If you're interested in starting your own business in the future, working in a warehouse may help you gain the knowledge and experiences a good entrepreneur needs. By mastering how goods move from the manufacturer to the consumers, you'll learn the basics of retailing, which first-time entrepreneurs commonly venture in.
Aside from being productive, reliable, and good at operating high-tech warehouse equipment that the company rents or has bought, your employer will seek out more traits and skills from you to determine whether you're fit for the job. So if you're really set on working in a manufacturing plant, let's find out if you have what it takes.
Essential Warehouse Skills
1. Speed
Since you'll mostly be engaged in the legwork, your level of speed is critical. How fast you are will affect your productivity, so if you're slow and often unable to work within the timelines set by the company, your employment contract may be terminated early on.
On the contrary, fast employees may be rewarded with incentives, and be given more value by the company.
2. Accuracy
Inaccurate data is one of the most common challenges in inventory management, and this results in a chain of problems when not immediately detected. Hence, accuracy may be regarded as the most important warehouse employee skill. Fewer errors mean less cost for the company, so be sure to double-check your work to confirm its accuracy.
3. Organization
A good warehouse employee should be detail-oriented and highly organized. You should know how to prioritize your responsibilities well, especially on times when you need to multitask. Being well-organized also keeps incidents of delays, errors, and other issues from occurring.
4. Communication skills
Working in a warehouse involves constant interaction with co-workers, clients, and higher-ups, so you have to be clear and concise when conveying messages, be that verbal or written.
5. Computer proficiency
Warehouses also employ technology in their systems, such as barcoding, database management, and personnel management, to name a few. If you show that you can operate their complicated systems easily, your chances of getting promoted to a technical position may grow.
6. Problem-solving
Issues will always be inevitable in a manufacturing plant. If you can solve problems correctly with minimal supervision, you value as an employee will increase. But of course, you also need to know when a higher-up's involvement is necessary.
Safety Hazards
Aside from honing the skills listed above, you also need to be prepared for the safety hazards all warehouses possess. They may sound daunting, but with cautiousness and proper training, all safety hazards can be significantly reduced.
1. Tripping, falling, slipping hazards
If you handle liquids, sawdust, and the like, they may become causes of falls, trips, and slips, all of which can be potentially serious, or even fatal.
2. Bodily strain
The repetitive movements and hard labor warehouse workers are engaged in can strain their bodies and make them buckle under the pressure. The strains may lead to injuries and certain health conditions if not given immediate medical attention.
3. Machinery
If there are no warning labels on the machines, exposed workers may accidentally injure themselves while using them.
4. Storage
If forklift operators are not being careful, they may collide or bump with racks, causing the items stored in the topmost shelves to fall and hurt workers.
5. Loading docks
Because loading docks are a high-traffic area, accidents tend to be prevalent in it. Forklifts may get stuck in between a dock and a truck, potentially causing serious injuries.
By knowing the ups and downs of a warehouse job, you'll find out for yourself if you truly have what it takes to be one. Remember that once you begin a career in this field, you won't simply be a "factory worker." You have the potential to rise to the management level, as long as you consistently show hard work and good results.
