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Co-worker vs supervisor

The differences between co-workers and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a supervisor has an average salary of $53,902, which is higher than the $33,212 average annual salary of a co-worker.

The top three skills for a co-worker include cleanliness, logistics and product knowledge. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.

Co-worker vs supervisor overview

Co-WorkerSupervisor
Yearly salary$33,212$53,902
Hourly rate$15.97$25.91
Growth rate14%-
Number of jobs26,794224,920
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age2346
Years of experience-2

What does a co-worker do?

A co-worker is someone who works with the other employees on the same team or in the same department sharing their knowledge and expertise when they encounter novel situations or other issues. Co-workers are willing to extend help to their teammates to succeed and meet the goals of their company. The most valued traits co-workers should have include dependability, flexibility, dedication, respectfulness, trustworthiness, and being emphatic. They need to develop good skills in communication, logistics, sales goals, customer service, and product knowledge.

What does a supervisor do?

Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.

Co-worker vs supervisor salary

Co-workers and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Co-WorkerSupervisor
Average salary$33,212$53,902
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $42,000Between $31,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Reed Smith
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between co-worker and supervisor education

There are a few differences between a co-worker and a supervisor in terms of educational background:

Co-WorkerSupervisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college-Stanford University

Co-worker vs supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between co-workers' and supervisors' demographics:

Co-WorkerSupervisor
Average age2346
Gender ratioMale, 54.0% Female, 46.0%Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage8%6%

Differences between co-worker and supervisor duties and responsibilities

Co-worker example responsibilities.

  • Manage petty cash, payroll, inventory, member statements, accounts receivable, and payable.
  • Encode bank documents on the NCR 7760 and NCR 7766 machines.
  • Prepare smoothies, frozen blends, ice cream sundaes, espressos, frappes, etc.
  • Perform by working the drive-thru.
  • Talk to payroll and associates regarding questions that they may have.
  • Unite StatesI currently work for Chick-Fil-A as a front and back crew worker.
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Supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Lead continuous process improvement and six sigma teams to meet ISO 9001 and QS 9000 standards.
  • Manage and implement merchandising strategy for POS marketing and display inventory.
  • Lead comprehensive training for each new volunteer or court-mandate worker regarding OSHA regulations and warehouse procedure.
  • Organize care with 6 CNAs.
  • Coordinate lifeguard duty schedule for all pools.
  • Maintain cleanliness throughout kitchen, coolers, and freezer areas.
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Co-worker vs supervisor skills

Common co-worker skills
  • Cleanliness, 17%
  • Logistics, 13%
  • Product Knowledge, 12%
  • Math, 11%
  • Food Handling, 9%
  • Sales Floor, 9%
Common supervisor skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Safety Procedures, 9%
  • Sales Floor, 9%
  • POS, 9%
  • Direct Supervision, 9%
  • Payroll, 5%

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