Any warehouse workers here?
Discussion
I was just wondering how easy it is to get promoted from a standard warehouse operative to a team leader, and then shift manager etc In this environment.
My thinking is they would be keen on a hardworking person with English as their first language, who shows some initiative.
I ask this because I’m stuck in a job with long hours and long commute, and there are tons of warehouses like XPO etc around where I live. Perhaps eventually I could bridge the wage gap and work near home, win win!
Or I could be skint and miserable for a long time, who knows, I’m just sick of it.
My thinking is they would be keen on a hardworking person with English as their first language, who shows some initiative.
I ask this because I’m stuck in a job with long hours and long commute, and there are tons of warehouses like XPO etc around where I live. Perhaps eventually I could bridge the wage gap and work near home, win win!
Or I could be skint and miserable for a long time, who knows, I’m just sick of it.
JohnsMCS said:
I was just wondering how easy it is to get promoted from a standard warehouse operative to a team leader, and then shift manager etc In this environment.
My thinking is they would be keen on a hardworking person with English as their first language, who shows some initiative.
I ask this because I’m stuck in a job with long hours and long commute, and there are tons of warehouses like XPO etc around where I live. Perhaps eventually I could bridge the wage gap and work near home, win win!
Or I could be skint and miserable for a long time, who knows, I’m just sick of it.
Based on the anecdotal evidence that I have heard, is is usually EU migrants, who's first language is not English who show the necessary skills, initiative and hard work to be promoted to team leaders, supervisors, managers, etc. My thinking is they would be keen on a hardworking person with English as their first language, who shows some initiative.
I ask this because I’m stuck in a job with long hours and long commute, and there are tons of warehouses like XPO etc around where I live. Perhaps eventually I could bridge the wage gap and work near home, win win!
Or I could be skint and miserable for a long time, who knows, I’m just sick of it.
If there are opportunities near you, then go for it. If you are able to shine above the other workers, any good manager should be able to see your potential quite quickly.
My ex Mrs started as a temp in a warehouse, and within six months she was a permanent team leader on 22k, and after another six months, shift manager on a rather acceptable 32k.
She found that all the other staff treated it like a dead end job (including the foreign labour) and were out the door as quick as possible after every shift. It wasn’t hard for her to stand out and get the promotions.
I’ve often thought about doing something similar myself but the best paying place near me is £9 an hour starting, and I just can’t afford to live on that. Of course, a couple of years later when you’re on 32k for a manager or more for some of the bigger jobs, and you’re close to home without a monster commute then it would pay off.
I value my time a lot and the 1.5-2 hours a day I spend commuting, the petrol, and the s
t ton of overtime I seem to be permanently required to do in my job really gets on my nerves. I’d take a 10k pay cut or more just to be near home and have less hassle.
It’s also easier to do more hours to help out when you’re close to home, no long commute etc. I say give it a go if you can afford to. You can always go back to your usual line of work if you don’t like it.
She found that all the other staff treated it like a dead end job (including the foreign labour) and were out the door as quick as possible after every shift. It wasn’t hard for her to stand out and get the promotions.
I’ve often thought about doing something similar myself but the best paying place near me is £9 an hour starting, and I just can’t afford to live on that. Of course, a couple of years later when you’re on 32k for a manager or more for some of the bigger jobs, and you’re close to home without a monster commute then it would pay off.
I value my time a lot and the 1.5-2 hours a day I spend commuting, the petrol, and the s
t ton of overtime I seem to be permanently required to do in my job really gets on my nerves. I’d take a 10k pay cut or more just to be near home and have less hassle. It’s also easier to do more hours to help out when you’re close to home, no long commute etc. I say give it a go if you can afford to. You can always go back to your usual line of work if you don’t like it.
Perfectly possible although the different companies vary quite a bit but as the jobs are quite easy to find and change between go to one and try it out. As you go higher up the chain they may still start requiring qualifications. Ask at the interview, make it clear you are keen to get on and ask them if they have people who have done this.
JohnsMCS said:
I was just wondering how easy it is to get promoted from a standard warehouse operative to a team leader, and then shift manager etc In this environment.
My thinking is they would be keen on a hardworking person with English as their first language, who shows some initiative.
I ask this because I’m stuck in a job with long hours and long commute, and there are tons of warehouses like XPO etc around where I live. Perhaps eventually I could bridge the wage gap and work near home, win win!
Or I could be skint and miserable for a long time, who knows, I’m just sick of it.
Just a quick note.My thinking is they would be keen on a hardworking person with English as their first language, who shows some initiative.
I ask this because I’m stuck in a job with long hours and long commute, and there are tons of warehouses like XPO etc around where I live. Perhaps eventually I could bridge the wage gap and work near home, win win!
Or I could be skint and miserable for a long time, who knows, I’m just sick of it.
Its not about going in and being the hardest worker. That's not a managerial skill anyway (lol!)
Its about trying to understand the business, what the customer demands, and using your warehouse operative role to look for ideas how to improve, make things better, be more productive, provide better customer service etc etc....that's the type of person who'll stand out - more so that someone who offers sweat, blood, tears and little else...
There are 3 things that are pivotal to most businesses - Customer, Colleagues, Costs. The 3 C's. Find ways to make one or all of those things better and you'll be on the right track.
I was thinking about this thread today when I was stuck in traffic on my way home at 6:30pm having left the house at 5:45am.
I saw a mate tonight who does 6am-2pm, has the energy to go to the gym and cook decent food, and do things in the evening. It really has made me wonder why I always put the money first.
Any more thoughts on this OP?
I saw a mate tonight who does 6am-2pm, has the energy to go to the gym and cook decent food, and do things in the evening. It really has made me wonder why I always put the money first.
Any more thoughts on this OP?
It depends on the company
Some warehouses just drive cost. Leaders are glorified operatives who are paid a few pence more for doing a lot more hours or having more responsibility
They are not invested in or developed. This is a bad place to work.
However, a lot of the big 3PL’s actively seek workers who want to get on and they want to develop them.
If you are so inclined, it’s not that difficult - seek out extra responsibility, do your job well, show you can lead colleagues, speak to HR and management about training, etc.
A lot of workers want the extra money and like the idea of being a leader, but when it comes down to it they either don’t want to put the hard work in or just plain can’t be arsed.
The labour market, at least where we are, is thin at the moment so talent is hard to find. If you have the will and application to do it, relatively quick promotion should be possible.
Some warehouses just drive cost. Leaders are glorified operatives who are paid a few pence more for doing a lot more hours or having more responsibility
They are not invested in or developed. This is a bad place to work.
However, a lot of the big 3PL’s actively seek workers who want to get on and they want to develop them.
If you are so inclined, it’s not that difficult - seek out extra responsibility, do your job well, show you can lead colleagues, speak to HR and management about training, etc.
A lot of workers want the extra money and like the idea of being a leader, but when it comes down to it they either don’t want to put the hard work in or just plain can’t be arsed.
The labour market, at least where we are, is thin at the moment so talent is hard to find. If you have the will and application to do it, relatively quick promotion should be possible.
JohnsMCS said:
I was just wondering how easy it is to get promoted from a standard warehouse operative to a team leader, and then shift manager etc In this environment.
My thinking is they would be keen on a hardworking person with English as their first language, who shows some initiative.
I ask this because I’m stuck in a job with long hours and long commute, and there are tons of warehouses like XPO etc around where I live. Perhaps eventually I could bridge the wage gap and work near home, win win!
Or I could be skint and miserable for a long time, who knows, I’m just sick of it.
Wrong! If you're anywhere south of the M62 they'll be wanting someone who can speak all of the Eastern European languages to a good standard so that you can communicate what you want doing with your staff. Very rare to find English warehouse staff these days in RDC size places. A very hostile working environment if you're not an EE yourself.My thinking is they would be keen on a hardworking person with English as their first language, who shows some initiative.
I ask this because I’m stuck in a job with long hours and long commute, and there are tons of warehouses like XPO etc around where I live. Perhaps eventually I could bridge the wage gap and work near home, win win!
Or I could be skint and miserable for a long time, who knows, I’m just sick of it.
If English, learn Polish Eastern European or fake accent.. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m721BF3MBBU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m721BF3MBBUEdited by souper on Monday 5th November 23:49
Lemming Train said:
JohnsMCS said:
I was just wondering how easy it is to get promoted from a standard warehouse operative to a team leader, and then shift manager etc In this environment.
My thinking is they would be keen on a hardworking person with English as their first language, who shows some initiative.
I ask this because I’m stuck in a job with long hours and long commute, and there are tons of warehouses like XPO etc around where I live. Perhaps eventually I could bridge the wage gap and work near home, win win!
Or I could be skint and miserable for a long time, who knows, I’m just sick of it.
Wrong! If you're anywhere south of the M62 they'll be wanting someone who can speak all of the Eastern European languages to a good standard so that you can communicate what you want doing with your staff. Very rare to find English warehouse staff these days in RDC size places. A very hostile working environment if you're not an EE yourself.My thinking is they would be keen on a hardworking person with English as their first language, who shows some initiative.
I ask this because I’m stuck in a job with long hours and long commute, and there are tons of warehouses like XPO etc around where I live. Perhaps eventually I could bridge the wage gap and work near home, win win!
Or I could be skint and miserable for a long time, who knows, I’m just sick of it.
Whilst there are a significant amount of EU workers, English is the first language of the business so the staff are expected to be proficient in that, not the managers proficient in their languages (of which there are too many to expect to learn)
Also, all of our SOP's, risk assessments, work instructions, etc are all in English.
The only time I have seen being English as a disadvantage is in fully-EU staffed operations at less professional, small-scale operations.
As for hostility, there are cliques but I have not seen hostility because someone is English. On the contrary, it's the inter-Eastern European rivalries that cause the (few) issues!
However it's also important to clarify that being English is neither an advantage, nor disadvantage. You are employed based on your skills, not where you're from.
I was in warehousing through uni and did a couple of years after I got my degree. When I left I had licenses to drive quite a few different types of forklift truck.
I wouldn't go back to it but I did enjoy it at the time, there was a real mix of different people from those that just want to get their head down and get the job done to others that would get coked off their tits every Friday during the shift. There was always a trip to the pub after work on a friday.
The best thing about it was being able just to turn up and get the work done then leave. There weren't any thoughts about emails, meetings or workload planning during the evenings and weekends. The downside is there's no flexibility, you must be there to clock in and out and you are highly supervised.
I wouldn't go back to it but I did enjoy it at the time, there was a real mix of different people from those that just want to get their head down and get the job done to others that would get coked off their tits every Friday during the shift. There was always a trip to the pub after work on a friday.
The best thing about it was being able just to turn up and get the work done then leave. There weren't any thoughts about emails, meetings or workload planning during the evenings and weekends. The downside is there's no flexibility, you must be there to clock in and out and you are highly supervised.
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