Resolving Warehouse Labor Shortages

Posted on 07/07 by Erin Helms

Warehouses face significant workforce shortages due to the rising demand for logistics services. Sources expect a labor shortage of 2.1 million jobs by 2030. To address the growing labor shortage, you must re-evaluate your strategies to attract and retain employees while driving productivity. Steps include prioritizing safety, streamlining workflow, improving efficiencies, and offering incentives.

Make Safety a Priority

People often view a warehouse as a dangerous environment where workers swelter in the summer and freeze in the winter. Invest in your warehouse as a working environment. Take steps to ensure that all employees know and understand: Safety rules and regulations Safety hazards Fire prevention Slip-and-fall avoidance Make the environment worker-friendly. Consider automating physically intensive processes and offer ergonomically correct equipment to prevent long-term stress injuries. Also, clean warehouses reduce stress on workers and make the work environment safer.

Streamline Workflow

Technology and automation increase productivity, which is crucial when faced with a labor shortage. Consider using devices to scan inventory and record assets, incorporating sensors into warehouse infrastructure, and using RFID tags to automate scanning. Voice-directed picking and heads-up display can augment workers and make their jobs easier. Cobots can work alongside human associates and take on manual tasks. Data analytics can help you predict and adjust daily workflows and performance.

Improve Efficiency

To manage efficiency in a warehouse, you will need to put forth a substantial effort. Plan the warehouse layout to ensure enough space for employees and equipment and make it easy to get to the most popular items. Keep things simple by keeping the warehouse organized. Use bin locations and labeling. Train your staff and reduce the inventory that does not sell.

Incentives

Warehouse jobs often get a bad rap, but positive changes are occurring. The warehouse is no longer the dirty workplace where employees moved boxes. The warehouse environments of today are cleaner, shinier, and use leading-edge technology. It is essential that you highlight the technological advancements and opportunities to learn critical skills when you are recruiting. Emphasizing these positive changes demonstrates to candidates that working in a warehouse can be an investment in their career, not just grunt work. Consider using short and long-term incentives to keep people engaged, motivated, and showing up for work. Ideas include bonuses for each week a staffer stays on or food and parties when employees meet specific goals.

Work Hours

Step away from the traditional work schedules and consider using annualized hours which give you flexibility and advantage. You pay the same amount to the staff every month, but the hours vary according to the amount of work each day. During peak times, workers work long hours and go home early during the slow times. LaborMAX can provide warehouse employees for you to maintain productivity and beat the warehouse labor shortages.

Tagged: #ResolvingWarehouseLaborShortages #WarehouseStaffingFlorida #DayLaborStaffing