What is Work Supervision?
Work supervision is an excellent method for enhancing work wellbeing and preventing work-related stress. It becomes especially relevant when an individual’s ability to manage their work and perform tasks is significantly challenged, creating a risk of taking sick leave.
Work supervision is a tailored learning process that helps the coachee or group find thinking and behavior patterns that reduce stress and enhance work wellbeing. It also supports the development and assessment of their work practices with the guidance of a trained work supervisor. Clear goals are set for the supervision process, which may focus on areas such as setting boundaries at work, improving collaboration, sharing best practices, managing work, self-leadership, or job content.
Work supervision is also used to support case work, particularly in roles that are mentally demanding. The process may include interim tasks, as learning and insights often occur between sessions. The trust-based relationship that develops between the supervisor and the coachee is a key part of the reflective working process.
Work supervision is suitable for both urgent situations and long-term organizational wellbeing plans. It serves as an excellent reflective tool when seeking to understand and develop one’s professional role. The recommended duration of the work supervision process is between six months to two years, depending on the individual or group’s situation, and it includes regular evaluations of the work process.
Individual Work Supervision
Individual Work Supervision focuses on the individual’s work and the factors related to it. Through work supervision, the individual discovers new approaches to their work and gains additional skills to handle challenging situations. Work supervision is a reflective process, where the topics can either be clearly defined in advance or arise from the work itself during each session. However, the goals are always set in advance.
Group Work Supervision
We work in complex environments that are constantly changing, where a variety of workplace skills are required. The demands for expertise in professional roles, production work, and customer service have increased. Group Work Supervision is a method that supports the wellbeing, collaboration, and sharing of best practices within a work community or team. Participants in group work supervision may include supervisors, workgroups, or even the entire work community.
Group Work Supervision is based on the idea that participants, supported by a trained work supervisor, learn from one another. This enables the sharing of expertise and the effective utilization of human capital, positively impacting the quality and efficiency of the entire organization’s work. Collaboration challenges are often visible but difficult to define. Work supervision provides a safe and confidential space to explore these dynamics and collaboratively find solutions to any challenges.
Crisis Work Supervision
Crisis Work Supervision addresses acute, stress-inducing situations where an employee’s ability to work and function is temporarily at risk. These situations may include threatening customer interactions, layoffs, or sudden organizational changes. Crisis work supervision is a shorter-term process compared to regular work supervision, typically involving 1–3 coaching sessions.
The focus of crisis work supervision is on maintaining work ability, managing the stressful situation, utilizing the coachee’s personal resources, and introducing tools for stress and workload management.
Executive and Supervisor Work Supervision
Executive work supervision is designed to enhance leadership team collaboration, establish common practices, improve interaction, or clarify an individual’s role and assess their performance. It can serve as a leadership development process or as a support tool for overcoming transition phases.
Supervisor work supervision focuses on examining the responsibilities and duties inherent in the supervisor role, while also finding effective approaches to supervisory tasks. Work supervision supports supervisors in facing work-related challenges and helps them more effectively leverage their skills and resources.
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Minka Ritari
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