ENHANCING SUPERVISOR SKILLS
TO SUPPORT
WORKER RETENTION
The development of this curriculum was supported through a cooperative agreement between the University of Kansas, School of Social Welfare and the U.S. DHHS/ACF Children’s Bureau, Grant Number 90CT0150. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Children’s Bureau.
ENHANCING SUPERVISOR SKILLS TO SUPPORT WORKER RETENTION
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
1:00 Welcome & Introductions
1:15 Overview – Supervisor Skills that Support Worker Retention
1:45 Video: Task Assistance
Discussion/Application of Skills – Task Assistance
2:30 Break
2:45 Video: Social and Emotional Support
Discussion/Application of Skills – Social and Emotional Support
3:30 Video: Interpersonal Interaction
Discussion/Application of Skills – Interpersonal Interaction
4:00 Implementation Planning for Use of Skills
Wrap-up
Evaluation
4:30 Adjourn
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
As a result of this training, participants will be able to:
1. List supervisory skills linked to workforce outcomes – task assistance, social and emotional support and interpersonal interaction.
2. List two or more situations in which each skill may be used.
3. Demonstrate use of the skills.
4. List two or more situations in which the skills might be used in supervision of staff.
Trainer:
Supervisor Skills that Influence Retention
Kansas Workforce Initiative Evidence Review
How Supervision Relates to Workforce Outcomes
Compiled March 2010
Level of Evidence: The effect of supervision on workforce outcomes has been the subject of research in numerous meta-analytic, multivariate, and correlational studies. There is correlational evidence that high quality supervision plays a role in the retention of child welfare workers. There are no studies that evaluate the impact of a supervisory intervention on workforce outcomes.
Current Best Evidence
· What types of supervisory behavior influence retention?
o The three supervisory dimensions: task assistance, social and emotional support, and interpersonal interaction contribute to beneficial outcomes for workers. Of these, task assistance had the greatest impact on positive worker outcomes.[1]
§ Task Assistance - Supervisors, who provide tangible, work-related advice and instruction, provide assistance in job-related tasks, support training and learning activities, coach employees, and offer solutions to work related problems contribute to workers having higher rates of retention.
§ Social and Emotional Support - Supervisor who listen to workers as they discuss job difficulties, provide supportive statements, and relate to the emotional needs of the workers when they feel overwhelmed, stressed, or confused by their work have workers with higher rates of retention.
§ Interpersonal Interaction - There is a positive link between a worker’s perception of the quality of the supervisory relationship and worker outcomes such as sense of competence, sense of personal accomplishment, organizational citizenship behavior, and job satisfaction.
o Supervisors who interact with subordinates as professionals and encourage child welfare staff to share responsibilities for organizational vision and leadership and to continue personal and professional development increase the likelihood that a worker will remain employed in child welfare.[2]
o Workers who remain employed in child welfare:
§ Have high quality supervision/leadership [3] [4]
§ Have high supervisor and coworker support iii iv [5] [6] [7] xi xii xiii xiv xix
§ Have supervisors who facilitate their learning [8]
§ Have supervisors who support workers practice [9]
§ Report more guidance from their supervisor x
§ Have a strong sense of security and emotional closeness with their supervisor [10]
§ Feel assured that they can rely on their supervisor for tangible support x
§ Feel more positive about the role of their supervisor and have a more favorable view of their supervisor [11]
§ Have supervisors who are more competent in doing their job, are more concerned with the worker’s welfare, acknowledge the worker when they have a done a good job, help the worker complete difficult tasks, and are warm and friendly when the worker is having problems [12]
· What job-related factors work with supervision to influence retention?
o The following factors increase the likelihood of retention:
§ Role clarity ix xiii
§ High organizational commitment ix [13]
§ High professional commitment iii iv [14]
§ High levels of job satisfaction xii xiii xiv xv
§ High job autonomy v xiii
§ Better working conditionsxiii
§ Satisfaction with extrinsic rewards iii
§ Higher salaries xii xvi
§ Spend less time on court related tasks xii
§ Less emotional exhaustion xii
§ Less stress xiv
§ Less job tension xvi
· How do personal characteristics interact with supervision to influence retention?
o Supervisory support is especially important for retaining workers who have a low perception of self-efficacy.[15]
o Workers who use control coping (positive thinking, help seeking, and direct action) are more likely to remain employed in child welfare.iv
o Low supervisory support has a larger effect on intention to leave for men than women.[16]
o Women are more likely to receive supervisor support than men.[17]
o More experienced workers are more likely to perceive less supervisory support. xvii [18]
o More experienced workers who have high levels of supervisor support are more likely to remain employed in child welfare.xvi xviii
o Supervisory support is more important for retaining less experienced workers. ii [19] Levels of human caring, self-efficacy, motivation, and persistence play a more important role in the intent to remain employed than elements of organizational culture.ii
Practice Implications
The findings regarding supervision and worker retention imply that certain supervisor behaviors should be increased or maintained through setting clear job expectations, training, coaching, monitoring and rewarding desired behaviors. These behaviors can be categorized as task assistance, social and emotional support and interpersonal interactions.
· Task Assistance- Supervisors need to:
o Provide work related advice and instruction
o Offer assistance with job related tasks
o Support training and learning activities
o Coach workers
o Provide task assistance more frequently with newer workers
· Social and emotional support – Supervisors need to:
o Listen to workers as they discuss job difficulties or problems
o Make supportive statements
o Recognize the emotional needs of workers feeling overwhelmed, stressed or confused
o Acknowledge and reward workers for doing a good job
o Be warm, friendly, and respectful with workers
o Clarify the workers role and job responsibilities
o Encourage job autonomy
o Encourage workers positive thinking and help seeking to manage stress
· Interpersonal interaction
o Encourage coworkers to support each other
o Encourage a sense of competence in workers
o Interact with workers as professionals/encourage staff to share the organization’s vision
o Project a sense of emotional closeness to workers
o Support male and female workers equally
o Provide support to workers regardless of how long they have been on the job
6
Supervisor Skill Implementation Plan
1. Select one of the three skill clusters that you would like to work on for the next two weeks and a worker that you would like to influence.
2. On the calendar blank provided, write an example for each of the behaviors in the skill cluster.
3. Each day that you encounter the worker and practice a skill, make a brief note of the behavior that demonstrated the skill.
4. At the end of the week review the number of encounters and how often you were able to practice each behavior.
Skill Clusters
Task Assistance
Offer assistance with job-related tasks
Provide work-related advice and instruction
Coach workers
Support training and learning
Social and emotional support
Listen as workers discuss job difficulties
Recognize emotional needs of workers
Acknowledge and reward good work
Encourage help seeking
Make supportive statements
Project warmth, friendliness and respect for workers
Encourage positive thinking
Interpersonal interaction
Project a sense of emotional closeness
Encourage staff to share the organizations vision
Encourage a sense of competence
Interact with workers as professionals
Encourage co-workers to support each other
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SAMPLE SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Task Assistance
Behavior / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / FridayProvide assistance with tasks
Example:
Offer to assist S. with documentation by reviewing a form with her in supervision
. / Went over Form XYZ and helped S. fill it in for the B. family. / Reviewed a list of community mental health resources and discussed referral process.
Offer work-related advice and instruction
Example:
Explain how S. can fill out case document forms / Explained how to fill in Section C. of Form XYZ and offered to go through it on a specific family on S’s caseload. / Suggested that S. follow up with the B. family to be sure they understand the outcome of the case planning conference
Coach workers
Examples:
Role play an interaction with a family member with S. taking on the family member’s role; co-facilitate a case planning conference with S. / Played the role of a CASA worker with S. so she can gain comfort in interacting with the worker / Attended the B. family’s case planning conference and co-facilitated with S.
Support training and learning
Examples:
Review a training S. has attended; discuss an upcoming training / Briefly reviewed the recent Fatherhood training and S’s understanding of her role with a father. / Suggested S. attend upcoming FGDM training
SAMPLE SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Social and Emotional Support
Behavior / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / FridayListen as workers discuss job difficulties
Example: Allow P. to ventilate about a job issue. / Listened to P. describe her frustration with the change in documentation requirements.
Recognize emotional needs
Example: Express understanding regarding how a specific work situation can be emotionally difficult. / Talked with P. about the emotional challenge of working with sexually abused children.
Acknowledge and reward good work
Example: Bring to P’s attention something s/he did well on a case. / Told P. that her court report was very clear and complete.
Make supportive statements
Example: Provide P. encouragement regarding a challenging situation. / Told P. that I know she can handle the situation with the T. since working with teens is her strength.
Clarify role and responsibilities
Example: Speak to P. about her role in court proceedings / Went over P’s role in working with the GAL in the T. family court hearing.
Encourage help seeking
Example: Reiterate that P. can come to you anytime s/he has a question / Reminded P. that if she has questions about testifying, just let me know.
Encourage positive thinking
Example: Say something supportive when P. expresses something positive. / P. was enthusiastic about her meeting yesterday with T. I told her I knew she would do well in that situation.
Be warm, friendly and respectful with workers
Example: Say “Good morning, how are you?” the first time you see P. on a given day. / P. is going on vacation next week. Told her I hoped she’d have a good time and send a postcard to the office.
SAMPLE SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Interpersonal Interaction
Behavior / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / FridayProject a sense of emotional closeness
Example: Ask J. about something outside of work that he has disclosed (e.g. family, hobby, organization). / Asked J. how the work was coming on the restoration of his ’65 Mustang. / J. showed me a picture of his Mustang. I asked if he’d be driving it to work soon.
Encourage staff to share the organizational vision
Example: Remind J. that we are about keeping (a child in his caseload) safe in a permanent family. / Spoke with J. about the upcoming case planning conference for the S. family and the importance of involving them in the decision-making.
Encourage a sense of competence
Example:
Tell J. that he has done something well on a case. / Told J. I noticed how thorough his case plan was and how the family’s wishes were clearly included.
Interact as professionals
Example:
Ask J’s advice on how to respond to a situation on his caseload. / Asked J. about his thoughts on the best resource for meeting L’s mental health needs. / Asked J. if he would be willing to serve on the MDCPT since he has developed a reputation as a good collaborator.
Encourage workers to support each other
Example:
Encourage J. to help others (or a specific worker) on the team / Asked J. if he would be willing to present a short review of how he involved the S. family in the case planning conference at the next team meeting.
SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Task Assistance
Behavior / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / FridayProvide assistance with tasks
Offer work-related advice and instruction
Coach workers
Support training and learning
SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN:
Social and Emotional Support
Behavior / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / FridayListen as workers discuss job difficulties
Recognize emotional needs
Acknowledge and reward good work
Make supportive statements
Clarify role/responsibilities
Encourage help seeking
Encourage positive thinking
Be warm, friendly and respectful with workers
SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Interpersonal Interaction
Behavior / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / FridayProject a sense of emotional closeness
Encourage staff to share the organizational vision
Encourage a sense of competence
Interact as professionals
Encourage workers to support each other
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[1] Mor Barak, M.E., Travis, D.A., Pyun, H., Xie, B. (2009). The impact of supervision on worker outcomes: A meta-analysis. Social Service Review, 4-32.
[2] Ellett, A.J. (2008). Intentions to remain in child welfare: the role of human caring, self-efficacy beliefs, and professional organizational culture. Children and Youth Services Review, 31, 78-88.
[3] Lee, J., Rehner, T., Forster, M. (2010). Employee’s intention to remain employed in child welfare: testing a conceptual model. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 4(2), 174-197.
[4] Lee, J., Forster, M., Rehner, T. (2010). The retention of public child welfare workers: the roles of professional organizational culture and coping strategies. Children and Youth Services Review. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.08.019.
[5] Kim, H., Stoner, M. (2008). Burnout and turnover intention among social workers: effects of role stress, job autonomy, and social support. Administration in Social Work, 32(3), 5-25.