Shift leader vs shift supervisor

The differences between shift leaders and shift supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a shift supervisor has an average salary of $34,141, which is higher than the $33,841 average annual salary of a shift leader.

The top three skills for a shift leader include patients, customer complaints and customer service. The most important skills for a shift supervisor are cash handling, store operations, and store management.

Shift leader vs shift supervisor overview

	Shift Leader	Shift Supervisor
Yearly salary	$33,841	$34,141
Hourly rate	$16.27	$16.41
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	229,485	282,079
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	37	43
Years of experience	-	6

What does a shift leader do?

Shift leaders are tenured or experienced employees who are assigned to oversee employees in specific work shifts. They manage team members who are assigned in their shift. They also ensure that business goals are met. Shift leaders check whether team members are working, and they ensure that they always comply with company policies and guidelines. They also monitor the performance of their employees and coach them should the employees need help in any area of their work. Shift leaders should have good communication skills, decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.

What does a shift supervisor do?

Shift supervisors are responsible for the employees assigned to the shift that they are handling. Shift supervisors ensure that the employees who were expected to report to work at the specific shift came in. They also ensure that the employees are doing their jobs while at work. Shift supervisors are expected to ensure that employees are really working during working hours and properly delegate work. Shift supervisors ensure that the employees are productive and efficient in their jobs. They are expected to provide coaching and guidance so that the employees will be able to reach the goals assigned to the work team.

Shift leader vs shift supervisor salary

Shift leaders and shift supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Shift Leader	Shift Supervisor
Average salary	$33,841	$34,141
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $43,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Hawaii
Best paying company	IBM	AbbVie
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between shift leader and shift supervisor education

There are a few differences between a shift leader and a shift supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Shift Leader	Shift Supervisor
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Shift leader vs shift supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between shift leaders' and shift supervisors' demographics:

	Shift Leader	Shift Supervisor
Average age	37	43
Gender ratio	Male, 44.2% Female, 55.8%	Male, 49.1% Female, 50.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.5% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	9%

Differences between shift leader and shift supervisor duties and responsibilities

Shift leader example responsibilities.

Prepare overall security plans and manage security operations of organization, including assignments, staffing and payroll.
Maintain maintenance and cleanliness of the facility which exceeds customer satisfaction and quality standards.
Team leadership for excellent customer service delivery during schedule shift including supervision of service associates and pharmacy technicians.
Answer all incoming calls a long with booking appointments.
Develop strategies to meet and exceed booking and sales goals.
Review daily arrivals to ensure proper handling of VIP's, return guests, groups, etc.

Shift supervisor example responsibilities.

Content include math skills, how to manage a monthly budget, job searches, and managing a home.
Manage a team of energy consultants in daily production, SPH (sales per hr.
Evaluate daily job objectives and utilize knowledge of math, physics, and engineering to achieve the desired results.
Manage a part-time managerial shift supervisor position that require daily bookkeeping in POS system.
Prepare overall security plans and manage security operations of organization, including assignments, staffing and payroll.
Carry out administrative functions including tracking ordering and managing inventory, and support the manager in monitoring store security and cleanliness.

Shift leader vs shift supervisor skills

Common shift leader skills

Patients, 9%
Customer Complaints, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
Math, 7%
Safety Standards, 6%
Cash Handling, 5%

Common shift supervisor skills

Cash Handling, 19%
Store Operations, 9%
Store Management, 9%
Loss Prevention, 7%
Food Products, 7%
Cash Flow, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Shift Leader
Shift Leader vs Shift Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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