Don't Overlook These Important Factors When Hiring for Your Warehouse

Construction & Contractors Blog

You may not give much thought to your warehouse hiring, as those who work in a warehouse as pickers and packers or as stockpersons may not need many specialized skills or training. However, this doesn't mean you don't want to be selective about the persons you hire, as proper handling of your materials as well as maintaining a correct inventory is very important for your overall business. Note a few things to look for when hiring for your warehouse.

Storefront experience

One reason to look for storefront experience is that your warehouse personnel may need to work with more than just your materials and goods; they will often need to interact with delivery persons and customers who may come to pick up their own orders. A warehouse workers needs good social skills and communication skills, and a pleasant personality that others will respond to when they visit your warehouse. Storefront experience will mean that this person knows how to interact with a variety of customers and others, and will be skilled at interacting with anyone who visits the warehouse.

Speed and accuracy with words and numbers

Don't assume that your warehouse workers don't need advanced comprehension when it comes to reading and math skills; many items in warehouses are marked with long inventory numbers, and these need to be checked understood properly and quickly; this is so that they are stacked in correct spots in your warehouse and so that the correct items are chosen to fulfil orders. Proper testing can and should be done for this type of comprehension, especially for pickers and packers in your warehouse.

Physical strength and manual dexterity

Don't assume that forklifts, pallet stackers, and other machinery will do all the work in a warehouse. Smaller boxes may still need to be lifted and stacked or retrieved by hand, and sometimes pallets or other items need to be slid into a certain spot manually, if a forklift or pallet stacker cannot reach corners or other areas of the warehouse so easily.

Your warehouse workers will also need a certain amount of manual dexterity to use scanners and other pieces of computer equipment in your warehouse, and they may also need to open certain cartons and boxes in order to inventory the items inside. While you don't want to assume a person's capabilities based on their physical size alone, you also don't want to overlook the physical aspect of working in a warehouse and using the equipment provided.

25 January 2017