Last week we shared 8 ways an employee recognition program will help you retain warehouse workers. Today, we’ll continue our discussion on reducing warehouse turnover and show you how a clean warehouse is crucial to improving retention.
A dirty and disorganized warehouse is not only dangerous, it can crush the morale of your workforce. Who wants to be greeted by grime when they arrive at work? Employees expect a clean environment. Fail to give it to them, especially in a post-pandemic world, and they’ll head for safer and more sanitized pastures.
Here are 4 ways you can improve warehouse cleanliness and increase employee engagement and retention.
Review your cleaning and disinfection plans frequently.
The CDC continually updates their guidelines, PPE improves, and sanitation technology advances. Staying on top of these changes is important. Which of your cleaning policies or procedures is outdated or needs rethinking? There’s nobody better to help answer this question than your employees. Ask for their input and act on it. By involving your warehouse workers in creating a cleaning and safety plan, instead of just making them the subject of it, they will feel engaged, respected, and more confident that their well-being is your primary concern.
Communicate your cleaning and disinfection plan with employees.
Even the world’s best warehouse safety plan will be ineffective if nobody knows about it. Create a communications plan that keeps your cleaning and disinfection policies and procedures top of mind with employees. New employees need to hear it, and seasoned employees should never forget it. Informed workers will not only feel safer—they will have the up-to-date knowledge needed to keep your warehouse operations compliant.
Keep every part of your warehouse clean!
Don’t make the mistake of focusing so much on high-touch areas and shared equipment, like conveyors, handhelds and wearables, that you neglect other essential areas like loading docks. Every inch of your warehouse matters. How frequently and thoroughly you clean the employee restrooms can be the difference between retaining or losing workers.
Outsource and schedule cleaning and disinfection.
While running a clean and sanitized warehouse is important, you have an entire warehouse operation to manage. Assess whether sanitization is something you can do in-house or if you should partner with a commercial cleaning service that specializes in warehouses and warehouse equipment. Seeing a regularly scheduled cleaning and disinfection solution in place can make workers feel safer. In addition to staffing warehouse talent, Faire Labor can keep your warehouse sanitized and safe.
Remember, a clean warehouse is a happy warehouse that makes workers want to stay. Following these best practices will have a positive impact on retention, productivity, and safety.
