Warehouse workers are in high demand this year!  Whilst there’s usually a peak in December and January this year has seen exponential growth due to the increase in online shopping.

There’s a lot of pressure on warehouse workers to cope with increased demand, longer hours and tighter deadlines.  But we all know that an underlying trait of any successful warehouse operation is a happy and motivated team.  The benefits of a happy team mean that they are likely to work harder, be receptive to and even suggest new ideas and ultimately make the warehouse a great environment to work in, whilst delivering on your clients’ expectations.

Here’s our top tips for keeping your warehouse workers happy and motivated

Listen to your team

Your warehouse workers should be at the heart of what you do.  Their opinions matter.  After all, they are the people at the coal face and there’s likely to be some great ideas in the team and all you have to do is ask.  Maybe there are ways to increase efficiency, productivity or something that simply doesn’t work.  By taking on board the opinions of the team, you are likely too see improved motivation too.  Before making decisions with internal management, consider consulting some of your warehouse staff.  A quick weekly or monthly team meeting is a great way to set goals, listen to recommendations and more.

Warehouse Health & Safety

Whilst health and safety has always been an important element of warehouse and factory work, it’s never been more important than it is now.  If an employee feels unsafe at work, for whatever reason, they are less likely to work effectively and more likely to not want to stay.  Promoting Covid-safe working practices goes a long way to show that you care about your warehouse workers.  It will also help you to stay compliant too.  But it doesn’t end there.  You need to consider the wellbeing of your warehouse workers.  What’s the advantage to you?  Increased wellbeing in your team will create an increase in productivity and a desire to work.   We all know that working in a warehouse can be a highly pressurised job, especially at this time of year, so look out for any warning signs and promote good general wellbeing across the warehouse.

Music for Warehouse Workers Motivation

Our working environment has an impact on how we work, how we feel and more. Creating a positive working environment makes everyone more happy and more productive.  A simple way to do this in a warehouse is to play music.  Just like in the industrial age where orchestras were brought into warehouses to entertain workers!   In fact, 79% of employees can booth productivity just by listening to music at work.  So if it’s possible in your warehouse, get the music on, even if it’s just in break out rooms.

Provide feedback

When warehouse workers don’t know if they are doing a good job or not, their motivation can fall.  Just as you would identify and resolve poor performance, you should identify and reward good performance. Whether it’s as a whole team or on a 1-2-1 basis  We know that it’s really busy for warehouse teams at the moment, so if time is short and you want a simple way to provide feedback, try this simple scheme –

• Ask each team or team leader to nominate one worker who has gone above and beyond each week. Giving recognition for a job well done goes a long way!
• Each winner goes onto a shortlist and each month choose an employee of the month with a prize

Talk to the experts

If you need extra hands in your warehouse period, get in touch with our expert team – we would love to hear from you!  Hiring temporary warehouse workers may be just what you need right now.