Finding the Right Supervisor Training Program: The Ultimate Guide

Choosing the right supervisor training program is an important step for HR leaders and business owners looking to set their teams up for success. New and seasoned supervisors often encounter common challenges, from understanding how to effectively manage a team to making decisions that impact their team and the organization.

Supervisors are tasked with juggling numerous responsibilities: providing feedback, coaching team members, managing conflicts, and sustaining an environment that develops and retains top-performing employees. When gaps in skills emerge—be it in leadership skills, conflict management, or communication—they can result in larger organizational issues like decreased morale, low productivity, and turnover.

A well-designed training program can address these challenges head-on, providing new managers with the tools and knowledge they need to excel in their positions.

This guide is meant to navigate you through evaluating different training options so you’re able to make an informed decision.

The Importance of Training for Supervisory Roles

Put simply, training equips supervisors with the skills and knowledge they need to effectively lead their teams. While many supervisors will have specific soft skills or technical skills that lend to being productive supervisors, training can help fill skill gaps and prepare them for challenges or experiences that they’ll encounter.

Learning Essential Skills for a Supervisory Role

A supervisor’s role is multifaceted, which can be a big adjustment from the role of an individual contributor. Supervisors need to manage their workloads and mentor, advocate, and coach their direct reports. To help them balance this wide array of responsibilities, training for supervisors should include the following:

• Leadership Skills: Empowering supervisors to inspire, motivate, and guide their teams effectively.
• Communication Techniques: Developing self-awareness and trust-building skills for clear communication and open feedback.
• Management Practices: Offering strategies for time management, delegation, performance management, conflict resolution, and change management.
• Role Alignment and Understanding: Understanding the role may be the most critical aspect of learning to be a supervisor. An article from Harvard Business Review suggests “A manager’s primary goal is to be an effective implementer—someone who coordinates the actions of others to accomplish organizational goals and objectives.”

How Training Impacts Overall Team Dynamics

The ripple effects of investing in supervisory development extend beyond individual growth; they tend to trickle down to direct reports as well:

1. Enhanced Performance: Skilled supervisors understand how to get the most out of each team member’s strengths, leading to high-performing teams that consistently meet or exceed goals.
2. Improved Employee Satisfaction: Effective supervisors create an environment where employees feel valued and understood, resulting in improved employee satisfaction.
3. Reduced Turnover Rates: When leaders maintain open lines of communication, support their employees, and manage conflict effectively, it stabilizes the workforce and minimizes turnover.

How important are supervisors and managers to an organization? Ninety-six percent of top-performing employees at award-winning organizations indicate that they have a strong working relationship with their supervisor. ERC’s employee engagement research has found that this item is a significant predictor of engagement.

What to Look for in a Supervisor Training Program

How do you find the ideal supervisor training program for your team? You’ll want to understand the skills that are most important to their roles. Then you’ll want to identify the type of learning experience that will work best for their learning styles.

Look for programs that offer practical, real-world scenarios that supervisors can apply to real-life situations. Certain skills will be important for every supervisor, regardless of company industry or size, including communication skills, conflict management, performance management, leadership skills, and time management.

Consider programs that are flexible enough to fit into busy schedules and can be tailored to the unique needs of your organization.

Supervisory Training Topics

When choosing a supervisor training program, make sure the curriculum and content are comprehensive, covering the essential topics we outlined above.

• Communication Skills: Effective communication allows supervisors to clearly communicate expectations and feedback.
• Conflict Management: Equipping supervisors with conflict resolution tools minimizes workplace disruptions and promotes a positive team culture.
• Performance Management: Understanding how to assess and improve team performance ensures that organizational goals are met consistently.
• Employment Law and HR Policies: Knowledge in this area helps supervisors legally interview and hire team members, reducing exposure to costly lawsuits. 
• Employee Engagement: Focused efforts on engaging employees can boost morale, increase productivity, and reduce turnover rates.
• Time Management: Effective time management and delegation skills enable supervisors to prioritize tasks efficiently, maximizing productivity for themselves and their teams.
• Leadership Skills: Strong leadership skills inspire confidence among team members, encouraging them to perform at their best.
• Problem-Solving: The ability to swiftly address issues as they arise keeps projects moving forward without delays.
• Decision-Making: Confident decision-making helps maintain momentum with projects and initiatives.
• Professionalism and Respect: Upholding high standards of professionalism supports a workplace culture of respect and inclusivity.

How many different training topics do you need? That will depend on the role of your supervisors, but on average, award-winning organizations provide employees with 19.2 different supervisory training topics.

Training Methods and Program Delivery

There are a variety of training and delivery methods available, and it’s important to find the best fit for your supervisors’ learning styles and schedules.

• Traditional Classroom Training: This method involves in-person sessions led by a trainer or facilitator. The benefit of this approach is the direct interaction participants have with the instructor and other supervisors at their organization, which can improve their understanding of the subject matter through live discussions and immediate feedback.
• Live Virtual Training: Conducted online with real-time participation from both trainers and learners. This format offers flexibility and accessibility, allowing supervisors to join from any location while still experiencing the interactivity of a classroom setting.
• E-Learning: Self-paced courses delivered through digital platforms. Its major advantage is convenience; supervisors can access materials at any time that suits their schedule, making it ideal for busy professionals looking to fit training into their existing commitments. Conversely, without the structure provided by scheduled sessions, some supervisors may struggle with self-motivation or feel isolated due to the lack of direct interaction with instructors and peers.
• Blended Learning: A mix of traditional classroom sessions and online modules. Blended learning combines face-to-face instruction with the flexibility of e-learning, providing an experience that can cater to different learning preferences.
• Self-Directed Learning: Learners take full control over their content, pace, and timing. This approach appeals to individuals who want to identify their own needs and pursue specialized skills beyond broader programs. This approach relies heavily on an individual’s initiative. Without external deadlines or guidance, there’s a risk that learning objectives might not be met.

ATC reminds us that pre-recorded courses do have their limitations, notably that the content can get outdated quickly. These courses also prioritize memorization of information over application, and adults generally find face-to-face interaction and collaboration as the best way to retain new knowledge.

Evaluating Program Flexibility: Customization

When selecting a supervisor training program, consider your needs for customizing both content and delivery. Being able to develop a program that addresses the specific needs of your supervisors will make the training more relevant and effective.

• Tailored Content: Programs should allow adjustments or additions that target identified skill gaps based on the role or experience of your supervisors.
• Modular Design: Courses designed with flexibility in mind enable adding new topics as the need arises.
• Accessible Delivery Options: Pulling supervisors away from the job is always a training consideration. Find a training program that allows flexibility between live and virtual programs as well as half-day and full-day options to meet your scheduling needs.

Customizing aspects like course content also ensures that managers receive relevant education aligned with organizational objectives—transforming them into effective supervisors capable of navigating complex team dynamics confidently.

Understanding the Investment: Costs, ROI, and Implementation

Investing in supervisor training doesn’t usually happen on a whim—organizations should fully understand the costs and potential return on investment (ROI). Here’s what you need to know.

Training Costs

When evaluating training programs, be sure you consider the following costs:

• Course Fees: Direct expenses associated with the training course(s).
• Materials Cost: Includes workbooks and other educational materials provided during the course.
• Time Investment: Consider the time supervisors will spend away from their jobs while at training.
• Implementation Resources: Consider any technology or tools needed to facilitate training.

Calculating ROI

Like any other business expense, organizations need to ensure that not only their supervisors but also the larger organization are benefitting from an investment in training. Here’s what to consider:

1. Improved Performance: Enhanced supervisory skills can lead to more efficient team management—driving productivity upward.
2. Reduced Turnover Rates: Effective leadership often correlates with higher job satisfaction among team members; reducing recruitment costs associated with high turnover rates.

It’s clear that supervisors recognize the value of the training they receive: Ninety-five percent of top-performers in supervisory roles at award-winning organizations indicate that the training they have received has improved their job performance.

For those looking to calculate the true return on investment of a training program, the Phillips ROI methodology is a popular framework that measures training impact through reaction, learning, behavior, results, and ROI. You can learn more about the model here.

The Importance of Supervisory Training Facilitators

When looking for a supervisor training program that delivers real results, the expertise of instructors will have a huge impact on the effectiveness of the program.

Consider the following:

• Expertise: Instructors with a strong background in leadership, management, and supervision will bring invaluable real-world insights into classroom settings, helping bring the curriculum to life and relate to each attendee.
• Engagement Skills: Beyond knowledge, effective educators possess skills to actively engage participants, creating an interactive learning environment that helps attendees retain knowledge and apply it to their jobs.
• Feedback Proficiency: Great trainers will both collect and offer personalized feedback, helping attendees identify blind spots and apply subject matter to their experience.

How to Compare and Select the Right Program

We’ve put together a checklist designed to help you evaluate and find the right training program:

Comparison Checklist:

1. Curriculum Relevance:
   • Does the program cover essential topics such as leadership skills, conflict resolution, and time management?
   • Is the curriculum up-to-date with current workplace data and trends?
2. Instructor Expertise:
   • Assess instructors’ backgrounds in leadership and supervision.
   • Consider their experience in handling real-world supervisory situations.
3. Methods & Delivery:
   • Evaluate if delivery methods accommodate your supervisors’ learning preferences.
   • Check for flexibility that aligns with supervisors’ schedules without disrupting daily operations.
4. Customization:
   • Determine if programs offer customizable content to address specific skill gaps.
5. Program Outcomes:
   • Look for clear outlines of expected outcomes related to improving supervisory skills.

Evaluating Testimonials and Reviews

• Seek out testimonials that provide insights into how effectively a program addresses common challenges faced by supervisors.
• Explore reviews across platforms not affiliated with training providers that offer unbiased opinions about training effectiveness, topics covered, and skill development.

Next Steps

As a business owner or HR leader, it’s important to evaluate supervisory training programs with your company’s specific needs in mind. Think about the skills needed at your organization and your supervisors’ roles. An effective training program will combine practical and applicable skill development, real-world examples and scenarios, and the flexibility to customize modules and delivery.

A good place to start is ERC’s Supervisory Training. Our customized courses provide your supervisors with practical tools to succeed in their roles. You can access a free course preview to see an ERC trainer in action, download a sample workbook, and access the full training program curriculum here.