Traditionally, retail and e-commerce sellers must accommodate increased order volumes toward the end of each calendar year - especially between Black Friday and the end of December, when American consumers purchase most of their holiday gifts.
This event is something that most retailers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers have learned to handle in their fulfillment centers after years of experience, often by hiring temporary warehouse workers to help out with the higher volumes.
However, peak season has now become more difficult to manage thanks to the pandemic and the disruptions that followed.
According to research from Supply Chain Dive, 59% of supply chain professionals expect the 2022 peak season to be even more challenging than in 2021.
In addition, this report cites labor shortages, turnover, and retention as major concerns for almost half of the survey respondents.
Staffing up in the middle of a labor shortage isn’t easy, which makes it essential to do it right and minimize turnover. Most retailers and 3PLs work with temp agencies that provide warehouse labor or, more generally, industrial or manual labor. In years past, this has worked fine. In 2022, however, warehouses will likely find that their usual staffing agencies can’t deliver the same number of candidates they once did.
There is no reason to panic, but warehouse operators will need to take additional steps this year to ensure temporary warehouse associates stay on as long as needed.
Here are some tips for creating a positive onboarding experience that equips your temp labor to succeed:
Once you’ve successfully onboarded your temp labor for peak season, you must ensure your laborers stay with you through the holidays. Given the current state of the warehousing labor market, your temp worker can easily take a few weeks of experience and get a job in another warehouse if they aren’t happy at yours.
These tips will help you improve your warehouse environment and hang on to your temp labor:
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