New Research: Attracting and retaining the right people is top concern for continued warehouse productivity

A survey of more than 800 warehouse staff and managers commissioned by wearable scanner solution provider ProGlove reveals that despite continuing labor shortages, many organizations overlook their workforce, and staff dissatisfaction is becoming an increasing problem.

A recent survey commissioned by ProGlove, a global pioneer in wearable scanner solutions innovating for human-centered productivity, has revealed that 74 percent of warehouse leadership are concerned about maintaining productivity levels in the warehouse.


Given the current macro-economic climate, and global supply-chain challenges, maximizing productivity has never been so important. One of the major barriers identified to maintain productivity was people, and 76 percent of warehouse floor workers state having the right people was the top priority in maintaining or improving productivity.

Productivity is made or lost on the warehouse floor, so this insight from floor workers shines much-needed light on personnel's central role in unlocking productivity gains.

42 percent of floor workers surveyed highlighted staff exhaustion and fatigue as significant challenges in the warehouse. With the labor market experiencing continuing shortages, there is a clear and present need for organizations to prioritize worker well-being and build efficiency around them, not despite of them.

Many organizations overlook their workforce

Many organizations overlook their workforce and instead focus on automation, cost-cutting, and KPIs while neglecting the people directly impacted by these schemes.

According to the survey, other prerequisites for sustained success include improving processes and workflows (72 percent) and optimizing space and layout (66 percent). Whilst these can create efficiency gains, having a well-equipped and highly motivated workforce is critical in improving warehouse productivity.

Ilhan Kolko, CPO of ProGlove, commented, "The findings in our survey lay bare the pressing need to embrace human-centric technology products, to deliver better working conditions, higher productivity, and improved customer service. Facilitating human-machine collaboration in the warehouse, through wearable tech, will not only enhance workers, but it will also keep them safer and happier."

Human-centered productivity means creating efficiency by retaining workers and giving them the tools to augment them in their field. Placing people at the center of productivity improvement insulates your business from labor shortages by ensuring you have a well-equipped and satisfied workforce.

The full survey report is available at:
https://www.proglove.com/productivity-in-the-warehouse-survey/

About ProGlove

ProGlove is a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and builds the smallest, lightest, and toughest barcode scanners in the world. ProGlove's industrial wearables connect the shopfloor worker to the Internet of Things. The wearables combined with ProGlove's industry analytics software platform promote human-machine collaboration and drive digitization across the shopfloor. ProGlove's customers include some of the most iconic global industrial brands, pioneers and innovators in manufacturing and production, logistics and warehousing, retail and e-commerce, and post and parcel. Founded in 2014, the company employs more than 300 people from over 30 countries with offices in Chicago, Munich (Germany), and Belgrade (Serbia). Learn more at www.proglove.com.

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