Warehouse Staffing Archives

Improve Staff Scheduling for Distribution Center Efficiency

Warehouse Scheduling Tips

While state-of-the-art equipment like our trailer dolly helps to maximize productivity, the greatest asset of any company is the workforce. Does your planning include updated scheduling procedures? Empower your employees with staff scheduling approaches that accommodate them as well as your business operations.

Incorporating Flexible Scheduling

The days of fixed 40-hour workweeks for everyone are largely in the rear-view mirror. Many warehouses and distribution centers are adopting scheduling policies that promote greater work/life balance while optimizing staffing levels.

With open shift posting, jobs are scheduled for a specific date and time, but they’re not assigned to a specific employee. This allows workers to “bid” on shifts that suit their interest and availability. Some companies also allow employees to trade shifts, such as in the case of an unexpected emergency, which cuts down on unplanned absences.
Due to seasonality and other effects on the ebb and flow of business demands, staffing requirements can vary greatly. Voluntary time off, also known as VTO, is a helpful tool in managing these changes. For example, if your warehouse traditionally experiences a slowdown after the first of the year, you can offer workers the chance to take time off. While this differs from PTO (paid time off) in that VTO is unpaid, employees retain their seniority and benefits.

Benefits of Flexible Scheduling

According to a report by CNN Money, nearly three-quarters of people surveyed ranked respect as the #1 factor in job satisfaction. Flexible work schedules demonstrate a healthy level of respect for your employees and their needs. As a result, workers will also develop a sense of loyalty that reduces turnover.
Just as our trailer dolly and other top-quality equipment helps prevent physical injuries, flexible scheduling promotes mental and emotional well-being through greater job satisfaction. Happy employees maintain a positive attitude and have better attendance.

DJ Products: Your Top Source for Material Handling Solutions

We offer a full line of tugs, movers and pushers that boost workplace efficiency and reduce costly on-the-job injuries. Call DJ Products at 800.686.2651 or use our handy online chat feature to learn more from our friendly and knowledgeable Sales Engineers.

Tips for Bringing Seasonal Workers Up to Speed Fast

Get New Employees up to Speed so they Can Do an Excellent Job

Our safe and efficient electric tugger carts are easy to use, but training seasonal workers involves a number of activities and concepts that are much more involved. Time is of the essence during the limited holiday season, further complicating matters.

Seasonal workers should improve, not hinder, productivity. Use these helpful guidelines to optimize training for temporary employees and get them up to speed quickly.

Before Hiring

– Document job requirements and duties for all positions so you know what to prioritize in applicants.

– Even though they’re around for a short time, temporary employees can disrupt the teamwork and camaraderie of permanent staff. Screen candidates carefully to make sure they fit both the job and the company culture.

Onboarding

– Have specific yardsticks to measure success. Communicate this during training and schedule follow-up checkpoint meetings to see how employees are progressing.

– Include training on company culture to help workers see where they fit in while internalizing your mission and goals.

– Experienced employees should participate in the training process and serve as mentors to the new hires.

– Whether it’s by observation or hands-on, tailor training to a worker’s preferred learning style as much as possible.

On the Job

– Training doesn’t end once a new hire walks onto the warehouse floor. Set goals, recognize achievements and maintain open communication.

– Give interactive feedback. Ask employees how they would handle a particular problem, then explain to them what works and what doesn’t. This approach empowers workers to think for themselves.

Tugger Carts: A Year-Round Solution from DJ Products

Battery-powered tugger carts, such as our best-selling CartCaddyShorty, let even temporary workers move thousands of pounds with ease, freeing up experienced employees for other activities.

Visit our website and use the online chat feature to learn more.

OSHA’s Cold Stress Guide – Considerations for Warehouse Staff

Loading and Unloading Packages In the Winter can Cause Stress on Your Fingers and Other Extremities.

The Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) maintains a broad directive that employers are required to provide “a workplace free from recognized hazards.” While elements such as quality material handling equipment are easy to control, cold weather presents a more abstract health risk.

OSHA recognizes cold stress as a genuine workplace hazard. Here are tips on how to recognize and prevent cold weather-related injuries and illnesses.

Common Cold Stress Conditions

– Hypothermia is a rapid loss of body heat during which body temperature drops below 95°F. A person suffering from hypothermia will shiver initially, but the shivering actually stops as the condition grows more severe.

– Frostbite results when frigid temperatures cause skin and underlying tissues to freeze. Feet and hands are most susceptible to frostbite, which is characterized by numbness and reddened skin marked with gray and white patches.

– Trench foot, sometimes referred to as immersion foot, occurs when wet feet are exposed to cold temperatures for extended periods of time. As blood vessels constrict to conserve heat, they also cut off oxygen and nutrient supplies to the skin.

Tips to Prevent Cold Stress

– Train employees to recognize and treat common cold stress symptoms.

– Make sure workers are dressed appropriately. Wearing layers of loose-fitting clothes keeps skin dry and well-insulated. Accessories such as hats, gloves and boots should also be worn.

– Cold stress can cause people to become disoriented and lose coordination. Assign workers in pairs so they can monitor each other for symptoms.

– Provide a warm break room and keep warm, sweetened beverages on hand to prevent dehydration.

Put Safety First with Material Handling Equipment from DJ Products

Electric tugs, movers and pushers such as our best-selling CartCaddyShorty improve productivity in any type of weather. Call 800.686.2651 for more information.

Tips for Hiring Seasonal Warehouse Staff

According to CNBC, experts are predicting a prosperous holiday season for retailers this year. That translates to a greater need for temporary employees to pack orders, handle industrial tugs and fill other positions in your warehouse.

Unfortunately, low unemployment rates are likely to make qualified workers even harder to find. Use these tips to fill your seasonal hiring needs while maintaining high productivity.

Start Early

You have only one chance to take advantage of robust holiday business, so don’t put off the hiring process until the last minute. Create a game plan with timelines and required qualifications that allows you to bring in temporary workers at least three weeks before the big push starts.

Contact Previous Temporary Employees

Previous employees will already be familiar with your operations and procedures. When you can bring in experienced help that’s work-ready from day one, it’s a win-win for both of you.

Crunch the Numbers

With high-tech tools such as warehouse management systems, it’s easier than ever to analyze past years’ business and project this year’s trends. Pay particular attention to times when you may have been understaffed.

Maintain High Standards

Companies sometimes sacrifice quality for convenience when adding seasonal staff. Don’t let the temptation to cut corners keep you from using the same hiring criteria for permanent and temporary employees.

Be Honest

Some job-seekers accept seasonal employment hoping to get a foot in the door for a permanent position. Be specific about the time frame of the job and don’t discuss the possibility of full-time employment unless it truly exists.

Industrial Tugs Improve Year-Round Safety and Productivity

Electric industrial tugs from DJ Products can be used effectively by a single worker and don’t involve a complicated learning curve. Contact us for more information.

Amazon’s Embracing of Robots Drive Investment into Warehouse Worker’s Education

Embrace the Future: A Society with Efficient Robots.

As your first choice for a quality material handling equipment supplier, DJ Products wants to keep you up-to-date on news and trends affecting the warehouse industry. Here’s a look at how Amazon is addressing the challenge of robots and automation displacing human workers.

Adapting to the Changing Workforce

It’s no secret that technology is creating automated solutions for more repetitive types of jobs, but the time is coming when robots will be able to handle more sophisticated tasks. At this point, automation is creating more jobs than it’s destroying.

Problems arise when robots take over basic entry-level jobs that usually go to people who need to work but aren’t qualified for higher-paying jobs. Amazon has taken a proactive approach by offering training to expand these workers’ options.

Preparing for the Future

Amazon’s Career Choice program was rolled out in 2012. It’s currently available to any hourly employees who have been with Amazon for a minimum of one year. Under the program, Amazon pays up to 95 percent of college tuition for employees who want to train for more in-demand jobs.

Classes are conveniently held right in the warehouses, and so far 14,000 people have taken advantage of the program. Amazon’s goal is to double that number by 2020.

According to author Martin Ford, lifelong learning is the key to staying relevant in the workforce. While Amazon’s program is a start, the next step is to provide training for more advanced jobs.

DJ Products: Your Preferred Material Handling Equipment Supplier

Manpower is still needed for lifting, carrying and other physical labor, and our state-of-the-art pushers, tugs and movers allow greater productivity and reduce the risk of workplace injuries. Visit our website and use the handy online chat feature for more information.

Typical Causes of Forklift Accidents

When it comes to material handling equipment, most warehouses aren’t complete without forklifts. These compact but powerful vehicles are also involved in thousands of injury accidents each year.

Here are some of the more common causes of forklift accidents and how they can be prevented.

Lack of Training

You wouldn’t consider hiring a truck driver who didn’t have the necessary training, and forklift operation should be taken equally seriously. Provide appropriate training that must be completed by employees before using a forklift.

Mechanical Problems

Malfunctioning equipment, such as failing brakes or jammed forks, often leads to accidents. Follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule and remove old forklifts from service.

Improper Loading

Broken pallets or poorly stacked loads can result in unstable forklift operation or hazards from cases falling off the fork. Instruct employees in the correct methods of loading forklifts so the pallets are balanced and the driver’s vision isn’t obstructed.

Operator Error

Forklift operators should follow the same safety precautions used when driving any vehicle.

– Maintain a safe speed.

– Seat belts should always be fastened when forklift is in use.

– Use caution when backing up.

– Always check for obstructions in the path of travel.

– Passengers should be sitting in seats, not on the load or on the fork itself.

Workplace Design

Keep aisles, intersections and doors free of obstructions. Set up workstations away from the aisles and lay out clearly marked walkways.

DJ Products: Your Preferred Source for Quality Material Handling Equipment

Our comprehensive line of battery-powered material handling equipment includes the best-selling CartCaddyLite, which allows a single employee to move carts weighing up to 1,500 pounds.

Call 800.686.2651 and let our sales engineers help you select the best tug, pusher or mover for your applications.

Strap-On Body Enhancements May be in the Future for Warehouse Workers

The Future: Wearable Body Enhancements.

Today’s wearable technology puts information such as your heart rate and your pet’s whereabouts right at your fingertips. Now warehouse employees can don a flexible exoskeleton suit that turns them into “superheroes.”

Meet MAX

The Modular Agile Exoskeleton, or MAX, is the brainchild of suitX, a robotics company based in Berkeley, CA. MAX uses assistive bionics technology to reduce the amount of muscle power needed to complete physical tasks in the workplace.

Separate modules protect the shoulder, back and legs, and they may be worn individually or in any combination. The modules are passive, so there are no motors to malfunction.

Increase Workplace Safety and Efficiency

In a press release announcing the arrival of MAX, suitX founder and CEO Homayoon Kazerooni said the suit was intended for jobs “where no robot can work as efficiently as a human.” In addition to warehouses, MAX has applications for delivery services and construction.

Each year, workplace injuries caused by overexertion and stress cost companies billions of dollars in lost productivity, insurance claims and higher premiums. Employees with physically demanding jobs can use MAX to boost lifting power and reduce the stress of repetitive tasks performed in awkward positions.

Maximize Your Workforce Effectiveness with Industrial Tugs from DJ Products

Your employees don’t need superhuman strength to operate our battery-powered industrial tugs. Movers like our CartCaddy 5WP allow a single person to move loads of up to 10,000 pounds, and they’re ergonomically designed to prevent repetitive movement injuries.

Don’t wait until injuries get out of hand. Visit our website and let our sales engineers help you find the right industrial tug for your needs.

Tag: Warehouse Staffing