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Supervisor vs line supervisor

The differences between supervisors and line supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a supervisor and a line supervisor. Additionally, a line supervisor has an average salary of $55,107, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.

The top three skills for a supervisor include customer service, safety procedures and sales floor. The most important skills for a line supervisor are safety procedures, direct supervision, and safety rules.

Supervisor vs line supervisor overview

SupervisorLine Supervisor
Yearly salary$53,902$55,107
Hourly rate$25.91$26.49
Growth rate--
Number of jobs224,920105,473
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

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.

What does a line supervisor do?

A line supervisor is responsible for monitoring the line operations within an organization, ensuring the adequacy of line staff on production, and supervising the quality control processes. Line supervisors enforce the highest safety standards and procedures within the premises to avoid operation hazards that might cause delays in the production. They also train new employees, coordinate with the management for process improvement, and develop strategic techniques to minimize excessive costings without compromising the service quality.

Supervisor vs line supervisor salary

Supervisors and line supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

SupervisorLine Supervisor
Average salary$53,902$55,107
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $92,000Between $36,000 And $83,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYEwing, NJ
Highest paying stateAlaskaWyoming
Best paying companyReed SmithEMC Insurance
Best paying industryHealth Care-

Differences between supervisor and line supervisor education

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

SupervisorLine Supervisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Supervisor vs line supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between supervisors' and line supervisors' demographics:

SupervisorLine Supervisor
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 55.8% Female, 44.2%Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 4.7% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between supervisor and line supervisor duties and responsibilities

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.
  • Show more

Line supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Manage the quality control, safety, and sanitation for the second-process of poultry processing while adhering to FDA regulations.
  • Manage and develop associates base on organizational and developmental needs/conduct monthly one-on-ones with each employee to provide guidance and leadership.
  • Schedule crewing (union shop), production scheduling, MRP.
  • Run mechanical machinery to package FDA control medicine, build cardboard displays for different products and package them.
  • Operate manual and pneumatic tools and machinery used in the maintenance of vessels, HVAC and ice arena equipment.
  • Train maintenance personnel in diagnosing and repairing machines to minimize downtime and cost associated with the operation of all machinery.
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Supervisor vs line supervisor skills

Common supervisor skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Safety Procedures, 9%
  • Sales Floor, 9%
  • POS, 9%
  • Direct Supervision, 9%
  • Payroll, 5%
Common line supervisor skills
  • Safety Procedures, 15%
  • Direct Supervision, 14%
  • Safety Rules, 8%
  • Continuous Improvement, 6%
  • Food Safety, 5%
  • Assembly Line, 5%

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