Kansas Relating Supervision to Workforce Outcomes 35th Annual Governor's Conference for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect November 2-4, 2011

Continuous social work vacancies High turnover due to demanding and stressful nature of work Impact of vacancies/turnover on families and workers who stay Social work graduates often unprepared for child welfare work Privatization introduces unique challenges: Competition for staff Stringent staffing/licensing requirements Contract changes Resource implications Insufficient and fragmented workforce data Child Welfare Workforce Challenges in Kansas

“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.”

Workers Who Remain in Child Welfare: Have high quality supervision/leadership Have high supervisor and coworker support Have supervisors who facilitate their learning Have supervisors who support worker’s practice Report more guidance from their supervisor Have a strong sense of security and emotional closeness with their supervisor Feel assured that they can rely on their supervisor for tangible support

Workers Who Remain in Child Welfare: Feel more positive about the role of their supervisor and have a more favorable view of their supervisor Have supervisors who are more competent in doing their job, are more concerned with the worker’s welfare, acknowledge the worker when they have done a good job, help the worker complete difficult tasks, and are warm and friendly when the worker is having problems

What Supervisor Dimensions Influence Retention? Task Assistance Social and Emotional Support Interpersonal Interaction

CONSCIOUS-UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE Unconscious Competence Conscious Competence Conscious “Incompetence” Unconscious “Incompetence”

Viewing Tips Focus on what the supervisor is saying and doing Reflect on the powerful influence of these simple behaviors Think about other ways these skills can be used

Task Assistance Provide assistance with tasks Offer work-related advice and instruction Coach workers Support training and learning

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

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

Supervision and Staff Retention Dimension 1: Task Assistance – supervisor provides tangible, work-related advice and instruction to workers Leads to: Empowerment, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Job Satisfaction, Retention Dimension 2: Social and Emotional Support Leads to: improved Well-being, Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction Dimension 3: Interpersonal Interactions – worker’s perception of the quality of the supervisory relationship Leads to: Sense of competence and personal accomplishment, Organizational Citizenship, Behavior, Job Satisfaction Mor Barak, Travis, Pyun, and Xie, 2009 Synthesis prepared by Munson, 2010

Task AssistanceSocial & Emotional SupportInterpersonal Interaction Empowerment Organizational Citizenship Behavior Job Satisfaction Retention Well-being Organizational Commitment Job Satisfaction Sense of Competence & Personal Accomplishment Organizational Citizenship Behavior Job Satisfaction Effective Supervision

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

Implications for Workforce Improvement Stress the importance of effective supervision Support positive supervisor-supervisee relationships Allow for frequent, mandatory supervisory sessions Provide supervisory trainings on providing effective task assistance, building strong supervisory relationships and increasing supervisory support for workers

Ready to Act? Here are some ideas to get you started… Start small. Create a routine. Get someone else involved. Track your actions. Ask for feedback. Involve your team. Other ideas??

Kansas Workforce Initiative