Bar Supervisor

Typical job description and responsibilities

A Bar Supervisor has many duties that vary depending on where you find employment.

Bar Supervisor Duties and Responsibilities:

• At most bars, you will be expected to help with hiring staff
• Aid the recruitment process since new staff will be working under you and you may be asked to assess their skills
• Assist with the management of schedules to ensure that there are no conflicts. This means you will have to be on top of public holidays, sick leave and vacation days to make sure that you always have the right amount of staff to run the bar
• In some cases where a staff member is not able to work, you may have to fill the gap while still performing your regular duties
• You may also have to represent your staff’s needs and concerns to management in some instances
• Help with making sure that the bar remains well-stocked. That means being on top of inventory and passing on the bar’s needs to the Assistant Bar Manager or the Bar Manager.

You’ll also be the person to try and calm angry customers who may not like the service that they are getting. Your role will be to try and assess and deal with the situation before it gets to management. To do this you should have great conflict management skills. At times you may have to sign orders coming to the bar and perform other administrative duties including staying up-to-date with budget allocation. 

Following training as a Bar Supervisor, you will be equipped with the skills to:

• Monitor staff activity
• Ensure all safety procedures are followed
• Approve the sale of alcohol
• Solve work-related issues

Assistant Bar Managers are also responsible for: 

• Assisting the team of staff that you are managing
• Assisting the operation that you are managing
• Basic administrative duties

Working Conditions

As you can imagine this is a job that will have you on your feet for most of your shift. As such you should try to maintain your physical fitness so that you can keep up with the many and varied responsibilities that you will face during your shift. Your staff’s morale will also be very important and if you can get your team motivated, your job can become a little easier.

You will also have to be able to deal with long and sometimes irregular hours that can be mentally taxing. The job can be fun if you can get your team to perform well. You will also have the opportunity to meet new people almost every shift. This also means that shifts can vary greatly depending on your duties and the people that you have to interact with.

Skills and personal qualities required: 

A Bar Supervisor also needs to be:

• A great multi-tasker 
• A quick problem solver
• Great at communication
• Knowledgeable of licensing laws and health and safety regulations

Education required

There are no specific qualifications such as GCSEs required to take your SIA course. However, because all you need is your SIA qualification you will be competing with a lot of people from countries around the world who have the right to work in the UK. You should have at least a strong command of English as you will be required to listen and understand situations as well as write reports and communicate with your team.

Benefits of the job:

• Increased earnings as you learn more about the service industry
• Developing communication skills
• Some bars may offer free drinks and food while you are on duty
• Development of leadership skills

You can also expect to:

• Learn about working in the Service Industry
•  Learn about management skills 
• Learn about customer service

Life skills you will acquire

You may learn new multi-tasking skills that could help you in your personal life. You could also learn how to develop concentration techniques as you will be responsible for a lot of moving parts during your shift. You may also develop a deeper understanding of management issues which could help you if you decide to tackle another part of the service industry. 

Here are a few skills that you will learn during your course and can hone as you get more experience on the job:

• Conflict management 
• Confidence
• Customer service dealing with the general public 
• Teamwork