Supervisor
A supervisor, when the meaning sought is similar to foreman, foreperson, overseer, cell coach, manager, facilitator, monitor, or area coordinator, is the job title of a low level management position that is primarily based on authority over a worker or charge of a workplace. A Supervisor can also be one of the most senior in the staff at the place of work, such as a Professor who oversees a PhD dissertation. Supervision, on the other hand, can be performed by people without this formal title, for example by parents. The term Supervisor itself can be used to refer to any personnel who have this task as part of their job description.
An employee is a supervisor if he/she has the power and authority to do the following actions (according to the Ontario Ministry of Labour):
Give instructions and/or orders to subordinates.
Be held responsible for the work and actions of other employees.
If an employee cannot do the above, legally, he or she is probably not a supervisor, but in some other category, such as a work group leader or lead hand.
A supervisor is first and foremost an overseer whose main responsibility is to ensure that a group of subordinates get out the assigned amount of production, when they are supposed to do it and within acceptable levels of quality, costs and safety.
A supervisor is responsible for the productivity and actions of a small group of employees. The supervisor has several manager-like roles, responsibilities, and powers. Two of the key differences between a supervisor and a manager are (1) the supervisor does not typically have “hire and fire” authority, and (2) the supervisor does not have budget authority.
Lacking “hire and fire” authority means that a supervisor may not recruit the employees working in the supervisor’s group nor does the supervisor have the authority to terminate an employee. The supervisor may participate in the hiring process as part of interviewing and assessing candidates, but the actual hiring authority rests in the hands of a Human Resource Manager. The supervisor may recommend to management that a particular employee be terminated and the supervisor may be the one who documents the behaviors leading to the recommendation but the actual firing authority rests in the hands of a manager.
Lacking budget authority means that a supervisor is provided a budget developed by management within which constraints the supervisor is expected to provide a productive environment for the employees of the supervisor’s work group. A supervisor will usually have the authority to make purchases within specified limits. A supervisor is also given the power to approve work hours and other payroll issues. Normally, budget affecting requests such as travel will require not only the supervisor’s approval but the approval of one or more layers of management.
As a member of management, a supervisor’s main job is more concerned with orchestrating and controlling work rather than performing it directly.
Superior (adjective)
Higher in quality.
“Rebecca had always thought shorts were far superior to pants, as they didn’t constantly make her legs itch.”
Superior (adjective)
Higher in rank.
Superior (adjective)
More comprehensive, as a term in classification.
“A genus is superior to a species.”
Superior (adjective)
Located above.
“the superior jaw; the superior part of an image”
Superior (adjective)
Above the ovary; said of parts of the flower which, although normally below the ovary, adhere to it, and so appear to originate from its upper part; also of an ovary when the other floral organs are plainly below it in position, and free from it.
Superior (adjective)
Belonging to the part of an axillary flower which is toward the main stem; posterior.
Superior (adjective)
Pointing toward the apex of the fruit; ascending; said of the radicle.
Superior (adjective)
Greater or better than average; extraordinary.
Superior (adjective)
Beyond the power or influence of; too great or firm to be subdued or affected by; with to.
Superior (adjective)
Of a planet: closer to the Earth than to the sun.
Superior (noun)
A person of higher rank or quality.
Superior (noun)
The senior person in a monastic community.
Supervisor (noun)
A person with the official task of overseeing the work of a person or group, or of other operations and activities.
Supervisor (noun)
A person who monitors someone to make sure they comply with rules or other requirements set for them.
Supervisor (noun)
In certain states, an elected member of the governing body for a county which is called the board of supervisors.
Supervisor (noun)
A process responsible for managing other processes.
Superior (adjective)
higher in rank, status, or quality
“a superior officer”
“the new model is superior to every other car on the road”
Superior (adjective)
of high standard or quality
“superior malt whiskies”
Superior (adjective)
greater in size or power
“deploying superior force”
Superior (adjective)
above yielding to or being influenced by
“I felt superior to any accusation of anti-Semitism”
Superior (adjective)
having or showing an overly high opinion of oneself; conceited
“that girl was frightfully superior”
Superior (adjective)
(of a letter, figure, or symbol) written or printed above the line.
Superior (adjective)
further above or out; higher in position.
Superior (adjective)
(of the ovary of a flower) situated above the sepals and petals.
Superior (noun)
a person superior to another in rank or status, especially a colleague in a higher position
“obeying their superiors’ orders”
Superior (noun)
the head of a monastery or other religious institution.
Superior (noun)
a superior letter, figure, or symbol.
Supervisor (noun)
a person who supervises a person or an activity.
Supervisor (noun)
a person who directs and oversees the work of a postgraduate research student.