Want to transform your workforce? Use these warehouse training tips to add both fun and teambuilding to your workplace.
If the words “teambuilding exercises” conjure up a 1990s-style vision of ropes courses and walking on hot coals, don’t worry—we aren’t going to ask you to do either. Instead, we’ve put together five tips that will help you build the teamwork that makes the dream work (thank you, John Maxwell).
People stay longer at companies where they feel like they’re part of something important. And while warehouse work might not seem important to some people, when individuals feel like they belong, like they’re wanted, they tend to stay longer with a company. They work better together and often think more creatively than people who don’t feel connected to or inspired by their company.
Given these facts, we feel that these warehouse training tips are invaluable. They can reduce turnover and improve productivity.
Let's explore five warehouse training tips you can use immediately to make your warehouse teams happy, productive, efficient, and safe.
Turnover rates for warehouse workers are higher than the national average. The average turnover rate across all industries is 12-15%, while warehouses experience a 46% turnover rate. That’s like losing half your staff every year! Very few industries face similar challenges.
How can you keep good workers from leaving? Sure, you can offer them higher wages, but that’s only sustainable for so long.
Instead, providing training, especially team building, can reduce turnover.
If people feel wanted and needed, if they feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves, if they like their coworkers and the work environment, they’re more inclined to stay with a job than leave.
Teambuilding creates that atmosphere. It helps workers gain skills, but it also fosters a sense of workplace loyalty that can’t be beaten.
Ready to get started? These five warehouse training tips will help you build teams, increase productivity, and reduce turnover.
You need to paint the bigger picture during warehouse training. Employees need to see that they have the chance for promotion. They don’t want to be stuck in dead-end jobs.
Build a training process that helps entry-level employees develop skills and traits that qualify them for promotion. When you give employees a chance to grow, you give them something to look forward to. They stop seeing their current role as a dead end and start seeing it as a steppingstone.
Team building exercises may seem like outdated warehouse training tips, but they still work if done right. Team-building exercises belong in your warehouse training program because they foster strong relationships between employees and managers.
Employees often leave jobs because they don’t like their coworkers or managers. Team building exercises can help them get beyond the initial “I don’t like so-and-so” to seeing the other person in a different light.
Here’s one game you can play easily in your next warehouse training session that helps assess how well employees and managers follow warehouse rules. It’s called the “Set-Up” Game.
Employees who don’t feel like the company cares about them return the feeling; they don’t care about the company.
On the opposite side of the coin is an employee who cares deeply about the company. They take ownership of situations. Ownership means taking initiative. This is the kind of person you want working in your warehouse.
Warehouse workers typically stick to their assigned tasks because going beyond their job description doesn’t give them anything extra. They don’t get a pat on the back or a bump in their check.
Among warehouse training tips, this is one that doesn’t cost you much but pays big dividends. Teach managers to positively call out anyone who takes initiative. Make a big deal over them. Employee of the Month stuff sounds corny, but it works. Even something as small as a thank-you gift certificate given to that person who goes the extra mile and takes initiative can make people pay attention to things they can do to make the workplace safer and better.
Another warehouse training tip we love is to add a creativity exercise to your training schedule. Warehouse work can be repetitive and monotonous. Shake things up with creativity exercises.
Two simple, fun exercises include the marshmallow challenge and the river crossing challenge.
In the marshmallow challenge, players build the tallest freestanding structure using limited materials, with a marshmallow placed on top without falling.
The river-crossing challenge presents players with a puzzle in which a boatman must transport a fox, a chicken, and a bag of corn across a river. The player who finds the solution requiring the fewest crossings wins. (P.S. Here’s the solution.)
Give your warehouse workers opportunities to make decisions during training. Employees feel undervalued when they believe they have no voice in workplace matters. Many people leave jobs because they think their opinions carry no weight.
When you give employees chances to make important company decisions, they become more loyal and productive. Empowering workers to make decisions makes them feel appreciated and significant. They believe their choices help steer the company in the right direction, which fulfills a fundamental need shared by most employees.
Do these warehouse training tips help you see new possibilities? PositiveVision understands how the right training transforms your business. We offer training sessions throughout the year that cover multiple topics and business management software systems.
Productivity drives success for manufacturing and distribution business owners. PositiveVision provides multiple options, from refresher courses to comprehensive training programs. Contact us today to learn more about our classes and customized in-house training solutions.