified time despite your specific and recorded
offers of assistance and any training (the number of memos depends on the nature of
the problem, but should be no more than three or four); and
d) you clearly observe the employee still having the performance problem.
(Note that if the employee is being fired within a probationary period specified in
your personnel policies, you may not have to meet all of the above conditions.)

2. Take a day or so to consider what you are about to do.
Consult with members of your board (in the case of corporations).
3. If you still decide to fire the employee, do so promptly
both for your credibility with other employees and so as not begin procrastinating
about this rather painful, upcoming event.
4. Write a letter of termination to the employee.
As with the previous letters of warning, be clear about the observed behaviors, when
you saw them, earlier warnings and their consequences, what you did in response,
and the consequence that must now be enacted according to your policies.
5. Tell the computer system administrator to change the employee's password
and assert that this action should be done promptly and in complete confidence.
6. Meet with the employee. Provide them the letter. Explain how the termination will
occur, including when, what they must do, what you request from them and when.
Ask for any keys. Give them a half hour or so to remove personal items (you may
choose to monitor them during this removal, depending on the nature of the grounds
for dismissal). Consider changing the door locks to the facilities. Change the
passwords on phone systems, if applicable.
7. As with other meetings, make notes of what was said and exchanged.
Keep them in your records.
Need for Personnel Policies
From review of the above personnel management information, it's clear that there
are numerous considerations and potential areas for litigation when dealing with
personnel issues. There are numerous rules and regulations which regulate the
nature of the relationship between an employee and his or her organization, e.g.,
about affirmative action, managing personnel files, employee retirement, rights of
privacy, discrimination and harassment, wrongful termination, etc. Consequently, it's
better to have thought out these potentially controversial situations before they
occur and establish guidelines by which they might or will be addressed. These
general guidelines are called policies. Specific activities resulting from the
guidelines are often called procedures.
Developing Personnel Policies
Each organization should carefully consider what policies it requires and how they
should worded. Many organizations begin developing their personnel policies by
reviewing policies from other organizations. This is fine as long the organization
carefully reviews each policy, modifies them according to the nature and needs of

the organization and has all policies approved by the board (in the case of
corporations).
Training on Policies
Note that if management's behaviors do not conform to the personnel policies,
courts will consider the related policies to be superseded by the behaviors.
Therefore, it's critical that management have basic understanding of the major
points made in each personnel policy.
Consider setting aside a half day per year for employees to review the policies and
procedures to ensure they are up-to-date. Any recommended changes should be
discussed with and approved by the board (in the case of corporations).
All supervisors should be trained about the policies and procedures. A large number
of suits brought against organizations is because, although the organizations had
clear policies, supervisors did not enact the policies because they did not
understand them. Note that courts may consider policies and procedures as
superseded by the actual behaviors displayed by supervisors.
The board (in the case of corporations) should authorize all policies in the manual
and every employee should receive a copy of the manual.
Each policy should include wording to the effect that the policies are for general
guidance in the relationships between employees and the organization, the board (in
the case of corporations) has authorized the policy, that policies can be changed at
any time and that the policies do not constitute a contract between the organization
and the employee. Consider the following wording on the cover of your policies
manual:
"Nothing contained in or implied by this manual creates or shall be deemed to create
or constitute a contractual obligation to employees on the part (of the organization).
The policies, procedures and guidelines contained in this manual are subject to
change at any time, do not confer any obligation (on the part of the organization) and
do not create any right to employment on the part (of the organization)."

Is your supervisor trained to be a supervisor

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