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A warehouse is a busy hive of activity where all members of the work force work together as a whole for a common purpose, usually the movement of goods in and out of a large space filled with inventory. A warehouse can be a dangerous place if attention is not paid to safety and if the members of the workforce do not work together as a team. One of the keys to building a well-run, cost effective warehouse is to ensure the staff is happy and able to work well together. Some warehouse managers may ask: how do you go about building a team that will work well together under any conditions, good or bad? Creating a great team begins with hiring the right people. Although it can be difficult to recognize whether your job candidates will suit your company during the interview process, do your best to formulate interview questions that will weed out only the applicants that will be the best fit with your current work ethic and beliefs. Once you have hired your employees, don’t skimp on proper training and orientation. Properly trained employees will keep your warehouse a safe and pleasant place to work. Managers who stress the importance of safe and happy work conditions from the beginning are more likely to create a work force that will be loyal and satisfied in their jobs. Not only does this increase productivity, but this will decreases the number of employees that will want to move to a different place of employment and of course the number of employee injuries and sick time. Try to place your employees in positions where they can take advantage of their strengths and they can work with people they work well with. It’s no secret that some people get along together better than others. Recognizing which employees work well together and which ones do not, and doing everything you can to make sure that they can work the same shifts and in the same areas, will help to keep your employees happy. Conversely, when you find there is dissension among your staff, experiment with other positions and co-workers that are a better fit. Be open about your expectations of your team. Communicate your expectations for safety and training and keep a well-documented list of what training has been completed. For example, anyone who is operating a forklift in your warehouse needs to have completed the proper forklift training. Don’t allow for any deviation when it comes to safety and training. If you have a strong culture of safety, your employees will respect that and be compliant with your wishes. Ensuring that the warehouse is kept clean and orderly will also maintain safety. Don’t tolerate any obstacles on the floor and make sure loading and unloading of the pallet racking is done safely and in the way your guidelines state. Always remember, the manager sets the tone. Maintain high standards for yourself and your employees. A happy safe staff that is appreciated will reward their manager with hard work and high productivity. A manager who expects this and works toward this goal every day will have a successful, profitable warehouse. .
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warehouse, safety, training, staff, business,
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