Workforce loads and roles

What roles do employees play in a business? How much work should each employee perform, and who decides?

Here are three key terms that you need to remember:

There are a variety of titles that are given to the roles employees play. Four of the most common and important are summarised below:

(1) Directors

In overall charge of business

Appointed by shareholders

Responsibility for key business functions

• Marketing
• Finance
• Operations
• HRM

Close day-to-day involvement in small/medium sized businesses

(2) Managers

Report to Directors

Responsible for specific departments / activities

Oversee budgetary control

Have responsibility for their functional areas & budgets

May delegate tasks to subordinates

Managerial styles will vary

(3) Team leaders

Tasked with ensuring that teams of employees work well together

Associated with a matrix organisational structure

A team leader:

• Allocates workload & jobs between the team members
• Manages team resources
• Focuses on quality & team motivation

Supervisors

Common role in a tall hierarchy

Responsible for allocating jobs to subordinates (at different levels of the hierarchy)

Traditional activities of a supervisor:

• Checking quality (quality control)
• Organising staff
• Maintaining discipline