Description

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career.
I'm Marty and I thought we'd get to some more questions today, another Ask Me Anything episode. We had some really good ones come in, a couple of topics I've been wanting to get to myself.

Let's start off with this one from Carol, a forklift operator in the distribution industry. Carol feels there's a trend developing where managers are expecting employees to do more than they were hired to. I hear this concern fairly often. When I was a counterbalance or sit-down lift operator, in a production facility, that's what I did the whole shift. Even when I was an operator at a distribution center I typically drove for, like maybe, 80% of my day. I'd have to stop and down stack a load every once and a while or maybe partially fill a pick location or make the occasional replenishment. But I drove the lift most of the time. That was a long time ago though. I think our light-industrial workplaces, warehouses, manufacturing plants, and distribution centers are different now and for a lot of reasons.

Yes, people are being asked to wear more hats. There's more cross-training. More flexibility being demanded from us. More expectations to help outside of what used to be a very narrow job description. And for some folks, that creates frustration. You hear phrases like, that's not my job, that's not what I was hired to do, and that's not in my job description.

But the truth is, those days are disappearing. And I want to spend a few minutes today talking about the why, and more importantly, why that's not a bad thing when we look at it the right way.

Let's just be honest with ourselves. Light-industrial operations today are different than they were just 5 years ago. Volumes change daily now. Staffing levels fluctuate. Customer and client expectations are higher than ever. Same day and next day shipping isn't a luxury anymore, it's the standard.

Operations can't stop just because one person is out or one department is short. We've learned that everything is connected. Inbound affects outbound. Picking affects loading. Forklift operations affect inventory accuracy. One weak link slows the entire chain down.

For those reasons and a few others is where cross training comes in. Cross training isn't about making people work harder, it's about making operations more stable and consistent. It creates flexibility. It gives leaders options. And it keeps work moving when things don't go exactly as planned, which, and since we're being honest, happens a lot in our industry.

Now let's talk about that phrase, That's not my job. I understand where it comes from. For a long time, jobs were very narrowly defined. You did one task, one function, and that was it. But that model doesn't work well anymore, not in our industry anyway.  When everyone stays locked into a single box, operations become, what's a good word here, challenging I'll say. One call off, one delay, one surge in volume, or orders, or trucks, and suddenly the whole shift is behind. Employers today are looking for team players. People who understand their main role, certainly, but who are also willing to help the operation succeed when needed.

Now, that doesn't mean job descriptions don't matter. They do. But they've shifted from rigid rulebooks into broader descriptions.  And that shift is an opportunity. Here's something you know I strongly believe, learning more can never be a bad thing. When you learn another role, you gain perspective. When you gain perspective, you make better decisions. And when you make better decisions, you become more valuable. Remember how many times you've heard me say how important it is to learn the position before and after ours, where that case just came from and where it's going after we've touched it!

A picker who understands receiving makes fewer mistakes. A forklift operator who understands outbound stages freight better. An associate who's helped with inventory control starts paying closer attention to accuracy. Cross training builds awareness, and awareness improves safety, quality, and productivity. That benefits the company, yes, but it also benefits us employees as well.

From a career standpoint, wearing more than one hat, to use a recruiters phrase, is a plus. The more skills you have, the more valuable you become, not just to your present employer, but to the industry as a whole. When someone can share with a hiring agent or recruiter, I've worked inbound, outbound, this or that type of equipment, and inventory, that gets noticed. Those are the people who get tapped for lead roles. Those are the people who stay employable when things tighten up or change.

Many supervisors, managers, and operations leaders didn't get there because they stayed in one lane forever. They got there because they were willing to learn one more process, help one more department, and take on one more responsibility. That's how careers are built in this industry.

Now, let's be clear here though. This doesn't mean accepting unsafe work practices, and it doesn't mean skipping training. It doesn't mean being taken advantage of in any way. Employers have a responsibility here too. Cross training should be structured. It should be safe. Expectations should be clear. No one should be thrown into a role without proper instruction or support. When done right, cross training builds confidence instead of resentment. With that being said I'll take this opportunity to remind us all to never get on a piece of powered industrial equipment without being trained and certified to operate it. And that goes for production or manufacturing machines also.

For us employees, I think mindset matters. If you see cross-training as punishment, it will feel like punishment. And if you see it as opportunity, it becomes one. Asking questions. Being curious. Showing interest in how the operation works as a whole, those things send a powerful message. They say I care about my job. I care about my team. I care about my future. I promise you that attitude gets noticed every single time.

Our light-industrial world rewards adaptability. The people who keep learning stay relevant longer. The ones who refuse to grow often struggle when processes change or roles disappear. Wearing more than one hat prepares you for what's next, whether that's a lead position, a specialized role, or simply long-term job security. It builds confidence. It builds competence. And it builds careers.

Next up is a question from, well, they didn't include their name, but the question was, how could I get or ask for a raise.

Well, that's a fair question. And a little complicated question, especially in our light industrial, warehouse, and distribution environments.

Ok, lets look at how pay works, what managers are actually looking for, and how you can put yourself in the best position when opportunities come up.

First, we need to understand the business side. In most light industrial operations, wages are set by position. General labor could pay a certain range, Forklift operators will have a range, Inventory control, leads, supervisors, etc, all of our roles are budgeted for well in advance.

Companies don't usually have the flexibility to give raises on the spot. Pay increases are planned during budget cycles, performance reviews, promotions, or when new responsibilities are added. Now that doesn't mean raises don't happen. It means they are earned, planned for, and justified. So instead of thinking, How do I ask for more money?
I'd ask, how do I make myself worth more to the operation? How can I make my manager notice me?

It's important to know that managers notice patterns, not promises. The associates who get raises and promotions aren't usually the loudest. They're the most consistent.

Here's what always got my attention. First was attendance. And we talk about this all the time. Showing up on time, every shift, matters more than almost anything else. In a productivity driven environment, reliability is everything. When a manager knows they can count on you, you're already ahead. Second is attitude. Of course this doesn't mean every day has to be perfect. But staying professional, avoiding constant negativity, and being that solution focused team member makes a difference. Positive employees strengthen teams, and managers notice that. Third, and here's that statement again, a willingness to learn and cross train. Again, Cross training is huge. Like we mentioned earlier, when you raise your hand to learn another role, another department, or another piece of equipment, you increase your value. You also make scheduling easier for your management team and that matters. And, Fourth would be ownership. Take responsibility for your work. Follow safety rules. Follow procedures. If you make a mistake, own it and fix it. That level of maturity builds trust and will get us noticed as well.

Now lets talk about how to have that conversation.  Walking into an office and saying, I need a raise, usually doesn't get us very far. A better approach would sound something like this. I understand pay is based on positions and budgets. I enjoy working here and I want to grow. What do you need to see from me to be considered for a raise or promotion when the opportunity comes up? That shows professional maturity, it shows respect for the business. And something like that opens a productive conversation. Now you've turned a raise request into a development and growth plan.

In our industry, raises often come through movement. General labor to equipment operator. Pallet runner to selector, receiver to inventory control, fork driver to lead. Lead to supervisor. Etc. Those steps may come with structured pay increases. But you don't get there by waiting, you get there by preparing and planning. I've experience that Managers promote people who are already doing parts of the next job.

Oh, and I want to mention that some positions, especially in distribution may have something like productivity pay or activity based pay, like a high productivity order selection environment, maybe even a tiered pay structure based on CPH or PPH. Where we're paid based on what we do individually.

I want us to remember though that a raise isn't just about today's paycheck. It's about your future. The associates who consistently show up, stay engaged, and keep learning are the ones managers think of when new roles open up. Those opportunities usually start with something like hey, we've got something coming up, and we thought of you. That doesn't happen by accident.

So if you're asking how to get a raise, here's the honest answer, I know it's not a simple answer but we need to be reliable, be positive, be willing to learn, be ready for more before you ask for more.

That's how raises and careers are built in the light industrial world.

Well, I got to talking too much and ran out of time! I hope you got the answers you wanted. I know all that seems simple, and did you notice how and that we, ourselves, in this industry anyway, can control more of our direction and path than what we may have thought we could. If you enjoyed todays episode please share it with a friend or coworker. I appreciate you stopping in each week, and please feel free to check in on our Facebook using @whseops and our Instagram waocpodcast. And as always keep those questions coming in. Have a great, productive, positive, and safe week out there.