Supervising Experienced Workers, Case Study Example

According to Forbes magazine, the number of employees over the age of 55 increased by 30% between 2000 and 2005 (Weiss, 2007).  This phenomenon continues to grow as older employees remain the workplace longer and as retired employees –many of whom are living longer- return to the workforce. The case of Aden, who is faced with the challenge of supervising employees who are older than he is, is not unusual in today’s workplaces.  It is possible for Aden to turn this situation to his advantage and be a good supervisor of his experienced workers. In order to accomplish this, Aden will have to work to understand and tap into the potential talents, skills, and knowledge base in his experienced workers.

One of the considerations Aden must contend with is that he is better educated than his workforce. Aden must understand that the education he acquired in the classroom brings with it a very different set of information and skills than the skills that his experienced workers have developed after years (or maybe decades) in the workforce. This case study does not indicate whether his older workers have all been with this company for an extended period of time, but they do presumably have experience in their field. While Den should not sell himself short, he must also acknowledge that his experienced workers will have practical information they have learned on the job that Aden will not yet possess.

Older, experienced workers often possess a strong work ethic, and Aden should develop training programs and meetings aimed at facilitating two-way communication with his experienced workers. Such meetings and programs will allow Aden to supervise the implementation of new technologies and systems in the manufacturing processes, while also allowing the experienced workers to give him feedback. In this situation it is possible, or even likely, that Aden will face some pushback from experienced workers who are resistant to change; such pushback presents both a challenge and an opportunity for Aden.

Because Aden is mechanically inclined, he is not the type of supervisor who is likely to sit in an office all day and issue orders. He can turn his inclinations to his advantage by spending time with his experienced workers on the manufacturing floor. Although Aden is not entirely new to the organization, he has been fast-tracked towards a supervisory role, so he presumably has less experience on the floor than even the newest workers. Aden has an opportunity to spend time with the experienced workers and allow them to share their knowledge and concerns about the manufacturing processes. By seeing how the current processes work, Aden will be better positioned to understand how to implement changes to those processes, and to understand how those changes will be received by the workers.

Aden must also make sure not to overcompensate for his youth and lack of hands-on experience by being too deferential to his experienced workers. It is possible that some of them will question his right to hold his supervisory position, but if Aden demonstrates that he is willing to learn from his experienced workers without submitting his authority to them he will earn their respect.  Aden must enter this position with the understanding that he has earned his position through his own hard work, even though his practical experience is not as extensive as that of the workers he supervises. In short, Aden must establish an environment of mutual respect between himself and his experienced workers that will allow him to channel the strength of their experience with his own managerial skills.

Work cited

Weiss, Tara. “The ‘Young Boss, Older Employee’ Dilemma.” Forbes, 2007. Web. 9 Apr 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/27/younger-boss-advice-leadership-careers_cx_tw_0227bizbasics.html>.