SEAHO Report - Summer 2024 - 21

FEATURE ARTICLES
Tips for Being an Effective Supervisor
Across Staff Levels When Short-Staffed
By Kelsey Hansen, Appalachian State University
Training season is nearly upon us and many of our departments look to be starting training short staffed.
While there is hope to fill the remaining vacancies by the start of the academic year, coverage plans to help
fill the gap often include adding supervisees to remaining staff. This may be a staff member at a level you
currently supervise or it may be adding a level of supervision to your role. Staff supervision is a skillset that
is often developed through experience, both the good and the bad. Instead of determining what is needed
from supervisees, supervisors often draw on their previous experiences or implement the supervisory style
they prefer from their supervisor. As priorities can shift with staff vacancies, don't let supervision, or lack
thereof, create additional struggles for your team.
Here are four areas to focus on for being an effective supervisor while supervising across levels of staff
especially when short staffed!
Relationship Building: Creating the space to get to know the staff members you are supervising might seem
like something that can be shifted down on the priority list until positions are filled, however this can leave
current staff disconnected and feeling undervalued which might ultimately lead to additional vacancies!
Keeping regular 1-1s with your staff is the easiest way for the individual relationships to continue developing.
The frequency, biweekly versus weekly, may need change, but work to stick to a set schedule without
canceling. Be intentional with this time to check in on the person in front of you and not just the staff member.
If 1-1s at every level are not sustainable, consider offering a weekly office hour specific to the staff group to
pop in to chat or stop by with questions.
In addition to the 1-1 connection, it's also important to help staff members form connections with other staff
members. During training season this often looks like an event or activity after hours, but what about ongoing
opportunities? Look for additional ways to incorporate team building activities into already existing structures.
Using staff meetings, committee meetings, newsletters, or an office whiteboard to infuse opportunities to
further share about self or create moments of connection that can help staff members build relationships with
one another and can help them work better together.
Accountability: While holding staff accountable is always an important component of supervision, it becomes
even more essential when short staffed. Not having the extra time to step in to complete your staff members'
work highlights the importance of fine tuning the structures you put in place to help your staff understand
expectations, meet deadlines, and keep you looped in on progress. Whether that is sending calendar
reminders or using a project management software, it's important to consider the level of staff to determine
which software or processes are the most appropriate.
Regardless of the level of staff, being consistent with the follow-up with staff who are not meeting
expectations is critical. Holding staff members on the same level to a different standard than one another is a
quick way to make staff feel undervalued or taken for granted. If you haven't already, carve out some planning
time before your training to ensure you are preparing each of your staff levels appropriately and determining
what follow-up will look like at each level. Future you will be thankful you thought about this and made a plan
well before you needed to use it!
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SEAHO Report - Summer 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEAHO Report - Summer 2024