Key Warehouse Recruitment Steps You Can’t Skip
April 15, 2018 | Staffing Blog
Turnover rates are consistently high in the warehouse industry due to shortages of quality labor. WERC’s annual Warehousing & Logistics Industry Salary Survey Report found that 81.6% of companies that employ warehouse workers hired supplementary, temporary, or contracted workers because of the talent shortage.
The U.S. unemployment rate is high, but business owners are still having a hard time finding staff that provide satisfactory results and also wish to remain in their position. Yet, there are many hiring managers and business owners who have found lasting employees.
Tips for Hiring Competent Warehouse Staff
So what is the secret to sourcing staff that sticks? Here are some tips that will help you to successfully select a competent and lasting warehouse team.
1. Do Not Sugarcoat The Position
Because these positions are not the easiest to fill, it is tempting to focus mainly on the positive aspects of the job when discussing it with potential employees. Doing so will only cause them to feel betrayed and become quickly agitated by the job. You are much better off being completely transparent about how labor-intensive the job really is and what other employees have proven to have difficulty with. This approach allows the candidate to consider if the job is something they can handle and still wish to sign up for.
2. Advertise the Job Perks
Along with providing them with the honest truth when it comes to the challenges of the job, you want them to know what makes it all worth it for them. What are the benefits? Why is working for you a great opportunity and what could it mean for their future?
3. Define the Qualities That Make A Successful Warehouse Employee
Many hiring managers spend too much time staring at the candidate’s resume rather than paying attention to the person’s overall character. Just because they have an impressive background does not necessarily mean they will fit in well with your particular company. Evaluate those that already work there successfully and what makes them such strong contributors. Pinpointing these qualities will allow you to see more potential or what is lacking in the people you interview.
4. Simplify the Application Process
A confusing website is never good for business. If someone is interested in working for you, the more you can do to encourage them to apply the better. A lot of your potential candidates may already be unhappily employed somewhere else, and will browse the internet in hopes that they might find a better place to work. Lay the path for them so there are only a simple few steps for them to follow. If the process takes little time, they will be more likely to stake a stab at it.
5. Offer Rewards For Referrals
You can also find employees through those you have already hired and discovered to be dependable. In fact, there are many companies that choose to only hire from within or through recommendation. If you have deemed an employee hardworking and trustworthy, they won’t want to hurt their reputation with you by recommending a person who could hurt the company. More often, a referral will have the type of character that fits in well with the rest of your staff. You can encourage your employees to give referrals by offering them some paid vacation time or other perks.
Number 6: Use A Staffing Agency
In recent years, various studies and research have shown how easy it is to misjudge a person in an interview based on a first impression. “Social scientists have argued in vain for years that the standard open-ended, unstructured interview does essentially nothing to improve the quality of the candidates selected.” On the other hand, staffing companies have developed a system specifically manicured to “Key Warehouse Recruitment Steps You Can’t Skip qualified applicants who fit to the organization and who fulfill job demands”.
You could try the tips we have listed above, or you could have a staffing agency do it for you. They have boiled down spotting quality and character to a science and will only provide you with candidates well suited to your company. You don’t have to waste your time filtering through all the people who submit that show promise, let the experts do that part so you can be sure that the people you hire will fit your need.