Have you heard of management by wandering around? Just like it sounds, the tactic involves randomly walking around to learn about your employees and the productivity of your workplace.
For warehouse managers, this tactic holds particularly fruitful because you need to watch over your employees as well as your inventory and equipment.
Consider the benefits to warehouse productivity that comes from strategically walking around:
- Get a complete picture. Walk around at different times and randomize your path, and you can make more accurate assessments.
- Make discoveries. See things from different angles, and you may spark an idea that boosts productivity or efficiency. You might see how one worker accomplishes a task more efficiently than with another person’s method.
- Gain trust and respect. You don’t want to be seen as simply someone in an office. Walking among the employees helps build camaraderie, and that leads to more open and honest communication.
- Avoid calling employees into your office. Some employees feel stress and anxiety when called into your office. If you have to talk to someone, they may be more comfortable with a casual chat in the warehouse, if appropriate.
- Shake up your work day. Improve your own productivity by breaking up your work day. Walking around adds variety to your day, helping you focus more on work when you get back to the office. Plus, it always helps to add a little physical activity to your day.
Warehouse managers need every advantage possible. Just as our motorized cart movers can have an incredible impact on your efficiency and productivity, so can smart management.