When it comes to warehouse employee management, HR leaders don’t handle the day-to-day operations. That’s up to the warehouse managers. That isn’t to say that HR leaders are entirely hands-off either. HR has an important role to play in employee management in general and can be a helpful support to more direct warehouse management.
Provide Training
When it comes to the training required for the normal day-to-day duties that warehouse employees are responsible for, the training is typically done by the direct warehouse management. HR, however, will typically handle the onboarding process and will be responsible for organizing safety training and other mandatory training. They’ll also handle the paperwork and records that prove that the requisite training has been completed. To that end, HR leaders need to keep records organized, regardless of whether a digital system or hard copy filing system is used. Should you find yourself needing to provide evidence that the company took the appropriate steps to train employees, having an organized system will help you procure the proper records promptly.
Ensure Employees Follow Safety Rules
Similar to employee training, the responsibility for the day-to-day enforcement of safety protocols lies with the warehouse manager. If there are safety violations, however, HR leaders may find it necessary to get involved. Take the use of forklifts, for example. Employees should be familiar with the rules of forklift safety in a warehouse environment. If those rules are broken to the extent that property is damaged or injuries are sustained, HR will be involved in handling the paperwork that goes along with the violation and what has to happen to correct the issue.
Resolving Disputes
Perhaps the area in which HR leaders are most likely to be directly involved in warehouse employee management is in dispute resolution. One of the roles of the HR department is to act as a mediator to ensure that a fair resolution is reached. It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that employees have a safe work environment. If the safety of the work environment is put in jeopardy, HR is meant to step in and resolve the issue so that the integrity of the work environment can be maintained.
HR leaders aren’t directly involved in warehouse employee management most of the time. That said, they have a role to play in most things that involve paperwork. That can include keeping records of training, involvement in any discipline for failure to follow safety rules that require paperwork, and resolving employee disputes. While they don’t tend to be directly involved, HR leaders still have a valuable role to play.
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