Labour shortages are a serious obstacle facing the supply chain sector. Experts claimed throughout the COVID and post-COVID period that staffing issues would persist, with a Financial Times article from 2021 predicting the UK supply chain crisis would last until at least 2023. These claims have now borne fruit, with a recent study from technological research and consulting firm, Gartner, finding 26% of companies still consider hiring and retaining talent a major obstacle to supply chain success.
While attracting new personnel to meet this shortage should be a high priority, retention is perhaps even more important. Hiring new staff is typically more cost and resource intensive than taking measures to keep your existing team onboard.
With this in mind, many companies are exploring new ways to improve the morale of supply chain workforces, with Gartner predicting 40% of distribution centres and warehouses will deploy employee engagement tools by 2028. By increasing engagement and promoting a positive work environment, companies can combat turnover by motivating staff while becoming more attractive to new hires.
The automation of core processes is a key tool for tackling poor engagement, with Gartner predicting that 80% of warehouse and distribution centres will adopt some form of warehouse automation by 2028. While completely replacing a physical workforce with automation and robotics is not viable for most companies, it is important to consider certain elements which could benefit your business.
Digitising key manual and paper-based processes, such as receiving of goods, movement of stock and picking and packing orders, can not only make life easier for operators, driving employee engagement and motivation, but it also delivers significant operational efficiencies. Adopting consumer-grade mobile technology to manage supply chain activity ensures operators can get up to speed quickly, significantly reducing task execution times.
When looking at effective mobile solutions, many businesses using an SAP ERP system will likely be aware of the standard SAP mobile solutions available, however, these options can be difficult to configure, confusing to use and take a long time to fully understand. Companies wishing to retain staff and streamline onboarding are often looking for a more user-friendly alternative, such as PreBilt™, which is designed to make SAP easy to use for operators.
When looking to automate manual processes, companies should look for a human-centric approach that offers an intuitive UI, screens that can be easily configured to user needs and enhanced useability features such as instant communication between operators and back office teams.
To further aid retention, one engagement strategy cited in the Gartner study is introducing gamification into warehouse operations. With the right solution, gamification can make daily supply chain tasks more enjoyable, motivating operators to hit key goals with features like trackable progress, point-scoring systems and rewards when achieving key milestones. By adopting gamification tools, companies can help drive a sense of accomplishment amongst the workforce, creating a more fun and positive environment to help drive retention and growth.
Take a closer look at how PreBilt can help you navigate supply chain labour shortages or get in contact with our SAP supply chain experts today.