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Staff supervisor vs unit supervisor

The differences between staff supervisors and unit supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a staff supervisor and a unit supervisor. Additionally, a staff supervisor has an average salary of $48,991, which is higher than the $48,749 average annual salary of a unit supervisor.

The top three skills for a staff supervisor include patients, home health and customer service. The most important skills for a unit supervisor are patients, corrective action, and social work.

Staff supervisor vs unit supervisor overview

Staff SupervisorUnit Supervisor
Yearly salary$48,991$48,749
Hourly rate$23.55$23.44
Growth rate-6%
Number of jobs93,67637,120
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4747
Years of experience66

What does a staff supervisor do?

A staff supervisor is responsible for supervising staff and organizing work procedures. Their main duty is to monitor staff. They maintain staff by recruiting, training, and coaching them. They may also gather budget information. They must have good communication skills and be team-oriented.

What does a unit supervisor do?

A unit supervisor oversees and supervises employees, ensuring that work operations adhere to standards, guidelines, timelines, and budget. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their industry or company of employment, they are typically in charge of conducting regular inspections and assessments, setting objectives and guidelines, delegating responsibilities among staff, and producing progress reports, submitting them to higher-ranking managers. Moreover, aside from leading teams to reach goals, a unit supervisor also trains new members of the workforce, provides technical support to staff, and resolves issues and concerns to maintain smooth operations.

Staff supervisor vs unit supervisor salary

Staff supervisors and unit supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Staff SupervisorUnit Supervisor
Average salary$48,991$48,749
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $70,000Between $30,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City-Olympia, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Berkshire Hathaway
Best paying industry-Hospitality

Differences between staff supervisor and unit supervisor education

There are a few differences between a staff supervisor and a unit supervisor in terms of educational background:

Staff SupervisorUnit Supervisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - BakersfieldCalifornia State University - Bakersfield

Staff supervisor vs unit supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between staff supervisors' and unit supervisors' demographics:

Staff SupervisorUnit Supervisor
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 46.7% Female, 53.3%Male, 51.6% Female, 48.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between staff supervisor and unit supervisor duties and responsibilities

Staff supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Provide administrative support to include managing and maintaining payroll for office staff member and personnel.
  • Demonstrate leadership and expertise managing schedules for staff and delegating projects as assigned ensuring smooth organization for attorneys.
  • Move up to overnight supervisor quickly.was able to implement new ideas to management to ensure customer satisfaction.
  • Certify instructor for employee CPR a certification.
  • Use POS system to settle customer payments.
  • Supervise the shift and run the floor scrubber.
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Unit supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Manage direct support professionals serving adult populations for persons with mental health, developmental disabilities and children with autism.
  • Document patient information and recording information correctly, as well as ensuring other workers are following OSHA and HIPAA requirements.
  • Attend weekly QA collaboration meetings and actively participate in discussions.
  • Utilize Kaizen activities to drive continuous process and quality improvements.
  • Submit MDS assessments to CMS timely and organize documentation for timely filing.
  • Evaluate admissions for Medicare/ Medicaid eligibility; prepare MDS and PPS documentation.
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Staff supervisor vs unit supervisor skills

Common staff supervisor skills
  • Patients, 18%
  • Home Health, 13%
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Rehabilitation, 8%
  • Safety Procedures, 8%
  • Direct Supervision, 8%
Common unit supervisor skills
  • Patients, 11%
  • Corrective Action, 10%
  • Social Work, 8%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Conflict Resolution, 6%
  • Direct Supervision, 6%

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