Help Employees Understand How to Make Themselves More Valuable

As a supervisor, it may seem like one's job is simply to make sure that the work gets done. In reality, a good supervisor brings so much more to the table whether it is in a small business or department or as someone overseeing a large corporation or multi-faceted arm of a business. In addition to making sure the work gets done and the company grows, a good supervisor also helps employees to improve. A good supervisor helps employees become increasingly valuable as contributors to the overall operation.

It is important to remember that a good employee will likely not stay in the same job or position forever. The more he or she learns about the company, the department and/or the industry, the better he or she will become. As a supervisor, it is up to you to make sure that the individual not only learns what he or she needs to get the current job done, but that the skills and experiences experienced add to the overall value for everyone involved. This is why training, encouraging employees to step outside the box, volunteer work and so many other opportunities for skill development can be so important.

Supervisors may fear that if they provide too many training and personal skill development opportunities for employees, they will take their newfound skills and move on to another company. Of course, this is always a risk but often, employees who are allowed to grow, learn and experiment on the job have higher morale-they are happier with the existing company and see a future of growth and opportunity for advancement. This means they are actually LESS likely to leave and move on if they are treated well and allowed to broaden their work experiences.

Keep in mind that your job as a supervisor is not just to help employees have better work experiences-the goal should be to improve company or business operations. As employees learn and develop on the job, the benefit to the company should be obvious. Customer service skills can benefit almost anyone-even the employee who works in the mailroom may not always be there. Learning software programs and other work skills can strengthen the workforce and make an employee more useful in a variety of departments and this makes for a more valuable employee overall.