Materials handling and logistics is an ever-changing field, and those who have been part of it for a while understand that. That being said, folks who have been in the industry for a while are now starting to look to the future, and may be moving on. You need to have a strategy to replace the talent you will be losing in the near future, or you will be left wanting when the time comes.
Identify Talent Within
All too often, business hurry to bring in ready-made employees from outside of the company for immediate fixes. This can be great in the short-term, but it can’t replace home-grown talent that is committed to the company. Identifying the talent can be difficult, but not impossible. There are certain traits to look for:
- Multi-level communication – An employee that can communicate well up and down the chain of command, as well as horizontally with peers, is valuable. A low-level employee who is looked upon by his co-workers to communicate up the chain of command, for instance, would be an employee worth watching.
- Learning capability – Identify an employee who is curious, willing to learn, and has the ability to process the information
- Problem solving – Employees who can solve problems without management intervention, and who can be counted on to work on their own.
If you find an employee with some or all of these traits, you can then begin to groom them towards higher-level work. Encouraging them through training or academics can help to mold them into talent that can benefit the company in the long run.
Recruit Talent from Outside
While growing talent from within the company is the best route to go, you can’t rely on it for your sole source of next-generation employees. You’ll need to bring in people from outside of the company. However, evaluating the talent can be difficult. You have to look for the same traits you would look for in identifying internal talent, while looking at some other aspects of the hiring process:
- Ability to adapt: A candidate that cannot adapt to your organization, and prove adaptability from previous experiences, will be a waste of training.
- Maturity: An exterior candidate will need to be able to work professionally with both older and younger co-workers, while maintaining authority. This requires a balance of authority and ability to relate.
- Stability: As with any industry, hiring rapid job-changers is a major risk – they can just as easily take the training you give them and head elsewhere.
Professional Development
Once you have identified the candidate, either internal or external, you need to continue to develop them over time to bring them up to speed with the company, and then to put them ahead of the curve. There are a number of routes you can take to develop the talent:
- Professional Organizations; Organizations such as MHI, concentrated on developing logistics and materials handling talent, offer programs to identify and develop young member of the industry who want to grow and improve.
- Academia: There are plenty of colleges that offer courses, if not degrees, in the area of materials handling and logistics. Consider these programs, but use them carefully, ensuring future gain for the company.
Differences in New Talent and Old
The times are a-changin’, and you’ll see this in the new talent you may hire or train. Some of these traits may seem a bit different to old-school workers, but you’ll see these crop up in the latest generation of workers. Don’t be afraid – many of these traits can be used for improvement and, while they can be slightly disconcerting to an older work force, they can be beneficial in the long term.
- Confidence: Younger talent tends to have more confidence than may be deserved. However, this confidence can be used to push them along paths they may not otherwise take.
- Goal-oriented: Where some older workers looked at jobs, newer workers may look at careers, and long-term paths.
- Inclusivity: The newer generation tries to include everyone, at all times, looking past boundaries such as skill level.
By recognizing and using these ways to identify talent, develop talent, and cope with the new generation of talent, you should be able to replenish your talent pool and develop new employees for future success. Remember that, regardless of the systems and programs in lace, not having the proper talent can make it difficult for your business to succeed as time passses.