Day: December 15, 2015

Reduce Turnover to Keep Your Warehouse Profitable

Warehouse truck works
Keep it Profitable

Efficiency can swing the profitability of a warehouse more than anything else. And as warehouse managers know, staying efficient requires a strong balance of process, labor, and equipment (like industrial tugs that automate some labor).

Employee turnover hits warehouses hard because workers build skills and get better and faster over time. New employees can be brought into the fold with a good process and helpful tools, but it’s always worth the effort to retain the good employees you already have.

Some great tips for reducing employee turnover from the Wall Street Journal are very applicable to warehouses:

  • Include “culture fit” during the hiring process. You can teach the job. Bad fits aren’t going to stay around for long.
  • Stay aware of competitive salary and benefits to avoid poaching.
  • Reward and recognize top performers, and offer upward mobility as a motivating tool for everyone.
  • Be accommodating with schedules when possible — working around special requests and approving time-off requests go a long way.

Be sure to consider the physical labor involved, too. Are your employees comfortable on the job, or would many of them prefer a job that is less tiring and difficult? Injuries and soreness can push an employee to look elsewhere.

Automated material handling solutions help reduce employee turnover by significantly improving the work environment. Industrial tugs can move inventory carts and haul equipment with minimal effort. Eliminate the strain of chronic back pain and other warehouse ailments, and your employees are less likely to look around.

Follow our blog for more warehouse management tips and check out DJProducts.com to explore your options for industrial tugs and warehouse cart movers.

Healthcare Business Trend Projections for 2016

Friendly Male and Female Doctors Isolated on a White Background.
Healthcare

Healthcare spending has grown at slower rates in recent years, and that trend looks to continue in 2016 and beyond. PricewaterhouseCoopers has released new projections from its Health Research Institute that estimate 4.5% net growth in 2016 — a relatively steep drop from a decade earlier.

The HRI report examines key factors that are curbing medical spending:

  • Cost-sharing increases for patients reduce the likelihood of seeking treatment
  • Telemedicine offering virtual visits and reduced costs
  • Comparison shopping and health advisers steering patients to lower-cost services

Other factors are increasing health spending in non-traditional ways:

  • Increased data security expenditures
  • Incorporating a swath of new specialty drugs

Healthcare Consumers Shifting to Retail and Ambulatory Care

Hospital administrators need to redouble their efforts to reduce operating expenses in order to compete. Drugstore clinics and physician’s offices can offer similar care at reduced costs, luring patients away from hospitals.

Controlling Costs Key in a Competitive Market

Hospitals can take numerous short-term and long-term steps to reduce costs:

  • Educate the public and promote healthy lifestyles
  • Use data and analytics more strategically
  • Adopt virtual care options whenever possible
  • Leverage new tools and equipment

On that last point, we are seeing hospitals improve care with efficiency and quality using equipment such as motorized hospital carts. Better tools for employees can streamline daily operations while also enhancing patient care. For example, motorized hospital carts may boost employee morale and help retain talented staff.

The decisions made now can help position your healthcare facility for better profitability in the volatile times ahead. For more info on motorized hospital carts and other tools to boost efficiency, visit DJProducts.com.