Warehouse employees who feel valued and appreciated can be a major asset to your overall logistics operation. Investing in their happiness should be as central to your job as ensuring that customers receive their freight on time. The two are not mutually exclusive, because happy employees are productive and provide the foundation to a smooth running operation.
As a manager, it's essential for you to have a strategy in place to help make employees feel valued and welcomed. BlueGrace Logistics does this exceptionally well. They take employee engagement seriously and to a whole new level, and it's what helps set them apart from the competition.
If you're searching for ways to increase happiness and improve your overall company culture, here are five ideas to get you started.
5 Ways Warehouse Managers Can Increase Employee Happiness
1. Hire the Right People
Every company has its own culture. Hiring employees who fit well within that culture will be a key element in their overall happiness and success at the company. Employees whose personalities don't jive with your company's culture can result in productivity issues down the road.
2. Realize the Value of Employees
In any logistics operation, hauling goods to the right customer at the right time takes tremendous manpower. Recognizing that employees are the foundation of this process is essential to creating a happy workplace.
3. Create a Positive Work Environment
At the core of BlueGrace's success in managing employees is the effort they put into creating a workplace in which employees want to be part of. They make it fun and engaging in several ways. Here's a glance at how they do it:
- Weekly winner - A $25-300 prize is awarded to employees who exemplify the company's values
- Social media - Sharing relevant and appropriate content on social media can earn employees an extra $25
- Peer recognition - Coworkers can nominate each other for recognition for a chance to win $50
- Grand Prize - This quarterly award of a trophy and a $200 gift card is given out by leadership in recognition of employee distinction
4. Food and Beverage Program
Many workplaces provide food and drinks for employees, and warehousing should be no different. Whether it's through a vending program or by offering free snacks, on-the-job access to refreshments goes a long way.
5. The Big Picture
Logistics, and warehousing in particular, is just one small part of the supply chain. Employees can easily get into the habit of thinking their small contribution to such a large operation doesn't matter. That's when it's your job as a manager to show them that their work is important to the overall success of the company.
