The warehouse sector has seen huge growth in recent decades, namely a 90% rise in jobs since 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More recently, there have also been a record number of workers leaving the field: a 250,000 increase in “quits” from 2016 to 2018. This can be a tough combination for employers looking to fill slots with experienced, reliable warehouse workers.

Luckily, there are a number of hiring solutions out there to help build out your team. First, word of mouth and employee referrals are a powerful hiring tool. But when that’s not enough, you’ve also got job boards, staffing agencies, and platforms like WorkStep. Read on to see a breakdown of the pros and cons of each, so you can find the best solution for your workplace.

Job boards

If you do decide to go with a job board, make sure to be as detailed and accurate as possible in your job ad. Without a specific job description, you risk wasting time and money interviewing candidates who aren’t a great fit for the role. And the broader your job ad, the more likely you are to be stuck sifting through hundreds of poor-fit applications. This advice is valid no matter what platform you use to hire, but is especially important if you don’t have an agency or a platform like WorkStep pre-screening candidates for you.

Staffing agencies

At first, staffing agencies might seem like a great deal. Sure you pay more, but you also get a qualified, on-demand workforce with very little commitment on your part. And, if the employee works out, you can always convert them to a full-time employee down the road, right? Not so fast.

There are a number of hidden costs to hiring temporary employees such as: higher turnover rates, lower morale, lower-quality workers, and little company loyalty. When you consider the already-high turnover rates for warehouse workers, direct hire positions generally make more sense.

WorkStep

Warehouse-specific hiring platforms like WorkStep make it easier than ever to recruit experienced warehouse associates. As an employer, you benefit from knowing that potential candidates are prescreened (without having to take care of the time-consuming vetting process yourself) and the ease of posting a job in one place instead of multiple sites.

And, remember, once you’ve got the right candidates your job isn’t over. In a high-turnover market, you’ll also want to carefully consider whether you have the right tools in place to retain your warehouse workforce.

Find out more about hiring better-fit candidates and engaging your workforce with WorkStep.