Staff retention needs holistic remedy

from Motor Transport 24 April 2023

Just stop the zero-emissions con

The UK warehouse and logistics sector has undergone a major shift in recent years, with the pandemic causing an e-commerce boom that has transformed the nature of work.

should be explored. Open dialogue is also vital to ensure employees have everything they need to do their job and feel comfortable asking for additional aids or equipment as needed.

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Dave Howarth Executive director SCALA

Online demand and home delivery is a huge challenge, especially when considering that one retailer or manufacturer can have tens of thousands of different products that need to be handled, picked, packed and delivered quickly and efficiently. And, with many businesses offering next- and even same-day delivery options to remain competitive, operatives are under more time pressure than ever before.

Against this background there is a growing problem with the availablity of drivers and warehouse operatives. Brexit and the changing nature of e-commerce has exacerbated the skills gap. The CILT found 86% of companies had lost experienced warehouse operative staff in the past two years, while 60% suffered driver shortages.

High order volumes and targets put strain on an under-resourced business, but also take a physical and mental toll on employees. Stress is often tied to unsociable hours, tough repetitive work, and safety risks.

Organisations should encourage regular breaks, with walking or stretching away from the work station to break up long periods of repetitive motions.

Where possible, employees should also be provided with ergonomic equipment that can be adjusted to fit each individual to reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries. Rotating employees across different warehouse roles to create more variation

It’s also crucial that mental health is treated with the same importance as physical health. Organisations should provide access to support and resources to help employees manage stress and other mental health issues. Employees want to feel valued – authentic actions are vital to stop staff moving to another employer for slightly higher pay, especially in this cost of living crisis.

It can also be beneficial to consider how automation can help support employee safety and wellbeing. Our recent research highlighted how automation has enabled one global safety lead to increase safety in busy materials handling areas, while another shared how automation has meant they’re less exposed to staff absence. Automation can help improve the nature of the job, handling more of the monotonous work and freeing up employees to manage more engaging tasks and take on supervisory roles.

Greater job satisfaction, retention and productivity are all benefits created by a safer and healthier workplace.

Showing real care for warehouse operatives can be a huge competitive differentiator in the battle for talent, as well as making warehouse and logistics careers more attractive and fulfilling prospects.