7 Tips for Managing Millennials in a Warehouse

Born between about 1981 and 1996, millennials will account for about 75% of the US workforce by 2030. They are tech-savvy, go-getters and committed, which means supervising millennials in the workplace is both challenging and satisfying. Take a look at our tips below for cultivating a healthy professional relationship with millennials when staffing a warehouse. You will find simple ways to boost productivity, reduce staff turnover, and foster better communication between employees and managers.

Define Their Role

Millennials thrive in a setting where their goals and objectives are well-defined. They want to make a difference to the organization by dispensing their duties. This makes it crucial to brief new employees on their exact role during the onboarding process. Outlining a few measurable goals for the first six months will give millennial workers a sense of structure and something substantial to work towards. Clearly defining roles, responsibilities and objectives can go a long way in managing millennials in the workplace.

Offer Valuable Feedback

The so-called social media generation, Millennials tend to seek the validation offered by “likes” and “shares.” This notion extends to their workplace as well, which means they will appreciate and value feedback to feel confident about their performance. Consider weekly meetings where you can share positive feedback with your employees, boosting their morale while outlining areas of improvement. An effective feedback culture is important not just to keep employees motivated, but also for improving warehouse productivity.

Provide Work-Life Balance

Millennials value work-life balance above all else, which can be an issue for warehouses during the peak season. It is possible to give your employees a good work-life balance by offering longer shifts over fewer days or by providing avenues for job sharing within the warehouse. Helping millennials maintain their work-life balance may become the clinching factor in keeping them happy at the workplace, so they will likely stay longer.

Leverage Their Passion for Efficiency and Technology

Growing up with busy schedules, Millennials are generally well-attuned to time management demands, a useful trait in a warehouse setting where efficiency matters the most. As more warehouses transition towards a tech-focused system to handle their operations, millennials will prove to be a valuable asset to your workforce. Since millennials are adept at using technology, switching to advanced warehouse management systems (WMS) comes naturally to them. You will have to spend very little time training them on WMS, and as they gain traction with your tech tools, they will be able to offer valuable suggestions on streamlining operations and improving warehouse productivity. Giving them time and space to learn your WMS and workflows will help them uncover time-saving strategies that will boost not just your warehouse efficiency, but also give your employees a sense of satisfaction and confidence.

Foster a Friendly Work Culture

Managing millennials in the workplace is about cultivating a warm culture at your warehouse. Providing the right environment is the key to retaining millennial employees. Often considered a lonely generation, millennials struggle with isolation and solitude. Providing a workplace filled with great team bonding, friendly competitions and mentorship programs will go a long way in increasing employee satisfaction where your staff forges healthy relationships with their co-workers.

Create Opportunities for Growth

Millennials love challenges and value opportunities for growth and the chance to move up within an organization. Since most warehouses feature a relatively flat structure, moving up the ladder quickly can prove challenging. How to manage warehouse employees to keep them motivated lies in your ability to come up with unique roles and responsibilities for each team member. Creating specialist roles within a level will help millennials focus on a specific area and hone their skills. They value organizations that are willing to invest time and money in their career development. Give them ample professional development opportunities by sponsoring their participation in industry-renowned seminars and training programs hosted by reputed organizations such as the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) or the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). Offer mentorship programs within the company which places a millennial worker under the guidance of a senior pro. This will help bridge communication gaps between staff members and managers and create a cordial work environment, which millennial workers appreciate.

Communicate Effectively

Millennials love it when there is open and effective communication between management and the workforce. Supervising millennials in the workplace is all about continuous and efficient communication, so they do not lose focus and motivation. Implement weekly check-in meetings and introduce innovative channels of communication so millennial staff members can easily reach out to you in case of difficulties or challenges. This helps nourish a work culture that will draw the best performance out of your young millennial team. Follow these tips and strategies that help you with managing millennials in the workplace so you can recognize the needs of millennials and tweak your warehouse work culture to attract and retain top-performing staff members.