Employee Experience: How HR can create a competitive advantage EX was already a priority for many companies prior to the pandemic and several companies had placed it at the core of their strategy By Rob Rosenberg
The supply chain’s 15 minutes of fame
C OVER
T
vaccine distribution effort, logistics is truly enjoying its 15 minutes (or months) of fame. For an industry in which your measure of success has traditionally been how invisible you are, behind the scenes of your customer’s business, this has drawn an unprecedented and unexpected amount of attention to what we do. In many ways, this should be a great moment to be an HR practitioner in this sector – a growing business providing essential services to society should be a highly attractive proposition to potential recruits. At the same time, while many segments of logis-
tics and transportation have continued to add jobs during the pandemic – particularly in areas such as warehousing and last-mile delivery services, and most particularly in anything e-commerce-related – it remains an intensely competitive market for both skilled and blue-collar workers. DHL Supply Chain conducted research in 2017 that showed that demand for supply chain talent already then outstripped supply by a ratio of 9:1. This ratio has only turned worse as a result of the pandemic. With technology and finance still the favored first job options for college graduates, sectors like trucking struggling to may 2021 |
STORY
he logistics industry is currently enjoying something of a “Warhol moment.” With the growth in online retail, consumers have woken up to the important role that the supply chain plays in bringing goods to their front door. Investors have been flocking to the sector, looking to develop – and profit from – solutions and technologies that address challenges and longstanding inefficiencies in areas such as fulfillment and last-mile delivery. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down borders and businesses, supply chains were suddenly thrust even further into the spotlight. From the need to keep critical supplies of PPE, cleaning goods and groceries moving to communities, and the surge in e-commerce deliveries, through to the massive
55
