How many managers do I need per technician? (2024)

FAQs

How many managers do I need per technician? ›

Even with all these determining factors, you probably won't have more than one manager per five technicians and no fewer than one per twenty. If you're above or below that range, you may need to make some changes. Get the best maintenance advice, straight to your inbox.

The ideal in an organization, according to modern organizational experts, is approximately 15 to 20 subordinates per supervisor or manager. However, some experts with a more traditional focus believe that five to six subordinates per supervisor or manager is ideal.

Once you know the number of vehicles in each class you can then multiply that by the average time it takes to repair each vehicle and then divide that by the number of available hours per technician to arrive at the number of technicians you need.

In management circles, it is common knowledge that the ideal number of direct subordinates a manager should have is 7±2 (say it with me now: “seven plus or minus two!”) Some people prefer five direct subordinates, so that they can spend more time on individual contributor work.

"The optimal manager to employee ratio is often cited as 1:10 in many organizations."

Having a good manager-to-employee ratio is important for workplace success. The ideal is anywhere between 6 and 10 employees per manager, with the lower end of that range offering the best results. In this way, large companies can learn a thing or two from small businesses.

Study the best leaders in virtually any arena of leadership and you will find a ratio of praise to criticism of roughly 5-to-1. Even the most demanding coaches, instructors, trainers, tutors, and supervisors, who are those who also wildly succeed at developing people, find their way to this powerful ratio.

The easiest way to understand mechanic efficiency is by looking at the total number of hours worked by your technician, dividing this number by their actual hours. Multiply this figure by 100 and you have a percentage showing how efficient your technician performance is!

The benchmark ratio of techs to advisors is 2 to 1. If each technician were to achieve the benchmark of 9 billed hours per day, two technicians would then be required to bill 18 hours. If the advisor were averaging 3.0 hours-per-repair order (HPRO), he/she would have to write only six repair orders.

What is the ideal team size to manage? ›

If possible, keep team membership to eight people or fewer; research shows that productivity drops if team size increases above this. When meeting virtually – where body language is harder to read and relationships are harder to build – four to six people is likely to be the optimal number.

Typically, for a smooth operation, managers should have fewer than 8 reports only if they have no other responsibilities which is a rare circ*mstance, particularly in smaller businesses. The magic number for managers whose sole role is to manage a team is 7 plus or minus 2 depending on a range of variable factors.

The optimal number for you will depend on factors that are unique to your organization like your size and the type of work you carry out. While there is no “right” number of middle managers, there are risks associated with having too many or too few.

The Manager Headcount Ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of employees by the total number of manager level employees in the organization.

Is 1:5 managers to employees a good ratio for an effective management structure? This typical 1:5 ratio does align with common advice of best practice, which is that a manager should have a maximum span of control of 5-6 direct reports.

Managers should have no more than 7 direct reports at any given time. (maaaaaaybe 8). Any more, and they won't have time to infuse their team experience with the functional or industry-specific expertise that they need to shape teamwide success. Also, managers with more than 7 or 8 reports will burn out - and quickly.

The average is something like 1 manager for every 5–8 employees.

The ideal ratio of supervisors to students can vary depending on the program and level of study. In research-based graduate programs, ratios of 1:1 to 1:5 (supervisor to student) are common to ensure adequate guidance. In course-based programs, higher ratios, such as 1:10 or higher, may be feasible.

The “sweet spot” for most employers is between 1.5 and 4.5 HR staff per 100 employees. “That's accurate, but a wide gap,” said Nicole Belyna, SHRM-SCP, director of talent management and inclusion at SHRM. According to SHRM's 2022 Human Capital Benchmark Report, the average HR staff to employee ratio is 1.7 per 100.

The ideal mix falls in the middle of the range (5-10). This is the sweet spot for most managers. They have enough direct reports to be able to delegate work and provide support and guidance, but not so many that they are unable to do their job effectively.