The holiday blitz is finally over! Not only are the Black Friday shopping sprees and last-minute holiday shipments done for now, but your employee's houseguests have gone home, the leftovers are all eaten up, and New Year's resolutions are already beginning to fade. Your staff may be taking their well-earned vacation.
It's time to get back to work!
But many employees feel lackluster after the holiday buzz. Supervisors and warehouse managers struggle to motivate employees during this slow time. Maybe orders have slacked off to nearly nothing. It feels oddly quiet in the plant.
With less work to accomplish, your warehouse staff may be:
- Idling on the forklift, burning up resources
- Spending more time at the water cooler
- Goofing off in the bays
- Clocking in a few minutes later
- And ignoring warehouse safety protocols
There is a fine line between slowing down and seizing up. And today, the Eclipse IA team is here to help you motivate your crew. From psychological motivation techniques to tangible goodies, we'll explore all the ways to boost productivity during the post-holiday blues.
General Warehouse Solutions: Take Advantage of the Slump to Meet With Employees & Motivate Them
Motivation and morale are closely linked. Busy employees are more alert and engaged, and that's essential in a warehouse setting. But genuine engagement doesn't come from tedious duties and "busy work." People need to know their work matters as individuals and as a group.
Since the warehouse is slow, it's an ideal time to host some meetings and address your staff directly. Order some pizzas and extend their lunch break for a super-positive meeting.
Congratulations Are In Order
A great way to motivate your staff is to congratulate them on completing a successful holiday season. You don't need to get into revenue details, but you could let the entire shift's workers know about:
- Total orders filled
- Total packages shipped
- Happy and satisfied customers
- Positive reviews left on social media
- Hours of overtime worked, or total overtime paid
- Outstanding safety habits or a low number of accidents
Once you have them warmed up with some hard numbers, emphasize points like:
- Their teamwork and dedication
- New training or advancement opportunities coming up
- Licenses achieved or awards earned during the holiday blitz
If, for instance, someone has just earned their forklift license, this is a great time to hand it over and encourage others to seek licensing. Repeat this process for every shift, and make sure no one gets left out.
Reward Individuals for Specific Behaviors
A public pat on the back is a great way to reward your employees for well-done jobs. And it would be awesome if you could reward the entire shift individually.
Feel free to get creative, but you could start with $10 gift cards for:
- Employees who had perfect attendance throughout the holiday blitz
- Those who worked the most overtime
- Speed or accomplishment awards (most items picked, most packages shipped)
- Improved behaviors (like a "PPE worn correctly" medal)
Sure, it will cost a few hundred bucks to reward everyone. By the end of this segment, everyone on your team will feel the warm glow of appreciation from their employer. Nothing is more motivating than that, and it's a lot less expensive than replacing a worker.
Next, it's time to get them excited about the new year.
Talk About Moving Forward
2023 is a brand new year! Assuming your organization's fiscal year runs on the standard calendar year, it's time to set new goals, review last year's performance and adjust your business plans. You can share a lot of that information with your warehouse staff.
Every company is different, but you might wish to share:
- Information about expanding operations or scaling up
- High-profile customers coming on board
- Exciting new partnerships with drop shippers
- New product lines or distribution routes
The point is to get your crews thinking positively about the new year, so keep that tone in mind. And, since you already have their attention, this is an ideal time to go over some safety and housekeeping points.
Implement Safety Into Your Company Culture
The post-holiday slump is an excellent time of year to address safety and cleaning habits among your crew and to invest in machinery updates and maintenance.
- Talk to your warehouse staff about safety protocols like lockout / tagout and Safety Data Sheets (SDS, formerly Material Safety Data Sheets, or MSDS.)
- Review any cleaning systems or shutdowns you foresee.
- Explain how they should clean equipment and appoint some employees to oversee the task.
End your lunch meeting with a question and answer session, and ask your workforce for their opinions.
Ask For Their Opinions
You aren't on the warehouse floor daily as a supervisor, HR manager, or procurement specialist. There may be equipment that needs updates or vehicles that need maintenance. Get the details from your employees now, and act on them.
Next, think about tangible ways to motivate a light industrial workforce during the post-holiday slump.
Update Your Equipment
A lousy supervisor is often cited as the number one reason people quit their jobs. Here at Eclipse Advantage, we know that shoddy equipment should be next on the list.
Our team has heard it all! Every operation has that one forklift that doesn't turn right or a delivery truck with no backup camera or rearview mirror. Problems like this make light industrial work very frustrating, which jeopardizes morale. So use the post-holiday slump to get your equipment in order and ensure your crew sees the effort.
Finally, the best tangible way to motivate your industrial workforce is to hire more staff if needed. Employee burnout is real, especially if your team has been working as a skeleton crew during these last few years.
Contact Us for Warehouse Staffing Solutions
At Eclipse IA, we do more than offer general warehouse solutions. Our "industrial athletes" are well-vetted and ready to work. If your crew is overwhelmed due to the labor shortage, or if you're struggling with productivity and morale, let's talk.
We can help you:
- Hire qualified workers and gain 20% in retention during peak season
- Gain better morale and encourage productivity
- Utilize a managed cost-per-unit workforce solution
- And much more!
If you need general warehouse solutions, including warehouse staffing and lumper services, get in touch.
Related Reading & Resources:
Supplychainquarterly.com: Warehouses Under Real Pressure this Holiday
Nasdaq.com: Amazon Predicts Profit Slump During Holidays, Crushing Shares