Your supervisors are your first line of defense in preventing lawsuits, but don't forget that they're your first line of offense as well — the people in the position to make the biggest and costliest mistakes.
Especially when supervisors are new, they don't always know how to handle tricky situations like discipline, harassment, intermittent leave, and disability accommodation. That's not their fault; you didn't hire them for those skills. But that leaves it up to you to train them.
Training Your New Supervisors: 11 Practical Lessons
Many brand-new supervisors have never been trained on how to manage, and they’ve probably had at least a few poor role models over the years. Learn how to point them in the right direction with our free White Paper, Training Your New Supervisors: 11 Practical Lessons.
Where to start? You have to begin by blunting some of their eagerness. They will be thinking, "I've got to take charge and be decisive." That's dangerous until they have been trained. Start supervisors out with some very basic guidelines. Then, over time, give them more details and more latitude in solving problems.
For instance, at the beginning, tell them, "There are certain situations that are 'report' situations, not 'resolve' situations. When you hear these phrases, don't even respond — just come straight to HR."
You don't want your new supervisors trying to handle these situations. They could cause a lot of damage, even with the best of intentions.