5 Qualities To Look For When Hiring Warehouse Staff

Hiring new employees is never an easy task. You not only have to deal with the inevitable paperwork and legalities, but you also have to make sure that you\’re hiring someone that will be a good fit for your company as well as someone who will be able to handle all of the different tasks and situations they\’ll encounter at work. If you\’re considering hiring warehouse staff in the near future, it\’s important to look at what qualities the best warehouse workers have in common, so you can hire someone that will hit the ground running from day one. Here are the qualities you should look for when hiring warehouse staff.

Warehouse Workers Need To Communicate

Communication is incredibly important in any position, but it\’s vital for warehouse staff. Any time there\’s a material shortage or some other snag, your employees have to let their manager know quickly and effectively. Time is of the essence with these issues, and workers who aren\’t up to speed on every stage of shipping will slow things down—maybe considerably. In particular, be sure that anyone filling warehouse jobs can communicate clearly both orally and in writing. And watch out for warehouses hiring people who need training in both areas.

Packing, Stocking, And Picking Skills Are Key

Picking, packing, and stocking skills are a must for warehouse staff. Most warehouses do not use random-assignment strategies to assign workers to different jobs (the worker with the fewest skills might pick if staffing levels were equal), so warehouse workers may pick even if they aren\’t qualified to do so. Therefore, employers must hire employees who have been trained and demonstrate aptitude in their particular job duties.

Punctual, Dependable, And Flexible

If you\’re running a fulfillment business, and your main aim is to ensure that customer orders are packed and shipped quickly, then it makes sense to hire dependable warehouse staff. Whether your team member needs to take care of shipping or answer customer service questions, they should be flexible enough to handle whatever you throw at them. Also, look for punctual employees who will come in each day on time and work hard throughout their shift. It\’s important to find people who have good work ethics so that your employees do everything they can (within reason) to help ensure smooth operations.

Training With Certain Equipment Is Necessary

Certain types of equipment can be easier to use and manipulate than others. If you\’re looking for warehouse staff with specific training, such as forklift drivers or small-load handlers, it might be good to give them some practice time with those machines first. There\’s no substitute for experience. Similarly, if you have any unique safety requirements in your warehouse (e.g., warning lines on forklifts), a candidate already familiar with those will save you time and money down the road when it comes to training new hires.

Speed And Accuracy

It doesn\’t matter if you have a warehouse full of people—if they can\’t pick and pack orders at an efficient rate, your business won\’t be profitable. Typically, employers will look for detail-oriented individuals who can focus on repetitive tasks without making mistakes. Accuracy is particularly important because it costs you both time and money when employees mess up shipments. But speed matters, too—you want to make sure that everything gets done fast enough so that customers aren\’t left waiting for their orders to ship.