In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to attract great warehouse employees, and an aging workforce and the need to attract skilled workers have added to the challenge. To help ensure you have a full, qualified team that you can rely on to move your warehouse forward, you may want to re-evaluate your current recruitment and business processes.
Analyze Your Training Processes
Set new employees up for success by conducting a thorough analysis of your current training process. This will ensure new recruits the right skills they need to succeed and ensure that existing employees are thoroughly trained on new technologies or processes as they are introduced.
However, before you can dive right into creating a new training regime, take time to consider and address:
1. The nature of the work.
2. The level of safety training required for the job.
3. The physical abilities of the warehouse staff.
4. Any language barriers.
Offer Shifts That Work for You & Your Employees
The classic three-hour shift isn’t as common as it once was, with many businesses (particularly in the e-commerce sphere) demanding 24-hour processes. As such, many warehouses have adopted a 12-hour shift/4-day workweek pattern.
However, neither of these models are ideal because they both require a high level of warehouse management, including arranging employee transportation, scheduling break times, and covering shifts for sick or otherwise absent workers.
To make things more flexible for everyone and reduce the amount of scheduling and management work, you may want to consider annualized hours: You pay workers a flat salary for the month, but hours vary depending on how much work is required. This model sees warehouse workers working longer shifts when busy and allows workers to leave early on slower days, taking breaks as needed because results, not hours, measure their productivity. This makes employee’s lives more flexible and reduces the need to hire part-time or agency staff during high-demand seasons.
Switching to annualized hours offers a variety of benefits, including:
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- Reduced absences
- More efficient use of resources
- Improved efficiency, flexibility, and productivity
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Network with Local Institutions
Building relationships with local institutions (such as post-secondary schools, non-profits, and community groups) allows you to establish and promote your business and work opportunities to potential workers who may not otherwise know you are hiring. Building strong relationships can help ensure a steady supply of new workers as employees retire or operations expand.
There are a lot of great ways to network with other small businesses:
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- Connecting online: This includes following other businesses on social media (using your business account) and offering to exchange guest blog posts.
- Hosting business meet and greets.
- Joining local small business associations. Make sure to stay actively involved and consider taking on leadership responsibilities within these organizations.
- Attending conferences. While you likely already attend industry-specific conferences, you may want to consider attending local conferences, particularly those aimed at small local businesses.
- Cross promoting your company with other local businesses. This could include co-sponsoring a local event, posting promotional videos on each other’s social media pages, or simply printing joint promotional messages on each other’s receipts.
- Volunteering with local charities and non-profits. Volunteering is a great way to invest in your community and network while doing it.
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Put Your Best Foot Forward
As older workers retire, warehouses need to adapt to attract younger workers. You can attract future workers by:
1.Organizing school visits to educate youth about warehousing and dispel harmful myths about working conditions
2. Introduce apprentice schemes, especially via campus placements. This approach gives you future warehouse employees who are both trained and tech-ready.
3. Consider flexible or part time work, which can appeal to parents with small children or younger workers who are still in school.
Tailor Your Approach to Suit Your Location
Every market is different, so what works in one city may not work in the next city over. Use your strong communication skills and solid employee-manager relationships to assess the needs of your workers so you can figure out how to address them and create an attractive workplace.
For example, a warehouse in a remote location may organize carpools or offer a shuttle service, while a warehouse that employs a lot of parents may consider investing in on-site daycare. Creating a worker-friendly environment that listens and responds to worker needs is more likely to attract and retain high-quality workers.
Give your new employees the tools they need to turn more dock doors faster and grow your bottom line with RoadSync. Book your demo today!
