We’ve been hearing a lot about a shortage of workers and the Great Resignation lately, in which people are either not looking for jobs or are quitting to do something else with their lives. It’s yet another struggle for business owners and managers to address following nearly two years of a pandemic.
But worry not — there are ways to address worker shortages without compromising your business or bottom line!
Here are five ideas to consider and try to help your company.
1. Consider automation and incorporating more technology.
Robots don’t need sick days or vacation. They will work as long as necessary and might even be faster and more efficient than some employees. This is not to say you should get rid of people entirely! That’s far too drastic a move. But adding some automation and robotic technology can help cover the gaps in your staffing, at least until new people can be hired and trained.
2. Promote and prioritize safety.
Some people might think warehouse jobs are dangerous or environments in which people will be sweltering in the summer and frigid in the winter. Invest in your warehouse as a working environment, taking steps to make sure all employees know and understand safety rules and regulations, eliminating safety hazards, training all staff on fire prevention and slip-and-fall avoidance, and other safety measures. If people have complained before about not feeling safe in other building areas, install cameras and upgrade your fire and smoke alarm systems. People might not be focused as much on hand sanitizer stations and plexiglass personal shields as they were a year ago, but people returning to work want to know they’re safe.
3. Offer incentives for new hires and current employees.
To get people into the door for interviews, or even to drop off resumes, offer a prize of some kind. Make it interesting and valuable enough that people feel good coming by and talking with people as they pick up their gifts or drop off their resumes. Internally, start a referral program for your current employees. If you don’t have one, that rewards them for bringing in new people who join the team.
4. Look for efficiencies.
If people still aren’t coming back in droves, it might be time to take a closer look at your internal operations and see whether it’s possible to streamline some aspects of the workflow. Maybe it’s possible to train people to cover two workstations instead of just one, if they are responsible for two different processes at opposite ends of the same line. Maybe two people are currently doing one job, but only one position is needed to cover the day. Can some jobs be combined to make things move faster without compromising safety? There might come a time in the future when this efficiency and doubling-up isn’t needed, but for the time being, see where tasks can be consolidated.
5. Consider adjusting pay rates and incorporating flexibility.
This might not work for every warehouse company or even every job within a warehouse, but a few changes here might attract new workers. If it’s been a while since your base pay rate was evaluated and compared to other warehouses in your market, it might be time to do that and see whether a higher rate of pay is workable. If you don’t already, consider whether there’s room in the budget for a shift differential, offering a slightly higher pay rate for people who work nights or overnight. Are there jobs that do not require being in-person all the time? More people are looking for hybrid jobs, in which they work at home sometimes and on-location other times. If that’s not an option, consider whether it might be possible to offer flexibility in when your workers report for duty — if someone has kids they need to get on the bus every day, without causing a delay in their workflow, allow them to do that in exchange for working slightly later. Employers who are seen as respecting work-life balance are in demand!
People’s priorities might indeed change after the pandemic, but people still need jobs. The labor shortage we’re dealing with right now might last another few months, or it might last years. Take a look around your warehouse and see what adjustments can be made to stay successful in the long run.
Find Top Talent with Davis Staffing
If you’re looking for new employees, don’t forget to call Davis Staffing. We have great, qualified, and eager candidates ready to get to work, whether on a permanent or temporary basis. Call us today, and let’s get started!
