BY DONALD JACOBSON AND SHELLEY SAFIAN,
OPTIMUM SUPPLY CHAIN RECRUITERS
laborpool
how to build a flexible workforce
IN BOOM TIMES OR BUST, ONE THING DOESn’t change: The core of any distribution business is
its people. No matter what’s going on in the economy at large, you need employees who know what
they’re doing, know how your company runs, and
know how to get the job done right and on time.
Lately, it’s become clear that you also need a
workforce that’s flexible. When demand fluctuates,
overhead typically must be adjusted to match. In
the past, companies dealt with this by laying off
workers when business slowed and rehiring when
sales picked up. But now, many companies are concluding that a better approach is to build a flexible
workforce more suited to a variable business climate. How do you do that? Here are some tips:
Consider hiring older workers. Study after study
has shown that mature workers can be highly reliable and productive. Furthermore, semi-retired
workers typically prefer part-time work to full-time
employment, making them a good choice for managers seeking to build a flexible workforce. Given
the rising cost of living (and the probable state of
their retirement portfolios), you’ll likely have no
trouble finding qualified candidates.
Supplement your workforce with interns. Many
colleges and technical schools run internship programs that allow students to get hands-on experience in the business world. Bringing in an intern
might be an excellent way to fill staff vacancies at no
cost to the company. Whether they’re studying business administration, human resources, logistics, or
sales, these students can all benefit from working on
the front lines in a warehouse. This option does
require greater supervision than others, but it will
give you a head start in your recruitment efforts.
You’ll also be giving back to your community.
Set up cross training and job sharing programs. A
great way to make your workforce more flexible is
to cross train employees so you can move them
wherever you have the greatest need. You might also
consider sharing a staff member with another
department. By putting together two part-time
jobs—say, a morning shift on the loading dock with
an afternoon shift in the mailroom—you can create
the equivalent of a full-time job and perhaps avoid
a layoff.
Get creative with your budget. If your warehouse staff budget gets cut and layoffs loom, check
to see if there’s still money in the educational benefits or training fund. If there is, offer to send some
of your better workers back to school with the company’s support. For them, it’s a chance to continue
their education; for you, it’s
a way to hold onto valuable
people you’ll need once the
economy picks up.
Consider “lending” out
staffers as teachers. Another
creative way to avoid layoffs is to offer to lend out
some of your employees to
local colleges and schools
as teachers. Technical
schools are constantly
searching for people with
industry experience to
teach courses. And colleges with business programs
may be eager to bring in someone with experience
in logistics or business administration.
If you find a good match, ask the employee to cut
back to part-time work, with his/her salary supplemented with an adjunct instructor’s pay. (Adjunct
instructors are hired on a course-by-course basis.)
That way, they’ll still be available when you need
them back.
In unpredictable times, you need to look out for
your skilled workers while ensuring your own
staffing needs are met. By thinking outside the box,
you can keep them close at hand while assuring a
more secure future for everyone.
Don Jacobson is the president and 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 them by calling
Optimum SCR at (800) 300-7609 or by visiting the firm’s Web site, www.OptimumSCR.com.
