InTents June/July 2024 - 36

business | shelf life
What's wrong with these kids?
Learning to manage the next generation of warehouse employees
by Jason Bader
M
an, I feel old when I start referring
to the next generation of employees
in the distribution world as " kids. " But
let's face facts-it has been over 25
years since I started working in the
warehouse of my family distribution
business. Things have changed. The way
the job is done has changed. And, much
to the consternation of many warehouse
managers, the behavior of the entry-level
employee has changed.
Over the last year, I have been teaching
a warehouse operations course
sponsored by the American Supply
Association. We have hit cities all
around the United States. Many of the
participants manage distribution warehouses
or some aspect of the warehouse
function. In the beginning of the
course, I invite the participants to share
their biggest frustration. The most common
response is some variation on the
theme of trying to manage this next
generation of employees. It is usually
followed by some declaration that begins
with, " In my day... "
In many companies, new employees
start in the warehouse. Since promotion
from within tends to be the most common
mode of operation, the burden of cultural
assimilation to our company rests squarely
on the shoulders of the warehouse
manager. Have we given them the tools to
facilitate this responsibility?
The most frustrating thing for older
managers is often that their newer employees
think differently about work
than they do. Leaders often expect new
employees to learn the same way that
they did. They expect new employees to
36 intents june-july 2024
have the same work ethic that was instilled
by their parents, coaches or mentors.
Managers often look at this new
generation as lazy or lacking in discipline.
While some of it may be true, I
would like to make an argument to the
contrary. I believe that the laziness is
actually coming from the manager, not
the employee. Managers have become
so focused on the way they were taught
that they have not taken the time to
understand the motivations and influences
that have shaped this new crop
of professionals.
Generational motivations
Several years ago, I was tasked with managing
a regional facility in Denver, Colo. I
oversaw about 20 employees ranging in
ages from 19 to 56. I found myself constantly
getting frustrated trying to shape
this team into a cohesive unit. They just
wouldn't follow procedures. I would fire
off emails and memos expecting the pen
to be mightier than the sword. I found
it difficult to get anything done because
people wanted to drop by my office all
day to discuss problems we had gone
over the week earlier.
Couldn't they just send me an email?
Then there would be a record of the
question and the subsequent answer.
It made a whole lot of sense to me, but
for some reason these folks wanted to
talk it out. In one of my less than stellar
managerial moments, I unloaded on my
counter manager and bellowed " Didn't
you get my email?? " He replied, " Oh, I
only look at email once a week. " After I
picked my jaw up off the ground, I was
InTents June/July 2024

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