I haven't had an employee for 5 years (except a cleaning/handyman guy).
Here's my experience. Take it for what's it's worth.
I was thrust into a supervisor role as young as 18. I was in college and working weekends and vacations. That first bit, at 18, I was only a
part timer, I was only 18, and I was f'n scared, and the people I was "supervising" were between 24 and 40, 7 of them... and I had my job to do
and make sure they all did their job.
First off, you are not better than they are, You Aren't. You just happen to be the idiot that gets in trouble when everything goes to hell.
Respect, those people under you, they are the key to your success. You can't belittle them, you can't yell at them (maybe occasionally, but when
it comes to that, they know you are pissed off, and treating them fairly.).
Both my parents where "supervisors". My mom used to bring in ice cream and Sundae fixings every weekend and would wipe old people ass with the people
she supervised. My dad, would take the extra few dollars he made on night crew and buy beer for the crew after work.
You should be able to do their job, (sometimes thats just not possible)..... Where I worked, everybody was assigned a job on the schedule, if somebody came in
or stayed to do a double, they got their choice of jobs. One day I got one girl to stay over and work a double due to a call out... Then some other idiot called out
and I got somebody else to come in.... Crap, that first girl got bumped from her job(policy). CRAP, now what, Well... the worst of it was the end of the day, and I told
her I would do her job, and she could do mine (supervisor, its easy... right??). I banged out her job and helped her finish mine... She was a very good employee after that.
I could get her to do pretty much anything, she knew I had her back and would help her out.
This was in a nursing home kitchen, my previous life, but I made it a habit when the pot washer had to go get dirty dishes from the units, I'd do their pots and pans, and i was
faster than they were, and the returns were massive.
It all boils down to respect, and if you do your job properly, you actually won't have to do anything. If you're job is solely supervisor/manager.. your job is to put yourself
out of a job, it should run without you there, and its your job to get it to the point where you don't even have to be there.
In the old kitchen days and the machine shop days, nothing made me happier than watching shit get done. It was like a beautiful orchestra of stuff getting done.
You know you are doing a good job when you don't have to say anything or do anything.... and it just happens, its beautiful.... and you're out of a job (but that's your goal)...