ENHANCING SUPERVISOR SKILLS
TO SUPPORT
WORKER RETENTION
The development of this curriculum was supported through a cooperative agreement between the University of
Kansas, School of Social Welfare and the U.S. DHHS/ACF Children’s Bureau, Grant Number 90CT0150. The
contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official
views of the Children’s Bureau.
ENHANCING SUPERVISOR SKILLS TO SUPPORT WORKER RETENTION
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
1:00
Welcome & Introductions
1:15
Overview – Supervisor Skills that Support Worker Retention
1:45
Video: Task Assistance
Discussion/Application of Skills – Task Assistance
2:30
Break
2:45
Video: Social and Emotional Support
Discussion/Application of Skills – Social and Emotional Support
3:30
Video: Interpersonal Interaction
Discussion/Application of Skills – Interpersonal Interaction
4:00
Implementation Planning for Use of Skills
Wrap-up
Evaluation
4:30
Adjourn
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
As a result of this training, participants will be able to:
1. List supervisory skills linked to workforce outcomes – task assistance, social and
emotional support and interpersonal interaction.
2. List two or more situations in which each skill may be used.
3. Demonstrate use of the skills.
4. List two or more situations in which the skills might be used in supervision of staff.
Trainer:
2
Supervisor Skills that Influence Retention
Task Assistance
•
•
•
•
Provide assistance with tasks
Offer work-related advice and instruction
Coach workers
Support training and learning
Interpersonal Interaction
• Project a sense of emotional closeness
• Encourage staff to share the organizational
vision
• Encourage a sense of competence
• Interact as professionals
• Encourage co-workers to support each other
Social and Emotional Support
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Listen as workers discuss job difficulties
Recognize emotional needs
Acknowledge and reward good work
Make supportive statements
Clarify role and responsibilities
Encourage help seeking
Encourage positive thinking
Be warm, friendly and respectful with workers
3
Kansas Workforce Initiative Evidence Review
How Supervision Relates to Workforce Outcomes
Compiled March 2010
Level of Evidence: The effect of supervision on workforce outcomes has
been the subject of research in numerous meta-analytic, multivariate, and
correlational studies. There is correlational evidence that high quality
supervision plays a role in the retention of child welfare workers. There
are no studies that evaluate the impact of a supervisory intervention on
workforce outcomes.
Current Best Evidence
 What types of supervisory behavior influence retention?
o The three supervisory dimensions: task assistance, social and emotional support, and
interpersonal interaction contribute to beneficial outcomes for workers. Of these, task assistance
had the greatest impact on positive worker outcomes.1
 Task Assistance - Supervisors, who provide tangible, work-related advice and instruction,
provide assistance in job-related tasks, support training and learning activities, coach
employees, and offer solutions to work related problems contribute to workers having
higher rates of retention.
 Social and Emotional Support - Supervisor who listen to workers as they discuss job
difficulties, provide supportive statements, and relate to the emotional needs of the
workers when they feel overwhelmed, stressed, or confused by their work have workers
with higher rates of retention.
 Interpersonal Interaction - There is a positive link between a worker’s perception of the
quality of the supervisory relationship and worker outcomes such as sense of
competence, sense of personal accomplishment, organizational citizenship behavior, and
job satisfaction.
o Supervisors who interact with subordinates as professionals and encourage child welfare staff to
share responsibilities for organizational vision and leadership and to continue personal and
professional development increase the likelihood that a worker will remain employed in child
welfare.2
o Workers who remain employed in child welfare:
 Have high quality supervision/leadership 3 4
 Have high supervisor and coworker support 3 4 5 6 7 11 12 13 14 19
1
Mor Barak, M.E., Travis, D.A., Pyun, H., Xie, B. (2009). The impact of supervision on worker outcomes: A meta-analysis. Social Service Review, 4-32.
Ellett, A.J. (2008). Intentions to remain in child welfare: the role of human caring, self-efficacy beliefs, and professional organizational culture. Children and
Youth Services Review, 31, 78-88.
3 Lee, J., Rehner, T., Forster, M. (2010). Employee’s intention to remain employed in child welfare: testing a conceptual model. Journal of Public Child
Welfare, 4(2), 174-197.
4 Lee, J., Forster, M., Rehner, T. (2010). The retention of public child welfare workers: the roles of professional organizational culture and coping strategies.
Children and Youth Services Review. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.08.019.
5 Kim, H., Stoner, M. (2008). Burnout and turnover intention among social workers: effects of role stress, job autonomy, and social support. Administration in
Social Work, 32(3), 5-25.
6 Maertz, C.P., Griffeth, R.W., Campbell, N.S., Allen, D.G. (2007). The effects of perceived organizational support and perceived supervisor support on
employee turnover. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28, 1059-1075.
2
4







Have supervisors who facilitate their learning 8
Have supervisors who support workers practice 9
Report more guidance from their supervisor 10
Have a strong sense of security and emotional closeness with their supervisor 10
Feel assured that they can rely on their supervisor for tangible support 10
Feel more positive about the role of their supervisor and have a more favorable view of
their supervisor 11
 Have supervisors who are more competent in doing their job, are more concerned with
the worker’s welfare, acknowledge the worker when they have a done a good job, help
the worker complete difficult tasks, and are warm and friendly when the worker is having
problems 12
What job-related factors work with supervision to influence retention?
o The following factors increase the likelihood of retention:
 Role clarity 9 13
 High organizational commitment 9 13
 High professional commitment 3 4 14
 High levels of job satisfaction 12 13 14 15
 High job autonomy 5 13
 Better working conditions13
 Satisfaction with extrinsic rewards 3
 Higher salaries 12 16
 Spend less time on court related tasks 12
 Less emotional exhaustion 12
 Less stress 14
 Less job tension 16
 How do personal characteristics interact with supervision to influence retention?
o Supervisory support is especially important for retaining workers who have a low perception of
self-efficacy.15
7
Nissly, J.A., Mor Barak, M.E. Levin, A. (2005). Stress, social support, and workers’ intentions to leave their jobs in public child welfare. Administration in
Social Work, 29(1), 79-100.
8 Scannapieco, M., Connell-Carrick, K. (2007). Child welfare workplace: the state of the workforce and strategies to improve retention. Child Welfare, 86(6),
31-52.
9 Dickinson, N. & Painter, J. (2009). Predictors of undesired turnover for child welfare workers. Child Welfare, 8(5), 187-208.
10 Yankeelov, P.A., Barbee, A.P., Sullivan, D., Antle, B.F. (2008). Individual and organizational factors in job retention in Kentucky’s child welfare agency.
Children and Youth Services Review. 31, 547-554.
11 Jacquet, S.E., Clark, S.J., Morazes, J.L., Withers, R. (2008). The role of supervision in the retention of public child welfare workers. Journal of Public Child
Welfare, 1(3), 27-54.
12
Dickinson, N.S., Perry, R.E. (2002). Factors influencing the retention of specially educated public child welfare workers. Journal of Health and Social Policy,
15 (3, 4), 89-103.
13 O’Donnell, J., Kirkner, S.L. (2009). A longitudinal study of factors influencing the retention of Title IV-E Master’s of social work graduates in public child
welfare. Journal of Public Child Welfare 3, 64-86.
14
Mor Barak, M.; Nissly, J. & Levin, A (2001). Antecedents to retention and turnover among child welfare, social work, and other human service employees:
What can we learn from past research? A review and metanalysis. The Social Service Review, 75(4), 625-661.
15 Chen, S.Y., Scannapieco, M. (2009). The influence of job satisfaction on child welfare worker’s desire to stay: an examination of the interaction effect of
self-efficacy and supportive supervision. Children and Youth Services Review, 32, 482-486.
5
o
Workers who use control coping (positive thinking, help seeking, and direct action) are more likely
to remain employed in child welfare.4
o Low supervisory support has a larger effect on intention to leave for men than women.16
o Women are more likely to receive supervisor support than men.17
o More experienced workers are more likely to perceive less supervisory support. 17 18
o More experienced workers who have high levels of supervisor support are more likely to remain
employed in child welfare.16 18
o Supervisory support is more important for retaining less experienced workers. 2 19 Levels of
human caring, self-efficacy, motivation, and persistence play a more important role in the intent
to remain employed than elements of organizational culture.2
Practice Implications
The findings regarding supervision and worker retention imply that certain supervisor behaviors should be
increased or maintained through setting clear job expectations, training, coaching, monitoring and rewarding
desired behaviors. These behaviors can be categorized as task assistance, social and emotional support and
interpersonal interactions.
 Task Assistance- Supervisors need to:
o Provide work related advice and instruction
o Offer assistance with job related tasks
o Support training and learning activities
o Coach workers
o Provide task assistance more frequently with newer workers
 Social and emotional support – Supervisors need to:
o Listen to workers as they discuss job difficulties or problems
o Make supportive statements
o Recognize the emotional needs of workers feeling overwhelmed, stressed or confused
o Acknowledge and reward workers for doing a good job
o Be warm, friendly, and respectful with workers
o Clarify the workers role and job responsibilities
o Encourage job autonomy
o Encourage workers positive thinking and help seeking to manage stress
 Interpersonal interaction
o Encourage coworkers to support each other
o Encourage a sense of competence in workers
o Interact with workers as professionals/encourage staff to share the organization’s vision
o Project a sense of emotional closeness to workers
o Support male and female workers equally
o Provide support to workers regardless of how long they have been on the job
16
Fakunmonju, S., Woodruff, K., Kim, H.H., LeFerve, A., Hong, M. (2010). Intention to leave a job; the role of individual factors, job tension, and supervisory
support. Administration in Social Work, 34 313-328.
17 Mor Barak, M.E., Levin, A., Nissly, J.A., Lane, C.J. (2006). Why do they leave? Modeling child welfare workers’ turnover intentions. Children and Youth
Services Review, 28, 548-577.
18 Curry, D.; McCarragher, T.; Dellmann-Jenkins, M. (2005). Training, transfer, and turnover: Exploring the relationship among transfer of learning factors and
staff retention in child welfare. Children and Youth Services Review, 27, 931-948.
19 Chenot, D.; Benton, A. & Kim H. (2009). The influence of supervisor support, peer support, and organizational culture among early career social workers in
child welfare services. Child Welfare, 88(5), 129-147.
6
Effective
Supervision
Task Assistance
Empowerment
Organizational
Citizenship Behavior
Job Satisfaction
Retention
Social & Emotional Support
Well-being
Organizational Commitment
Job Satisfaction
Interpersonal Interaction
Sense of Competence &
Personal Accomplishment
Organizational Citizenship
Behavior
Job Satisfaction
Impact of Supervision on Staff
Retention
Overall Findings
• Dimension 1: Task Assistance, had greatest impact on
positive worker outcomes.
• Dimensions 2 & 3: Social and Emotional Support and
Interpersonal interaction were associated with:
– Reduced worker anxiety, stress, depression, somatic
complaints, burnout, intention to leave, and turnover
Mor Barak, Travis, Pyun, and Xie, 2009
Synthesis prepared by Munson, 2010
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Supervisor Skill Implementation Plan
1. Select one of the three skill clusters that you would like to work on for the next
two weeks and a worker that you would like to influence.
2. On the calendar blank provided, write an example for each of the behaviors in
the skill cluster.
3. Each day that you encounter the worker and practice a skill, make a brief note of
the behavior that demonstrated the skill.
4. At the end of the week review the number of encounters and how often you were
able to practice each behavior.
Skill Clusters
Task Assistance
Offer assistance with job-related tasks
Provide work-related advice and instruction
Coach workers
Support training and learning
Social and emotional support
Listen as workers discuss job difficulties
Recognize emotional needs of workers
Acknowledge and reward good work
Encourage help seeking
Make supportive statements
Project warmth, friendliness and respect for workers
Encourage positive thinking
Interpersonal interaction
Project a sense of emotional closeness
Encourage staff to share the organizations vision
Encourage a sense of competence
Interact with workers as professionals
Encourage co-workers to support each other
8
SAMPLE SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Task Assistance
Behavior
Monday
Provide assistance with
tasks
Tuesday
Wednesday
Went over Form XYZ
and helped S. fill it in
for the B. family.
Reviewed a list of
community mental
health resources and
discussed referral
process.
Example:
Offer to assist S. with documentation
by reviewing a form with her in
supervision
.
Offer work-related
advice and instruction
Example:
Explain how S. can fill out case
document forms
Explained how to fill in
Section C. of Form XYZ
and offered to go
through it on a specific
family on S’s caseload.
Coach workers
Examples:
Review a training S. has attended;
discuss an upcoming training
Briefly reviewed the
recent Fatherhood
training and S’s
understanding of her
role with a father.
Friday
Suggested that S. follow
up with the B. family to
be sure they understand
the outcome of the case
planning conference
Attended the B.
family’s case planning
conference and cofacilitated with S.
Played the role of a
CASA worker with S. so
she can gain comfort in
interacting with the
worker
Examples:
Role play an interaction with a family
member with S. taking on the family
member’s role; co-facilitate a case
planning conference with S.
Support training and
learning
Thursday
Suggested S. attend
upcoming FGDM training
SAMPLE SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Social and Emotional Support
Behavior
Listen as workers discuss job
difficulties
Example: Allow P. to ventilate about a job
issue.
Monday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Talked with P. about
the emotional
challenge of working
with sexually abused
children.
Recognize emotional needs
Example: Express understanding regarding how
a specific work situation can be emotionally
difficult.
Acknowledge and reward good
work
Tuesday
Listened to P. describe
her frustration with
the change in
documentation
requirements.
Told P. that her court
report was very clear
and complete.
Example: Bring to P’s attention something s/he
did well on a case.
Told P. that I know
she can handle the
situation with the T.
since working with
teens is her strength.
Make supportive statements
Example: Provide P. encouragement regarding a
challenging situation.
Clarify role and
responsibilities
Example: Speak to P. about her role in court
proceedings
Encourage help seeking
Example: Reiterate that P. can come to you
anytime s/he has a question
Encourage positive thinking
Example: Say something supportive when P.
expresses something positive.
Be warm, friendly and
respectful with workers
Example: Say “Good morning, how are you?”
the first time you see P. on a given day.
Went over P’s role in
working with the GAL
in the T. family court
hearing.
Reminded P. that if
she has questions
about testifying, just
let me know.
P. was enthusiastic
about her meeting
yesterday with T. I told
her I knew she would do
well in that situation.
P. is going on vacation
next week. Told her I
hoped she’d have a
good time and send a
postcard to the office.
10
SAMPLE SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Interpersonal Interaction
Behavior
Project a sense of emotional
closeness
Monday
Example: Remind J. that we are about
keeping (a child in his caseload) safe in a
permanent family.
Wednesday
J. showed me a
picture of his
Mustang. I asked if
he’d be driving it to
work soon.
Told J. I noticed how
thorough his case plan
was and how the
family’s wishes were
clearly included.
Example:
Tell J. that he has done something well on
a case.
Asked J. if he would
be willing to serve on
the MDCPT since he
has developed a
reputation as a good
collaborator.
Interact as professionals
Encourage workers to support
each other
Example:
Encourage J. to help others (or a specific
worker) on the team
Friday
Spoke with J. about the
upcoming case
planning conference for
the S. family and the
importance of involving
them in the decisionmaking.
Encourage a sense of
competence
Example:
Ask J’s advice on how to respond to a
situation on his caseload.
Thursday
Asked J. how the
work was coming on
the restoration of his
’65 Mustang.
Example: Ask J. about something outside
of work that he has disclosed (e.g. family,
hobby, organization).
Encourage staff to share the
organizational vision
Tuesday
Asked J. about his
thoughts on the best
resource for meeting
L’s mental health
needs.
Asked J. if he would be
willing to present a
short review of how
he involved the S.
family in the case
planning conference
at the next team
meeting.
11
SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Task Assistance
Behavior
Provide assistance with
tasks
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Offer work-related advice
and instruction
Coach workers
Support training and
learning
12
SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN:
Social and Emotional Support
Behavior
Listen as workers discuss job
difficulties
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Recognize emotional needs
Acknowledge and reward good
work
Make supportive statements
Clarify role/responsibilities
Encourage help seeking
Encourage positive thinking
Be warm, friendly and respectful
with workers
13
SKILL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Interpersonal Interaction
Behavior
Project a sense of
emotional closeness
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Encourage staff to share
the organizational vision
Encourage a sense of
competence
Interact as professionals
Encourage workers to
support each other
14