Warehouse managers are the backbone of every warehouse. They maintain the efficiency of their workforce and help keep their workforce motivated. Warehouse managers also work with all the necessary stakeholders inside and outside of the company to ensure that they can provide 100% customer satisfaction.

With so many responsibilities on their shoulders, it can be difficult to be a good warehouse manager. But with the right qualities and strategies, it’s possible to be just what the warehouse needs. So, here are seven ways you can be a better manager:

1. Be Proactive Instead of Reactive

Being proactive means that you should be thinking ahead and planning for problems before they even happen. You shouldn’t be reacting to the latest problem but instead should take care of them while they’re still small. This will ensure that you can prevent further problems down the line and give your company a better overall service level.

Aside from this, being proactive means that you should also be having conversations with your employees about work issues and challenges they’re facing. That way, you can help them overcome these challenges before they even happen to maximize efficiency.

2. Know the Importance of Accountability

Warehouses are complex operations that require different people working together for one common goal: to please the customer. Without reaching that goal, warehouses will never succeed.

So to make sure everyone is on the same page and working for this common goal, you should ensure that all of your employees understand their roles and the company’s goals. When they know what you want from them, they can work better together and be more accountable for the work they produce.

3. Get to Know Your Employees

A warehouse is nothing without its workforce. If you want to maximize your workforce’s performance, you should know their strengths, weaknesses, skills, and interests because this knowledge can help you better manage them.

For example, one of your warehouse employees is excellent at managing inventory levels but hates working in the backroom. With this information, you can assign them tasks outside of the warehouse to maximize their performance while minimizing their stress levels.

4. Empower Your Workforce

Some warehouse managers believe that if their employees are empowered, they will slack off or start doing the job on their own. This isn’t true. Instead, when you empower your employees to take ownership of their jobs and know what’s expected of them, they will work harder to do the best job possible.

Moreover, they will feel more accountable for their job performance which helps your warehouse run smoother. Of course, to do this, you should provide your employees with the necessary training and educational opportunities to maximize their performance.

5. Keep up with Industry Best Practices

As a warehouse manager, you should always be exploring new ways to improve your performance. Many resources are available on the internet that can help you learn how other companies have excelled in their operations and what you can do differently to improve your own operation’s efficiency.

You can also look into new technologies that can make you more efficient without sacrificing the quality of your service. This can be investing in an autonomous forklift system instead of the traditional machinery to maximize your warehouse’s productivity.

6. Listen to Feedback from Employees and Customers

As a warehouse manager, you should be keeping up with what your employees are saying about their job duties. If they’re not happy with how things are done in the warehouse, it can make your operation less efficient, affecting customer satisfaction.

Productivity levels are also affected if you don’t listen to what customers are saying. For example, if a customer isn’t satisfied with the quality of your delivery services, not only will they stop doing business with you, but they’ll also recommend their friends and family to do the same.

You should regularly check in with your employees and customers about their concerns and see how you can help better their experience. Through that, you will be able to improve your warehouse’s performance and get more people interested in working with you.

7. Maintain the Safety of Your Warehouse

Whether it’s a busy day or there aren’t many orders coming in, safety should always be a priority for everyone who steps foot in the warehouse. This is the only way you can keep your employees and customers safe.

You should have a warehouse safety manual that outlines basic rules for everyone to follow when it comes to their job. They should know the dangers of not following these rules and what they can do to prevent accidents from happening. Through this, you will be able to improve your warehouse’s safety.

There’s no right or wrong way to be a good warehouse manager. If you want to improve your performance as a warehouse manager, you should try implementing these practices in your work environment and see how they can benefit your bottom line.