We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » that vision thing
labor pool

that vision thing

June 1, 2004
Donald Jacobson and Shelley Safian
No Comments

Do your staff members have vision? We're not referring to their eyesight; we're talking about a vision of the future—an ability to step back and picture where the company could go, how they fit in and what their future holds. Many times, workers find it difficult to disengage from their daily tasks and visualize what could be. It's up to you to share your vision of where their careers could take them and how it could be accomplished.

Study after study has shown that career development programs strengthen morale and boost productivity. The key here is to include everyone—all members of your workforce, not just your managers —in programs like the following:

1. Job shadowing. You may dismiss shadowing as a gimmick to teach middle schoolers about different kinds of jobs, but it actually works just as well for adults. You'd be amazed at how many members of your organization have no idea what the people upstairs or in the next building do each day. You may find that a picker would thrive as a driver or that a driver might become the best warehouse supervisor you could find—if they only had a chance to see what the job entailed. Introducing a rotating program that permits any staff member who wants to shadow another worker for a few hours could reward you with a new crop of motivated and dedicated workers.

2. Cross training/job rotation. A good move isn't always a vertical move; sometimes the best moves are lateral. We've all been indoctrinated to believe that success means moving up the corporate ladder. But that's not necessarily so. Your best warehouse worker may prove wholly unsuited to the job of warehouse supervisor—in which case, his "promotion" deprives you of both a decent supervisor and your best warehouse worker. Yet that same warehouse worker might excel in the scheduling and distribution department. Job rotation gives valuable but bored employees an alternative to quitting.

3. Career counseling. Amazing things can happen when a supervisor or manager sits down with a team member for a frank discussion of his or her career goals. But don't stop there. Follow up by helping the employee draw up a plan for reaching those goals—preferably one that includes company- sponsored training classes and reimbursement for outside education. If you feel your front-line supervisors don't have the time to create a career plan for each staff member— or the training to do so— there's another option. You can have the supervisor sit down with the employee for the heart-to-heart career talk, and then, if appropriate, refer the worker to a designated human resources professional to create the plan.

4. Mentoring. Think of it as the corporate version of a Big Brother/Big Sister program. Pickers, forklift operators, truck drivers … all can benefit from a mentor's counsel. But choose the mentor carefully—he or she shouldn't have any supervisory authority over the employee being "adopted." He or she should, however, be knowledgeable about the department, job category and functions.

All too often, pickers, forklift operators and loaders see their jobs as menial tasks that contribute little to the company's overall success. That's usually because no one has taken the time to explain the importance of their role. Tell them how they fit into the big picture. Let them know how much you value their contribution. If they know it, your bottom line will show it.

Business Management & Finance
  • Related Articles

    that visibility thing

    PICKY PICKY PICKY... WITH THIS PICKING CART. THAT'S NOT AT ALL A BAD THING

    a funny thing could happen at the Forum …

Don Jacobson is the president of Optimum Supply Chain Recruiters, a recruiting organization that specializes in the placement of management personnel in the logistics field on a nationwide basis. You can reach him by calling Optimum SCR at (800) 300-7609 or by visiting the firm's Web site, www.OptimumSCR.com.
Shelley Safian is vice president of marketing for Optimum Supply Chain Recruiters, a recruiting organization that specializes in the placement of management personnel in the logistics field on a nationwide basis. You can reach her by calling Optimum SCR at (800) 300-7609 or by visiting the firm's Web site, www.OptimumSCR.com.

Recent Articles by Donald Jacobson

Survival strategies for logistics professionals

temporary help for the executive suite

how to deal with survivor's guilt

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Schneider welcomes first battery-electric truck

  • Fred Smith is not worried about Amazon

  • RJW LOGISTICS GROUP EXPANDS RETAIL LOGISTICS OPERATION TO DALLAS

  • Maersk deploys indoor drones for warehouse inventory counts

  • Outlook 2023: What’s in store for logistics/supply chain?

Now Playing on DCV-TV

5afe63a5 7125 4318 b851 1e5738df1c91

Patterson Fan Co. | HVLS V-Series Ceiling Fan | Staging Area Air Movement

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
The Patterson V-Series is a high-volume, low-speed industrial ceiling fan that is designed to circulate a lot of air at a very low speed. These fans, ranging in diameters of 8’ all the way to 24’, are perfect for large, open spaces such as staging and shipping areas. One 24’ fan can generate a cooling effect of 6 –...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

  • Fulfillment Facility Improved Efficiencies by 4x

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • Reusable Packaging for the New Wave of Supply Chain Automation

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing