|
The covid pandemic raised questions about working from home (WFH), but this is an option for only a fraction warehouse employees: The knowledge workers.
Freight handlers must work where the freight is, but knowledge workers represent a growing percentage of employees in warehouses. The shift to working from home began abruptly during the covid pandemic, but the shift away from it must be proactive and intentional. Will your “new normal” bring every knowledge worker back to the office, or will you have a hybrid plan that provides an option between office and WFH?
The question cannot be answered hastily. The correct decisions depend on the nature of the work and the attitudes of the individuals. While some people have been thriving in a WFH environment, for others the practice has been painful.
Employee preferences should be part of the decision. Experience levels are also a factor in the decision. While a long-term skilled knowledge worker may be readily able to be productive at home, a new worker may want and need the coaching and supervision that comes from an office environment.
While a work from anywhere (WFA) policy may be very attractive for workers who formerly faced a long commute to work in costly and crowded locations, the offices in most distribution centers are unlike workplaces in Manhattan, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
|
