Page 92 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Unit 5: Library Staffing

5.3.3 Staff Supervision and Discipline Notes

Staff supervision is the role of the front line supervisor in a company or organization. Supervisors
have direct contact with the employees who they supervise. Supervision helps establish order in
the workplace. Supervisors report to managers in the organization hierarchy. Effective
supervision is a foundation of a successful organization. A supervisor is responsible for
developing and maintaining a high level of performance in your work unit. He is also responsible
for developing and maintaining appropriate conduct and good working relationships in your
unit.
It is the responsibilities of a supervisor, to be aware of things employees must know to perform
their jobs efficiently. These include:
The agency’s policies, rules, and regulations governing the employees’ work,

The proper kind of behaviour expected of employees to establish and maintain good
working relationships,

The objectives, duties, and tasks each employee is expected to perform.
Knowing the scope of your authority to impose or recommend disciplinary action.
Discipline represents perhaps the most difficult area of supervision. Discipline in the workplace
is the means by which supervisory personnel correct behavioural deficiencies and ensure
adherence to established company rules. The purpose of discipline is to correct behaviour. It is
not designed to punish or embarrass an employee. The good quality of training, appropriate
supervision, and targeted coaching will minimize the need for discipline. Progressive discipline
allows you to build on the skills of your present staff and to make clear to everyone what the
company policy is on job expectations. It improves the efficiency of your company by saving
you the time and money involved in dismissing one employee and hiring a new one. As an
employer, the way you apply the progressive discipline process is the basis of your defence if an
employee files a complaint of unjust dismissal. These will help the manager to establish a
balanced point of view to fairly praise or redirect activities.

Notes Discipline means getting a change in behaviour.

5.3.4 Evaluation

Evaluation involves the assessment of the effectiveness of the training programs. This assessment
is done by collecting data on whether the participants were satisfied with the deliverables of the
training program, whether they learned something from the training and are able to apply
those skills at their workplace. There are different tools for assessment of a training program
depending upon the kind of training conducted.
Since organizations spend a large amount of money, it is therefore important for them to
understand the usefulness of the same.

Example: If a certain technical training was conducted, the organization would be
interested in knowing whether the new skills are being put to use at the workplace or in other
words whether the effectiveness of the worker is enhanced. Similarly in case of behavioural
training, the same would be evaluated on whether there is change in the behaviour, attitude and
learning ability of the participants.

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