What is the 80 20 rule for supervisors?
Asked by: Miss Dolly Purdy Sr. | Last update: February 2, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (33 votes)
The 80/20 rule for supervisors, based on the Pareto Principle, suggests focusing 80% of your management efforts on the 20% of activities, employees, or problems that yield the most significant results (80%), while identifying the high-impact 20% of actions that drive 80% of team success, and spending time coaching/removing barriers for the "vital few" contributors. This means prioritizing high-impact tasks, recognizing top performers, and addressing root causes of issues, rather than getting bogged down by minor tasks or persistent low-level issues.
What is the 80/20 rule in leadership?
But it's one that has consistently worked for me—whether in military formations, car showrooms, classrooms, or boardrooms. I call it the 80/20 Rule of Authoritative & Coaching Leadership: 80% Authoritative Leadership – structure, clarity, expectations. 20% Coaching Leadership – guidance, empathy, development.
What is a good ratio of supervisor to employee?
What is the ideal supervisor-to-worker ratio? It depends on industry and risk level. Manufacturing and logistics often operate between 1:20 and 1:30, while healthcare or construction settings range from 1:10 to 1:15.
What is illegal for a supervisor to do?
It is illegal for an employer to discriminate against an employee in the payment of wages or employee benefits on the bases of race, color, religion, sex (including transgender status, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
What is the 80 20 rule in the workplace?
He suggests we should work significantly smarter, and significantly less. You will probably be familiar with the 80/20 principle. It is also known as the Pareto law, and as the principle of least effort. It states that a surprisingly small proportion of efforts and inputs (20%) lead to 80% of our results.
Pareto Principle Explained: How the 80/20 Rule Changes Everything
What are 5 examples of the 80/20 rule?
1. Success happens in business from a small number of products, customers and employees.
- 80% of sales are produced by 20% of a company's products or services.
- 80% of profits made in any industry are made by 20% of firms.
- 80% of retail sales are produced by 20% of a store's brands.
What percentage of time should a manager spend managing staff?
If you manage 2 people, 20% of your time at work (roughly a full day each week) should be spent on people management activities. If you manage 5 people, 50% – a full half – of your time at work should be spent on people-management activities.
What is a common mistake that supervisors should avoid?
Poor communication
The supervisor should always keep the communication lines open and clear. They should convey their expectations and requirements to the team members clearly, inform them of all the changes they can expect, and discuss goals and ideas regularly.
What is the 7 minute rule for employees?
The "7-minute labor law" refers to a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guideline allowing employers to round employee time to the nearest quarter hour (15 minutes), where 1-7 minutes late/early is rounded down, and 8-14 minutes past the quarter is rounded up, ensuring that over time, all time worked is paid, preventing systematic underpayment, though some states like California have stricter rules, banning meal period rounding and requiring more precise tracking.
What are the five rules of a supervisor?
Here are five rules every supervisor should follow everyday. They are simple in concept and easy to do. Challenge yourself to follow them.
- Know your people. ...
- Give plenty of feedback. ...
- Never ignore non-performance. ...
- Praise workers who do what's expected of them. ...
- Remember the work atmosphere.
Are 82% of managers accidental?
Surprisingly, 82% of leaders consider themselves 'accidental' managers, which means they have had no form of formal leadership, or management training. Although some may be a natural fit for the role, this situation is having a negative effect on businesses across the country.
What is the basic pay scale of a supervisor?
A supervisor's basic salary varies widely by location, industry, and experience, but generally falls between $45,000 to $76,000 annually for entry-level roles and can reach $100,000+ for experienced site/construction supervisors, with average hourly rates often around $20 to $30+ per hour, influenced heavily by factors like high-cost-of-living areas (e.g., California, Washington).
What is the span of control of a supervisor?
Span of control refers to the number of employees a supervisor or manager is directly responsible for overseeing and managing effectively. Organizations should calculate a supervisor's span of control by considering their direct reports' complexity of tasks, experience levels, and amount of support required.
What are the 3 C's of leadership?
The "3 Cs of Leadership" vary but commonly refer to Character, Competence, and Commitment (Gen. Perna/Army) or Character, Connection, and Competence/Credibility (John Maxwell/others), emphasizing integrity, expertise, and the ability to relate to and inspire followers to build trust and drive results, with different models adding elements like Conviction, Clarity, or Compassion.
What are the disadvantages of the 80/20 rule?
Another downside of the 80/20 rule is that sometimes team members can get too focused and lose sight on other tasks. If you only focus on the important tasks and put aside the less important tasks, like email and other correspondence, things can get lost.
What are the 4 P's of leadership?
The "4 Ps of Leadership" refer to different frameworks, most commonly either Perception, Process, People, and Projection (a strategic model from Harvard) or Purpose, Psychological Safety, Path, and Progress (for positive leadership), with other versions including Planning, Performance, Partnerships, and People. While the specifics vary, these models emphasize understanding oneself and others (Perception/People), managing workflows (Process/Path/Planning), setting direction (Projection/Purpose/Plan), and fostering growth (Progress/Performance) for effective leadership.
What is the rule 44 for employees?
entitles workers to claim for 'Constructive Dismissal' and (unlimited) compensation in the event that an employer fails to maintain safe working conditions. Section 44. means workers don't have to wait until they (or someone else) suffer injury before they can take action to get suitably safe working conditions.
Is clocking in early illegal?
Employers in California sometimes force their workers to come in early but not clock in, or to stay late but clock out first. Other employers use more subtle means, such as assigning employees more work than they could possibly do during the normal work day. Neither is legal.
What are HR trigger words?
HR trigger words are terms that alert Human Resources to potential policy violations, serious workplace issues like harassment, discrimination, bullying, retaliation, or a hostile work environment, and significant risks like lawsuits, high turnover, or burnout, prompting investigation or intervention, while other buzzwords like "quiet quitting" signal cultural trends. Using them signals a serious concern requiring HR's immediate attention for compliance and employee safety, though overly negative or absolute language can also be flagged.
What are the signs of a poor manager?
They may do some or all of the following:
- Undermine your career development. ...
- Give no or poor feedback. ...
- Micromanage. ...
- Dismiss your ideas. ...
- Offer no clear objectives. ...
- Undervalue inclusion and diversity. ...
- Communicate poorly. ...
- Ignore company policy.
What is the biggest red flag at work?
The biggest red flags at work often signal a toxic culture and poor leadership, with high turnover, communication breakdowns, lack of trust, blame culture, and unrealistic expectations being major indicators that employees are undervalued, leading to burnout and instability. These issues create an environment where people feel unappreciated, micromanaged, or unsupported, making it difficult to thrive and often prompting good employees to leave.
What is the 3 3 3 rule time management?
Here's how to use the 3/3/3 Method: Spend 3 hours on your most important task. Complete 3 shorter tasks that are important but maybe you've been avoiding. End with 3 maintenance tasks.
What do great managers do all day?
Ask questions — and listen to the answers.
The best leaders regularly talk to their employees and ask what's going well and what's not. When you get feedback about something that isn't working, really listen to it, take it to heart, and decide how you can respond.
What are the 5 P's of time management?
The 5 Ps of time management offer different frameworks, but commonly include Plan, Prioritize, Perform/Productivity, Persistence/Patience, and often involve tackling Procrastination or focusing on Personal Well-being to create structure, focus on key tasks, work efficiently, and maintain momentum, with variations like the classic "Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance" mantra.