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The differences between department supervisors and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a department supervisor, becoming a supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a supervisor has an average salary of $53,902, which is higher than the $47,300 average annual salary of a department supervisor.
The top three skills for a department supervisor include store management, product knowledge and plumbing. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.
| Department Supervisor | Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $47,300 | $53,902 |
| Hourly rate | $22.74 | $25.91 |
| Growth rate | 6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 216,893 | 224,920 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A department supervisor's role is to oversee and ensure a business operation's efficiency in a particular area. Acting as a leader, it is their responsibility to develop strategies on meeting goals within a timeline and ensure that the workforce is functioning effectively in a harmonious environment. Furthermore, a department supervisor is in charge of setting goals such as budget and results, evaluating employees' performances and activities, training new members of the workforce, handling and resolving issues, and enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Department supervisors and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Department Supervisor | Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $47,300 | $53,902 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $66,000 | Between $31,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lakewood, NJ | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Club | Reed Smith |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a department supervisor and a supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Department Supervisor | Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between department supervisors' and supervisors' demographics:
| Department Supervisor | Supervisor | |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 Percentage | 9% | 6% |