Suppose your strongest receiving supervisor spends the week helping configure and test a new warehouse management system. A team leader covers the shift, and receiving errors start to climb. You need the supervisor’s experience on the project, but now you’re wondering how much longer the floor can manage without them.
I’d want to understand what changed when that person stepped away. Perhaps they usually spot a receipt that needs checking, know how to handle an unusual delivery, or recognise when to call someone for help. If those decisions become difficult in their absence, you’re learning how much of the operation depends on knowledge one person carries around.
Before I judge the team leader’s performance, I want to know what preparation we gave them. Have they practised handling those situations? Can they access the information they need? Do they have the authority to make decisions, and enough time to make them properly? You can’t expect someone to perform like an experienced supervisor just because you’ve asked them to cover the shift.
I’d build mentoring time into the project schedule. The supervisor might spend most of the day on the system, with a check-in before the shift gets going and time afterwards to review what happened. That time needs protecting as part of the assignment.
In the review, I’d ask the team leader to walk through a difficult receipt. What did they notice? What did they decide to do, and why? Then the supervisor can explain what they would have checked, what concerned them and how they would have reached a decision. The useful part is understanding the reasoning well enough to apply it next time.
Those conversations should lead to changes on the floor. A procedure may need a clearer example. The team leader may need supervised practice, or a clear agreement about when to escalate. We also need to investigate whether workload, missing information or a system problem contributed to the errors. More training won’t resolve every cause.
I’d expect improvement over successive shifts. If errors are serious or keep recurring, we need to change the arrangement: provide more experienced cover, adjust the supervisor’s project time or reconsider what support the team leader needs.
The same gap can appear when someone takes a holiday, gets promoted or leaves. While your supervisor is still available, choose one decision that routinely lands with them. Name the person who could take it on, then give them the explanation, practice and authority to handle it.
