Well managed logistics are vital to business success in so many ways – from keeping supply chains running smoothly to maintaining a good public image. Although it’s very much back of house, and is not exactly a glamorous aspect or running a business, it’s absolutely key: like the engine inside a supercar, it might not be the prettiest bit but it’s doing all of the work. This means that you need to have the right team running your logistics – this means that each individual team member needs to be up to scratch, but also that the team needs to be able to work together well. How can you manage this?
Logistics Recruiting
Given that this team within your business is so crucial to your success, it’s difficult not to feel the pressure when looking to hire. How can you be sure that you’re hiring the best candidates? Sifting through all those applications personally is bound to give you a headache, and it can be really hard to tell the difference between a good candidate and a great one after looking at dozens of resumes. Luckily there are plenty of logistics recruitment solutions out there to help you out, such as dedicated websites, directories and even staffing agencies so you can cut straight through the fluff and get straight to the quality candidates. Giving the candidates video skills tests or eSkill industry tests can also help ease your decision-making process.
Team building
Once you’ve built your super-team for your logistics department, the next step is making sure they work well as a team. ‘Team-building’ activities and trips have become a bit of a cliche in recent years, and they can seem a bit trite – but like many cliche’s they’ve been done to death for a reason and are absolutely worth investing some time in. Make sure your team gets to spend some quality time together outside of the day to day job, foster a positive work environment and good work-life balance to allow team members to come back fresh each day, ready to co-operate and attack the day head-on together. Additionally, when a new member joins the team, go above and beyond the usual welcome tour and meeting – make sure a team social evening is organised to make the new recruit feel part of the team socially as well as professionally as quickly as possible.
Your logistics team is as if not more important than any other aspect of your business, and you need to keep it running smoothly – recruit the right team, and nurture them carefully. You can’t go wrong
