An overseer is a person who serves as a manager, supervisor, coordinator, and facilitator in an organization or similar entity. The term ‘overseer’ is generally used for forepersons in manual labor sectors like factories, construction, and related industries.
The major job responsibilities of an overseer include instructing, guiding, and training the junior workers. Further, it is the duty of overseers to ensure that the work is carried out efficiently within the given deadline.
Given below is the detailed description of an overseer’s job responsibilities:
Overseer Organizing the Work
The first duty of an overseer is to manage and organize the projects or work assigned by the senior manager. He/she divides and assigns work to each member of the team and sets the respective deadlines. An overseer also allocates necessary resources that the workers need to utilize. For instance, in construction work, these resources refer to the building materials while the factory floor staff makes use of energy and raw materials.
Overseer Training the Workers
Since an overseer is an experienced professional, he/she is tasked with training the junior employees. This involves giving detailed instructions about the execution of their work.
Overseer Ensuring Safety of Workers
It is an overseer’s responsibility to see that all safety measures and precautions are implemented in the course of work. He/she is held accountable if any of his/her junior employees suffer injuries while working. In other words, an overseer must make sure that the working conditions and environment do not pose any risk to the employees’ life or health. Further, he/she should provide accurate directions to the workers regarding the usage of the required machinery and equipment.
Evaluating the Work
After the completion of work, an overseer evaluates the performance of all workers and rewards them accordingly. He/she extends moral encouragement and financial incentives to workers who have done their work effectively and in a timely manner. At the same time, the overseer enquires the workers who have underperformed and strives to find ways to rectify their efficiency for the future. In extreme cases, he/she may penalize these workers or dismiss them.
