As online sales have skyrocketed, the number of warehousing staff has increased. Hiring temporary and permanent staff has become a priority in order to keep up with demand, however a warehouse is only as effective as those that it employs.
It’s essential to hire staff in a way that will maximise productivity and create a positive working environment. Having a strategic approach to hiring warehouse workers will help you to find the best and most suitable talent to boost your business’ operations.
These top tips will help you to hire the right warehousing staff that will benefit your business in the long-term.
How to hire the right warehousing staff
- Be honest about the physical demand
Make sure your job description explains how physically demanding the role will be, to make sure workers understand the amount of lifting and carrying that they will need to undertake. Failing to mention this when hiring can lead to having unsuitable employees, which can disrupt workflow and take time to find a replacement.
- Explain skill requirements
List your skill criteria clearly when hiring. Explain any specific skills that are essential, as well as those that are desirable, to make sure that suitable candidates apply. Lowe’s assessment tests do a great job of testing the skills required for the job. You can use them as an example.
- Train effectively
Whether a member of the team is full-time or a seasonal employee, they should be trained properly. Regardless of how qualified a person is, every warehouse is different and without training, they won’t reach their full potential. Having a designated manager or point of contact for each new employee helps to ensure they understand the role they are expected to perform. It also makes them feel a valued part of the team immediately, which can grow employee loyalty. Having new employees shadow another member of staff is a successful method of training them up while contributing to the team’s productivity.
- Encourage recommendations
Recommendations are a fantastic way to source suitable warehouse staff. Offering a referral scheme can work to reward candidate suggestions that are right for your business, as well as creating positive working environments. Other benefits include reducing recruitment costs, finding great employees and boosting team morale. - Pay competitively
Paying staff fairly and competitively can make it easier to find and retain great warehouse workers. Cutting costs on wages can result in high staff turnover and workers that have little experience. Offering competitive pay and benefits like contractor insurance helps to attract talent and find staff that are keen to work hard and progress their careers.
- Hire for skill and character
There are various attributes that a successful employee should have. As well as having the right skills for the role, it is essential that they are a good fit for the workplace. Hiring people that are great at their job, but likely to cause confrontation or disharmony in the workplace, can damage productivity and other employees’ enjoyment of the job. During interviews, those hiring should pay attention to the candidate’s personality, checking their communication skills and work ethic are suitable, as well as their work experience. - Re-evaluate your hiring efforts
If your new hires are not working out, it could be time to reassess your strategy. There may be red flags that you are ignoring during the hiring process and you should adapt your interviews and selection processes to take these into account.
These seven tips will help you to hire the right warehousing staff effectively, increasing the likelihood of growing a workforce of reliable, skilled and loyal team members.
Bonus tip: You may want to consider using a people search engine tool. This type of tool can be incredibly useful for finding the right candidate for a position. By inputting specific information about the person you are looking for, such as their name, location, and occupation, you can get a list of potential candidates who match your criteria. This can save you time and energy in your search for the perfect employee.
Click here to read more from Modern Retail’s June 2021 Guide to Fulfilment.
Holly brings a wealth of experience in both print and digital publishing. As Modern Retail’s Content Editor, Holly is passionate about helping independent retailers to thrive in today’s ever-changing market.
