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The differences between supervisors and team leader/supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a supervisor, becoming a team leader/supervisor takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a supervisor has an average salary of $53,902, which is higher than the $50,841 average annual salary of a team leader/supervisor.
The top three skills for a supervisor include customer service, safety procedures and sales floor. The most important skills for a team leader/supervisor are safety procedures, quality standards, and sales floor.
| Supervisor | Team Leader/Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $53,902 | $50,841 |
| Hourly rate | $25.91 | $24.44 |
| Growth rate | - | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 224,920 | 96,069 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
A team leader or supervisor is an individual who leads and supervises a workgroup's functionality through instructions and guidance in an organization. Team leaders provide support to staff members by way of coaching and skills development. They are responsible for preventing and resolving conflicts among staff members by setting ground rules and assigning tasks properly. They also organize team meetings and report the progress of a project to the management. Since they lead a workforce, team leaders must possess excellent verbal communication skills and have a great work ethic.
Supervisors and team leader/supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supervisor | Team Leader/Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $53,902 | $50,841 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $92,000 | Between $32,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New Bedford, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Reed Smith | Nexteer Automotive |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a supervisor and a team leader/supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Supervisor | Team Leader/Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between supervisors' and team leader/supervisors' demographics:
| Supervisor | Team Leader/Supervisor | |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |