Hiring Tips for Hourly Warehouse Employees

Most businesses rely on hourly employees for certain positions. Many workers simply prefer the flexibility and freedom of part-time work. For today’s managers, it’s crucial to get excellent warehouse productivity from hourly employees while operating an effective hiring process.

Here’s how to find the right people for the hourly positions in your warehouse:

Expect turnover when you design jobs. Mostly hourly workers want their job to become a full-time career, but plenty don’t. With turnover rates at around 20% annually, warehouse managers should create some jobs with easy training so the company does not bleed profits by constantly training new workers.

Recruit workers of all ages. You might be surprised at how many older workers are more interested in hourly and part-time work. Aside from following age discrimination laws, employers can get the best results by considering workers of all ages for various positions.

Recruit locally. Hourly workers usually look for employment within 5 miles of their home, so make sure to target local communities. Local workers are less likely to show up late or quit due to frustration with a long commute.

Be competitive with other employers. When applying for hourly jobs, most people submit applications to three or more companies. When you see a good resume, take action and get the interviewing and hiring process done quickly to secure the best talent.

To get the most out of hourly employees, you can also add cart movers to make the work environment more productive and safe. Find out how material handling equipment makes warehouse jobs easier and more efficient for everyone on staff.

How to Hire Only the Very Best Matches for Your Business

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Hiring the Very Best

People with the right job skills for your warehouse may not already work in a warehouse. They might be office managers, bartenders, auto mechanics, community college students, or something else altogether.

Risk management expert David Leng has tips for sourcing better job applicants:

  • Ask HR and marketing to work together on job ads
  • Use an employee referral program
  • Promote from within as a motivator for everyone

How Do You Know Who to Hire?

Be thorough, track applicants throughout the process, and keep your eyes open:

Loyalty should be valued. Avoid workers who change jobs frequently. Give full consideration to workers with a disability or other hindrance to finding another job — as Leng says, they may actually miss work less and work harder.

Character matters when you need hard workers, self-starters, and team players. Conduct personality tests and other assessments.

Insight from current employees helps hiring managers to understand who will be a good fit for each position.

Get More Out of Existing Employees

The expense of hiring — HR, training, payroll — makes it very attractive to get more out of current employees. You can rely on overtime and even less-skilled temporary workers if you provide the right tools to maintain energy levels, morale, and job performance.

Industrial tugs that remove physical strain can let your best warehouse employees get more done, with fewer injuries and lost work time. It’s more cost-effective to outfit your workers with ergonomic tools like industrial tugs than to add additional employees to an injury-prone job involving manual labor.

For information about cart pushers, platform carts, and other kinds of motorized industrial tugs, visit DJProducts.com.