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Supervisor vs working supervisor

The differences between supervisors and working 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 working supervisor. Additionally, a supervisor has an average salary of $53,902, which is higher than the $49,372 average annual salary of a working supervisor.

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

Supervisor vs working supervisor overview

SupervisorWorking Supervisor
Yearly salary$53,902$49,372
Hourly rate$25.91$23.74
Growth rate--
Number of jobs224,92044,021
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
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 working supervisor do?

A working supervisor is responsible for overseeing the daily performance of employees. Depending on the business, company, or organization, a working supervisor's primary job is to orchestrate coordinated teamwork. This job requires excellent communication and organizational skills. These skills ensure that working supervisors can transfer information or instructions from higher-level management to employees and provide reports to upper management.

Supervisor vs working supervisor salary

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

SupervisorWorking Supervisor
Average salary$53,902$49,372
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $92,000Between $33,000 And $73,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSan Jose, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaWyoming
Best paying companyReed SmithEnsign Energy
Best paying industryHealth CareGovernment

Differences between supervisor and working supervisor education

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

SupervisorWorking Supervisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Supervisor vs working supervisor demographics

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

SupervisorWorking Supervisor
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 55.8% Female, 44.2%Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
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, 12.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 4.8% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between supervisor and working 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

Working supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.
  • Assist operators for driving portion of CDL.
  • Perform service troubleshoot and repair work in between projects.
  • Cut grass using tractor, riding lawn mowers, string trimmers.
  • Supervise billing and payroll personnel, and coordinate the billing process.
  • General lawn care: whipping, weeding, mowing, and raking.
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Supervisor vs working supervisor skills

Common supervisor skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Safety Procedures, 9%
  • Sales Floor, 9%
  • POS, 9%
  • Direct Supervision, 9%
  • Payroll, 5%
Common working supervisor skills
  • Direct Supervision, 20%
  • Safety Rules, 16%
  • GRASS, 15%
  • Safety Procedures, 12%
  • Payroll, 3%
  • Community Resources, 3%

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