The Logistical Lowdown

As expectations for the logistics function continue to grow, new government regulations take effect, and innovative technology becomes more common in the industry, companies are finding it more challenging to handle processes on their own. Outsourcing warehousing and distribution to a third-party logistics provider (or 3PL) is an option that offers the resources necessary to meet the challenges while improving efficiency, keeping costs low, and managing demand.

 For those of us in logistics, specifically warehousing and distribution, maximizing the capacity of our warehouses is a constant we are working toward improving. From my experience, when we see capacity constraints, our next step is to look at the warehouse design to make it more functional. 

We've reached Part III of How to Engage Remote Warehouse Employees. In Part I, we talked about how to engage remote warehouse employees through communication; and that communication needs to be at the center of your relationships with your employees. 

In the second article, How to Engage Remote Warehouse Employees, Take a Chance on Me; we discussed ways to empower your crew so their observations and insights can be used to make your warehouse better. 

So, finally we're going to discuss part III of engaging remote warehouse employees; it's to have some fun! 

In a previous post, I wrote the first part of the three part series: How to Engage Remote Warehouse Employees Through Communication.  I'll continue that topic and focus on the second aspect of engaging remote warehouse employees: Empowerment. 

First, let's recap-  Engaging Remote Warehouse Employees through Communication. The key take-away was to put communication at the core of your relationships with your employees if you want to be sure your employees are engaged in their job, their work, and their company. 

As a Regional Operations Manager, I oversee six warehouses throughout the mid-west. The distance varies as I can visit some with a day trip, others require a half-day drive, and I even have a few that require flying or driving the entire day to see. So, how do I engage remote warehouse employees? 

Being a manager is a tough job, being a manager of remote employees adds a few curve balls to the managers role. We rely on many forms of communication to get our work done; phone, email, and even video conferencing.

The necessity to add value to basic warehousing for today’s customers is becoming ever more important. Strategic partnerships allow for the opportunity to focus on what you do best and allow your partner to fill the void where your team may lack experience or infrastructure. Specifically, in the warehousing environment, it has become paramount to be able to add value for your customers as a 3PL partner.