1-What are the pros and cons of being a supervisor? Which has the greater weight for you and why?
Being a supervisor has its pros and cons. One of the advantages of being a supervisor is one gets a higher remuneration. Aside from the regular salary, some supervisors get other benefits such as paid vacations or paid memberships in clubs or professional organizations. Another benefit of being a supervisor is the authority that goes with the position. As a supervisor, one has the power to delegate jobs. He can set the work schedules of his department. But with authority comes great responsibility. If there are wrong decisions made, it is the supervisor who is answerable to it. It is usually the supervisor who gets blamed for the wrong committed by his subordinates because of command responsibility. Since he should be on top of the situation always in his group, he should know if something wrong is being done.
There are some people who do not want to be supervisors because their subordinates become aloof with them. A supervisor needs to be somehow detached to his subordinates in terms of personal relationships. He does not have the luxury of being close to his subordinates. A supervisor usually maintains a distance among his subordinates so as not to be biased in some decisions that must be done. This is the reason why the quote “it is lonely at the top” has become famous.
Supervisors have to live with the fact that there are always other people who are interested to get their jobs. Often, there is stiff competition within a department because each one is eyeing the position of the supervisor. Other co-workers may go to the extent as to bad mouth their supervisor just so that they get his position.
Weighing the pros and cons of being a supervisor, one still thinks that being in a supervisory position is still an advantage. If one becomes a supervisor, it is a promotion. It goes to show that management is satisfied with one’s work and appreciates it; thus, promoting one to a supervisory level. Although there are disadvantages in becoming a supervisor, one still believes that it is the first step towards one’s success. Going up the ladder of an organization starts by becoming a supervisor. How can one be successful if he does not even aim to be a supervisor? Indeed the benefits of becoming a supervisor more than outweigh its disadvantages.
2-Have your experiences of working in a team been good, bad, or ugly? Tell us about it
One has varying experiences of working in a team. There was a time when a rush project was assigned to the department. What the leader did was to assign each one to his area of expertise so that a particular job can be accomplished at a faster rate. True enough, the project was accomplished before the deadline set. Each one contributed to the success of the project by doing his part. Everyone was satisfied because each person was assigned a responsibility. In fact, those who finished earlier assisted the others who were not yet through with their assignments. On the other hand, one had an experience wherein the team members were not cooperative. The team members were very competitive. They refused to help other members who have difficulty in doing their required task.
3-Have you had any ethical dilemmas? How did it get resolved?
An ethical dilemma that one was faced was during the time when the company was transferring to another location. While each one was packing the goods to be sold, one noticed that another employee placed an item in his bag. One was faced with the dilemma of whether to report it to management of simply ignore the act. After much deliberation, one decided to report it to management. The other employee denied the accusation. But luckily, there was a CCTV camera in the packing area and it verified one’s report.
