Warehouse And Operations As A Career

Let me ask you something, how many times have you walked into your facility, heard the safety message, maybe even repeated Safety is our number one priority, and then went right back to doing the job the same way you always have? Not wrong,  just familiar or normal. Because that’s where most of us operate, in the familiar and routine. Just this week, at different facilities, I’ve heard about several incidents that remind us how dangerous familiar or routine can be. A loader slips inside a trailer and breaks his leg. An associate missteps stepping onto a dock plate and twists their ankle. Someone overextends and strains a muscle, and another hurts their back lifting. And even a safety trainer, someone who teaches safety, cuts their finger with a razor knife. Now think about that. That’s not a bad week. That’s a pattern in the industry. And patterns tell us something. The Truth is that Injuries Aren’t Rare. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are millions of workplace injuries reported every

I’m glad you’re here with me today, because we’re going to talk about something that a lot of us think we want but may not fully understand what we chased until we’re in it. Today’s topic is about reaching for frontline management in the light industrial world, what it takes, why we chase it, and the real challenges and rewards that come with it. Because let me tell you, moving from doing the work to leading the work is one of the hardest transitions you’ll ever make in your career. What brought all this up was a listener named Michele brought up that recently I had been talking about retirement, and how I felt it was important to plan for it even at an early age. She’d done a little research and read somewhere that seeking a position in management could help secure what she called the golden years. Well, I’m not sure where she read that or where she heard it, but I do have an opinion or two on the subject! Let’s start with the why some people reach for management positions. Why do we want to become a lead, a

Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I’m Marty and It’s great to have you back this week. As I travel around to different facilities, and different regions, I’m hearing the phrase, no, not a phrase, I’m going with words, I hear the words, work life balance. Now, I’m going to tell you right up front, I believe in it. I believe in family, and I believe in taking time for the things that matter to us. Stick with me here for a moment, I’m not being negative, so bear with me for a few minutes. I believe in family and enjoying things that are important to us. But I also believe in something else, responsibility. Because before we can talk about balancing work and life, we’ve got to make sure we’re handling and understanding the work part of it don’t we. And in our world, light industrial, warehousing, distribution, manufacturing, this isn’t a conversation about convenience. I think it’s a conversation about commitment.  We hear the phrase, no not phrase, I mean the words work-life balance everywhere. B

I’d like to talk about something that is a struggle right now, something I’m hearing from associates, candidates, recruiters, and even hiring managers. Why is it so hard to find a job today? I had to pause for a second when this was brought up to me, that question doesn’t always make sense. We drive down the road and see now hiring signs everywhere. We hear companies are short-staffed. Warehouses are expanding, it seems like there’s new commercial complexes going up constantly, and we’re hearing how production lines are growing, and distribution centers are moving more freight than ever. So, what is or where is the disconnect? Why does it feel like opportunities are everywhere, yet landing one is harder than ever? So, I wanted to look at it and break it down. And more importantly, I wanted to understand what’s really happening so we can figure this out and make it work for us. I think first, we have to think about technology. Applicant Tracking Systems are being used, and they are much more detailed and progr

While walking a warehouse with an old friend and ex coworker this week, he brought up what years ago we used to call our 1, 2, 3 of the day. It was a simple term we used for training new unloaders, sanitation, and order selectors. It came up as we were talking about how things are a little different in the workplace today. I won’t pick a side or even share my opinion on any right or wrong, but things are a bit different. A quick example, well, let’s take the clerk position. My first job as a clerk I had a desk out in the warehouse. I had a company stapler, a 10 key calculator, a medal ruler, a wooden inbox on the right of the desk, and a handful of pens and highlighters. My computer was an older model with a wired keyboard and mouse that both got dropped like 5 times a week. Walking by a clerks desk the other day I saw a hello kitty keyboard and mouse, a framed picture of the spouse, a picture of the grandkids, what appeared to be a picture from a recent vacation or cruise, along with a decorative and matchin

 Welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career, I’m Marty and today I thought we’d talk about something that probably is not listed on any job description, job board advertisement, or our resumes even.  But I think it plays a huge role in how we perform our work and how we grow in our careers. That is confidence. Confidence is one of those qualities that quietly shape our success. Oxford languages states confidence as a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities.  In the warehouse environment, we can all learn to perform the tasks and learn how to operate equipment and machines. Those are skills that can be trained. But confidence is what allows us to perform those skills consistently, safely, and professionally. Confidence helps us trust our training. And I think Confidence in our abilities and that training helps us make good decisions.  In the light industrial world, confidence usually starts with us learning the job. When someone is new

So, I sat down at the mic and I don’t have a clue what I’m going to talk about today! I’ve had a lot of questions come across over the last few weeks, let me look at those I guess. Oh, and I’m Marty and I appreciate you joining us here at Warehouse and Operations as a Career this week. Ok, where’s my bullet points. I’ve made a few notes on several of them, so let’s talk about a couple of those. Ok, a listener wrote that I mention retirement quite a bit. That’s an important topic so let’s start there. Now I know, if you’re 20 years old unloading trucks, running a pallet jack, selecting cases at 180 cases per hour, or learning how to operate a stand-up reach forklift retirement does not enter your mind, you’re thinking about the paycheck because you’ve got bills to pay! Retirement is not something you reach, it’s something you build. And whether you realize it or not, you are already working toward it every single shift. When you start your career in the light industrial arena, you’re focused on making it

Hi all, I’m Marty and welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career.  Today we’re talking about one of the more important roles on the shipping side of things, and oddly, it’s hardly ever brought up. I find myself discussing it today only because a listener wrote in that they had applied for the position and was told they would need at least 1 year of equipment experience for the position. We’re talking about the Short Chaser.  If you’ve never worked in a high-volume grocery, retail, produce, or foodservice DC, this position may not even be on your radar. But if you have, well, you know why I mentioned it’s a very important role. When a trailer is staged, sealed, and about to be dispatched or leave the yard, yet the paperwork says we’re missing a case of product, there is only one person standing between our success and customer dissatisfaction. The Short Chaser.  Today we’re going to break down why the position exists, how the WMS helps drive it, some of the different types of equipment used to 

Welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I’m Marty, and today we’re talking about a piece of equipment that almost everyone in our industry recognizes, but not everyone fully understands it. If you’re a long time listener you’ll remember I spent about 6 years operating it on the 2nd shift, in the outbound operations within the food service distribution arena. We’re going to talk about the cherry picker today. Now its proper name, or if your ordering one from the manufacturer, it’ll be referred to as an order picker. This machine helped shape the modern warehouse, the newer e-commerce departments, and really, distribution as a whole. It’s increased productivity, allowed us to build higher racking, with many more selection slots, helping reduce the buildings footprint, reducing the cost of real-estate needed. But it’s also one of the most unforgiving pieces of equipment to operate. So today, I want to really walk through where the order picker came from, why it exists, what it’s good at, where and

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get people excited. No machines, nothing about forklifts, and no mention of productivity or numbers. I’d like to talk about paperwork. I know I know, but this isn’t boring paperwork. This is the paperwork of life. The kind of documents that quietly follow you from your first job all the way to retirement. The kind that, when handled correctly, makes life easier, and when ignored, can create stress, delays, lost money, or even lost opportunities.  I was looking for the right word here, I highlighted the words personal responsibility, and that’s not what I’m looking for, but there are things we, ourselves, need to make sure we get right. So instead of harping on what we need to do I’ll just speak to it in an, “I’ve seen how this plays out” kind of way. Because here’s the truth, no company, no HR department, no recruiter, no government agency cares about your paperwork more than you do, and they never will.  When someone gets a job offer, they’re excited. And they should b

When I talk about warehouse sanitation, I often say, “It’s a great way to get your foot in the door.” And every now and then, someone pushes back and says, “I don’t want to clean restrooms or take out trash.” I understand that reaction. On the surface, sanitation doesn’t sound exciting. It doesn’t come with a forklift, a title, or a clipboard. It came up again this week so I wanted to explain a little better what the warehouse sanitation role really is, what it teaches you, and why it has launched more warehouse careers than people realize. Because warehouse sanitation is not just cleaning. It’s operations support. It’s safety. It’s compliance. And for the right person, it’s a proving ground. Think of it like this. At its core, warehouse sanitation exists to protect people, product, and the process. A clean warehouse is a safer warehouse, a compliant warehouse, and ultimately a more productive warehouse. Yes, sanitation associates may clean restrooms and remove trash, although a lot of times that’s more of a

Today’s episode comes directly from a listener’s question, and I love these because they tell me people are thinking about their futures. The listener didn’t share a name, just their email address. Anyway, their question was what are the three best jobs in the distribution field? Now, before I answer that, I want to say, and it’s the truth, in my opinion anyway, there are no bad jobs in distribution. We’ve learned that every role matters. Every position contributes to the movement of product, safety, productivity, and ultimately the success of the team and operation. But if you’re asking me, and I’m familiar with most all of them, from loading trucks to executive leadership, the three positions that consistently stand out as strong, long-term career roles, my answer is the putaway forklift operator, the order selector, and the front-line lead and supervisor positions. I’ll share some thoughts about all three, and then I want to share a bit about something just as important. Three of my go to entry level posit

Welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I’m your host, Marty T Hawkins. Today, I want to talk about something I’ve heard repeatedly over the years, but especially over the past few weeks, and that is the growing importance of, lets see, what am I going to call it, attitude over experience, in the light industrial world. We’ve spoke to attitude a couple of times recently but just this week, I had two different customers say almost the same thing to me. They both told me something like, yes, experience is important. But if you come across an applicant with a great attitude and a strong personality, set them up for an interview. That statement says a lot about where our industry is at, and it’s what I’d like to talk about today. Now, everything we’ve learned over the course of the last 349 episodes, today is number 350 by the way, everything we’ve learned remains true. Our experience absolutely matters. Safety always matters and our skill and competency to perform our task matters. But what we’re s

When people think about recruiting, they often picture office jobs, LinkedIn searches, polished resumes, and candidates who know how to sell themselves. But today, I want to talk about a very different role the Light Industrial Recruiter and why I believe it can be an outstanding career path for the right person. In many cases, becoming a light industrial recruiter is not someone’s first job. It’s a next step. A progression. A role that grows naturally out of real warehouse and operations experience. I’ve seen some of the best recruiters come from roles like inventory control, receiving, warehouse clerks, inbound and outbound dispatchers, and even from the floor, forklift operators, order selectors, and leads who understood people as much as productivity. And that experience matters more than you might think. I’m Marty, and today on Warehouse and Operations as a Career I’ll share a few more of my opinions with you! I’ve mentioned before how I have to dip my feet into the recruiting waters every once and a whi

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I’m Marty and I thought we’d get to some more questions today, another Ask Me Anything episode. We had some really good ones come in, a couple of topics I’ve been wanting to get to myself. Let’s start off with this one from Carol, a forklift operator in the distribution industry. Carol feels there’s a trend developing where managers are expecting employees to do more than they were hired to. I hear this concern fairly often. When I was a counterbalance or sit-down lift operator, in a production facility, that’s what I did the whole shift. Even when I was an operator at a distribution center I typically drove for, like maybe, 80% of my day. I’d have to stop and down stack a load every once and a while or maybe partially fill a pick location or make the occasional replenishment. But I drove the lift most of the time. That was a long time ago though. I think our light-industrial workplaces, warehouses, manufacturing plants, and distributio

Marty here with Warehouse and Operations as a Career. This has always been my favorite time of year. Not just because of the holidays, although I do enjoy a little time off and getting to spend some quality time with family and friends. It’s always been my reset or reboot time of year. I know a lot of people that look at spring as their reboot season. I don’t know, maybe because one year is closing and another one is opening, for me, reflecting on the last 52 weeks and planning on the next 52 just gives me pause, and I look forward to it! So, let’s see, we’ve been at this now for what, just over 7 sets of 52 weeks, or a little over 7 years. When I started the podcast I envisioned doing 50 episodes, and here we are at 347! OK, 2025, what a year right. This year we covered a wide range of topics, we’ve talked about 32 different light industrial task or positions. We’ve learned a little about our handling our finances, a lot about the supply chain, and spoke about the many different career opportunit

I feel Looking for Work Is Hard Work. One of the biggest misunderstandings about unemployment or career change is the idea that looking for work is something you do casually, or in between other things. A few clicks here, a few applications there, maybe scrolling on some job boards late at night from the couch. And then the frustration sets in when the phone doesn’t start ringing.  The truth is simple, and sometimes uncomfortable to hear but looking for work is hard work. And I think if we don’t treat it like a job, it rarely is going to produce job level results.  We need to remember that finding work requires structure, discipline, preparation, and accountability, just like any role on the warehouse floor, in operations, or in leadership. The people who land jobs consistently aren’t lucky. They’re intentional. They are working a plan.  I’m Marty and today on Warehouse and Operations as a Career I wanted to expand on how hard looking for a job is. We spoke on a few of the topics back in week 37, what was tha

Ghosting has become a two-way street in today’s hiring world. Job seekers feel like recruiters disappear after they send in their application or even after a face-to-face interview. Recruiters, on the other hand, feel that applicants vanish just as often, not showing up for interviews, not returning calls, or even skipping their first day after completing the entire onboarding process. And at the same time, recruiters are overwhelmed with applicants who apply for jobs they’re not qualified for or who have no experience in the industry at all.  In our light industrial, warehousing, and logistics sectors, I feel this problem is amplified. These environments move fast. Productivity, shipping schedules, and labor shortages collide with the reality of high turnover, long shifts, and job seekers searching for stability. Somewhere in the middle of all that, communication breaks down, and both sides are feeling frustrated.  I’m Marty with Warehouse and Operations as a Career and today I want to take a look at these f

Welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career, I’m Marty, and today I thought we’d have another Ask Me Anything episode. I always like these because the questions don’t come from textbooks, supervisors, or managers, they come directly from real associates and warehouse workers with real concerns. Our industry welcomes so many first time job seekers, and those wanting to change career paths. Some of its rules and regulations just aren’t found in other industries and I hope talking about them helps us slow down a bit, and put in the time. Alright, we received three really good questions for today, and honestly, if these three people asked them, I’m confident a hundred others are thinking the same thing, so let’s jump in. First up, my boss wants me to work overtime several times a week, even on Saturdays getting ready for the holidays. I want work-life balance, but it feels like all we do is work. First, I want to say, yes, work-life balance is extremely important, and I encourage everyone in this industr

In warehousing and operations, none of us begin our shifts planning to create risk or endanger someone. Most of us show up, jump on the forklift, our rider pallet jacks, or another piece of powered industrial equipment, to put away pallets, run freight across the dock, build loads, and try to hit our numbers. We hear the safety rules during orientation, we sign the training sheets, we watch the videos. And then we get comfortable. We convince ourselves that “just this once,” or “just for a few minutes” won’t hurt anything. Until it does. I’m Marty and today here at Warehouse and Operations as a Career I want to talk about a real scenario. A young forklift operator lost her job because she placed a stack of pallets in front of an egress doorway. She felt wronged. Her reasoning? It was only going to be there for a few minutes. I was going to move a few things around and would have come right back. She had been trained not to block doorways, exits, electrical panels, and fire extinguishers. She understood it in