Striking the Balance: How Staffing Agencies Can Integrate Automation and Human Expertise in Warehousing

Posted on 12/27 by Erin Helms

Do you have a partially automated warehouse? If so, you are not alone. The warehousing industry as a whole is rapidly embracing new technologies, including robotics. But fully automated warehouses are still the stuff of science fiction. This can lead to a lot of confusion as warehouse owners figure out how to strike the balance between automation and human expertise. Fortunately, direct hire and temporary warehouse staffing companies can help.

What are the Benefits and Limitations of Automation in Warehousing?

Automation can bring quite a few benefits to any warehouse: • Performing repetitive or dangerous jobs • Speeding up processes • Boosting order accuracy • Managing basic quality control When deployed in a thoughtful manner, robots and other forms of automation can be a tremendous asset. But today’s artificial intelligence (AI) is nowhere near capable of matching the complexity of human thought, nor the empathy that humans possess. And many experts feel that it never will. So it’s important not to get swept up in the possibilities of AI and overlook its flaws.

What is Value of Human Talent in an Automated Warehouse

Automation works best in situations that are relatively standardized. For example, programmers can teach a robot the layout of the warehouse floor, along with the organizational system. Then human operators can send it out to pick items with remarkable accuracy—as long as everything is where it should be. If a part of the floor is cordoned off or you change which shelf holds the widgets, a human will need to feed that new information to the robot. It’s important to always have robots and other automation tools under the control of an experienced human employee. Humans are also better at navigating complex real-world situations. AI can crunch vast amounts of data very quickly, but it’s not as good at solving problems in the here and now. For example, a robot can rapidly scan your latest delivery from a vendor and identify which pieces are damaged. But deciding what to do with the damaged items is best left to a human. Finally, as anyone who’s ever had to go through a voice prompt system can attest: AI is not the best at customer service. Your customers and vendors want to talk to a real person, not a chatbot.

What Role Do Warehouse Staffing Companies Play in Balancing Automation and Human Expertise?

With deep ties to the industry, warehouse staffing companies understand the complex balance that companies need to strike between automation and human expertise. We know that ongoing labor shortages can make it tough to find top human talent, and we can anticipate potential challenges that warehouse owners may not have considered. Here are just a few ways that we can help you meet your goals.

Identifying Warehouse Workforce Needs

When you’re busy with the day to day operations of your warehouse, it can be tough to take a step back and analyze your big-picture staffing needs. This is even more true if you are simultaneously trying to bring new technologies online and get your existing team up to speed. When you partner with an experienced warehouse staffing company, you’ll gain the benefit of both our experience and our data analytics to help you zoom out and create a comprehensive staffing plan that addresses both your current workforce needs and those that are likely to develop in the future.

Recruiting for Tech-Savvy and Adaptable Talent

One of the biggest challenges of merging automation with human workers is the need to ensure that everyone on your team knows how to work with technology. While it’s important to provide the requisite training for your current staff members, you’ll also want to consider bringing on new hires who are already tech savvy. Partnering with a warehouse staffing company ensures that you always have a connection to a pipeline of top talent. We know how to recruit, screen, and vet warehouse workers who are comfortable with technology and able to quickly adapt to emerging solutions. We’re also expert matchmakers, and we take pride in pairing just the right candidates with each of our client partners.

Providing Temporary Staffing Options

Is a key employee taking a leave of absence? Do you need all hands on deck for the busy season? Or perhaps you’ve just invested in a few autonomous robots and you need an expert to teach your current staff members how to work with them. For these scenarios and many others, warehouse temp services can provide employees on a short-term or long-term temporary basis. Temporary workers remain on our payroll, so you won’t have to worry about onboarding them. Since we maintain an updated roster of already vetted talent, we can generally provide as many people as you need, with the skills you require, within just a few days. Our customizable contracts can last for as little as a single shift or as long as several months. Just let us know your requirements, and we’ll handle the rest. Another option is temp-to-hire. In this case, you’ll bring on temporary workers as usual, but with a contract that has an option to convert. At the end of the temporary period, if you and the employee mutually agree, we will help you onboard that person as a permanent member of your team. If not, then the contract will simply expire. This can be a great solution for times when you are unsure what your staffing needs might be. For example, you may be opening a new facility but not yet know exactly how many people you’ll need to run it.

Training and Upskilling Programs for Temporary Warehouse Workers

We pride ourselves on building long-term relationships with our workers as well as our client partners. Part of this includes providing training and upskilling programs for our temps. It’s a win-win for everyone. Not only do they have the opportunity to develop the skills they’ll need to remain competitive in the future, but you’ll have access to workers who are ready to help guide your teams into the next era of warehouse automation.

Promote Safety and Compliance

New technologies always come with certain risks. When you’re talking about autonomous robots and machine learning, these risks can be even greater. Warehouse staffing companies understand how to maximize safety and ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations. We’ll work hard to make sure you and your team have all the latest information you need.

Achieve the Perfect Balance of Talent and Automation with LaborMAX

LaborMAX has grown to encompass over 100 locations in 31 states. When you partner with us, you’ll gain the advantages of a nationwide staffing agency with a hometown, personal touch. We have deep expertise in the warehouse industry and a strong, constantly updated roster of top talent. If you’re ready to strike just the right balance between human talent and automation, contact us today!

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