Warehouse staffing is one of the most stressful parts of an operations manager’s job. When you consider normal employee turnover plus increased staffing needs to cover employee absences (both planned and unplanned), seasonal busy periods, and company growth, it may seem like you are always searching for warehouse personnel!
With ecommerce businesses expanding rapidly, demand for warehouse workers is higher than ever before. Our historically low unemployment rate means there are more jobs and fewer workers to fill those jobs. So, you are probably having to spend more time searching for qualified candidates. Recruiting and interviewing candidates is a time-consuming process that few warehouse operations managers have extra time for, especially when concerns like safety, efficiency, and productivity must be addressed. So how can warehouse staffing be made easier?
Employee Referrals for Light Industrial Workers
Employee referrals are a great way to find more light industrial employees like the ones you rely on every day. Offer a referral bonus to your workers if an employee they refer is hired and completes a specified amount of time on the job. You can make referrals even more enticing by offering a second bonus when the referred employee completes a second milestone on the job.
If you can’t afford a bonus program, a great way to encourage referrals is through company-sponsored social events. You can plan a cookout or picnic where employees may invite friends and family members. Having it on company property will make it easy to show the benefits of working for the organization.
Create a Candidate Pipeline within the Community
Participating in job fairs at local high schools and junior colleges is a good way to establish a presence in the community and create a pipeline of interested candidates. Taking advantage of sponsorship opportunities will allow your organization to maintain visibility with this constituency.
Use a Warehouse & Light Industrial Staffing Agency
Of course, job fairs, referral programs and sponsorships require time and money to plan and execute. Not to mention the time and money required to interview candidates, perform required screenings, handle payroll and other required paperwork, etc. Using the services of a warehouse and light industrial staffing agency removes the burden of placing recruitment ads, screening candidates, verifying eligibility, and the other time-consuming tasks of hiring. Staffing companies like CBS-Staffing handle all of these tasks for you. You just provide your criteria for your staff, and we do the rest. All you have to do is give the selected candidates final approval. When you work with CBS-Staffing, your account representative works with you to adjust staffing levels to meet your exact needs each week, so you are never over- or under-staffed. Best of all, the workers we send to you are CBS-Staffing employees, so we even handle their payroll taxes, workers comp, and benefits. Contact us today to get started.
