Is your warehouse accessible to your entire team? Even with the continued growth of automation and “smart warehouses,” people are still the lifeblood of your business, and making sure that everyone can get where they need to – physically or remotely – is an important part of your management strategy.
There are a few ways you can make your warehouse more accessible and they don’t all involve a hefty investment. With the use of automation, you can make it easier for your current staff to get the job done.
Access to inventory
Automation allows for innovation like goods-to-person systems, which makes it easy for your staff to access the goods they need by having inventory brought to them. So, someone with limited mobility doesn’t have to be excluded from accessing the inventory they need.
Picking is often one of the most inefficient practices in a warehouse. Consider drones or equipment to pick those items on high on shelves or in harder-to-reach places. This makes the job easier for your team and increases your efficiency.
Access to information
The smart building concept means that all your data is stored at your fingertips, so with a tablet, someone could use large print, voice or touch-activated screens, and simplified functionality to gather the information they need to make decisions for your business.
Storing all your information in one place makes it easy to access, adjust and analyze at a moment’s notice, without the need for mobility.
Access to employees
When you make your warehouse accessible to everyone, you open your business up to a new group of potential employees. Only four per cent of businesses are marketing their companies to people with disabilities, so this is an opportunity to grow your business and get ahead of your competition.
Don’t guess what your employees need. Ask potential and existing employees what would make their jobs easier, helping them to perform to their potential. Add a training and growth program to continue to build on your team’s skillset. Promote your company as inclusive, accessible, and forward-thinking.
Making your warehouse more accessible creates a better place for your employees to work, increases productivity, and makes you a place where other people want to work, too.
