What are the roles and responsibilities of a supervisor?

A supervisor wears several hats, depending upon the specific position he is in. First, a supervisor is responsible for overseeing the work of his direct reports, which usually includes maintaining staffing, ensuring quality work products and verifying compliance with company policies. A supervisor is also the one held responsible for making sure deadlines and targets are met, so the supervisor ideally should be able to do any of the work that any one of his direct reports does; this may not be feasible depending upon the exact position, however. Third, a supervisor is typically responsible for compliance with a variety of non-work regulations, including OSHA, EEO and civil rights, freedom from harassment and discrimination.