Temporary staff often play a crucial role in the success of manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics operations, helping organisations to cope with unpredictable patterns of activity or seasonal variations.
However, they often face challenges that can hinder productivity. Temporary staff may not be familiar with processes, struggle to locate items efficiently, and face communication barriers with managers and supervisors. In this blog, we’ll explore how barcoding solutions and mobile computers can address these issues and significantly boost the productivity of temporary staff.
When bringing temporary staff into an operation, you rely on knowledge gaps being bridged quickly to ensure maximal efficiency. Staff who only work in your manufacturing, warehousing, or logistics environments for a brief period of time need to get to grips with your processes – quickly.
Temporary staff might struggle with:
Not Knowing the Processes
Temporary staff members often lack in-depth knowledge of the specific processes within a company. This knowledge gap can lead to errors, delays, and inefficiencies in their work.
Not Knowing Where Things Are and Where Things Go
Efficient inventory management is critical, but temporary staff may struggle to locate items quickly, resulting in lost time and confusion.
Inability to Communicate with Managers/Supervisors
Communication breakdowns between temporary staff and supervisors can lead to misunderstandings and hinder problem-solving.
At Cobalt, our team can help you put the systems and processes in place to minimise the impact of temporary staff on your workflow. With a range of equipment, from mobile computers to intelligent cabinets, you can set up your operations so that introducing new staff for a short period – without the time to learn your processes inside out – doesn’t impact efficiency in your warehouses, production lines, or loading bays.
Barcode Hardware for Temporary Staff
To achieve productivity improvements and to keep errors to a minimum, Cobalt offers a range of hardware options:
Intelligent Cabinets
Intelligent cabinets are used for storing, charging, and tracking who is using mobile computers and devices, ensuring efficient access and return of equipment.
Intelligent cabinets work in tandem with your mobile computer and rugged tablet management, allowing you to know which staff member– permanent or temporary – used which device that day. An intelligent cabinet can do much more than that, including charging devices and keeping them secure when not in use, but to improve accountability and productivity of temporary staff, an intelligent cabinet is the place to start.
Handheld computers for barcode scanning, data entry, real-time communication, process overviews, and checking off tasks.
Handheld computers offer an incredible level of flexibility and mobility. They can be easily assigned to individual staff at the start of a day and tracked to ensure they aren’t lost, stolen, or damaged, making them the ideal personal computing device for temporary staff.
With handheld computers, you can ensure that your temporary staff can access real-time information about where products and stock need to be to streamline the learning process. A handheld computer can keep up-to-date location information about where items need to be as well as assigning and checking off tasks that have been completed.
Rugged tablets for processing power and clear instruction accessibility from anywhere in the facility.
Rugged tablets take mobile computing a step further, with built-in sturdiness, perfect for tougher working environments in many logistics, processing, and manufacturing operations. Especially where trust in staff is low, such as might be the case with low-skilled, temporary labour, having rugged tablets that can withstand the rigours of harsh environments can be extremely useful.
The range of barcoding hardware can increase productivity for your temporary workforce by making communication faster and easier and improving accountability and productivity throughout your operation.
Connecting Your Workforce
To bridge the gaps temporary staff often face, Cobalt consultants can help you find the right tools for your operations, including:
Communication
Mobile computers allow staff to communicate effectively with managers, supervisors, and fellow employees. This real-time communication ensures that everyone is on the same page and allows quick decisions to filter through your workforce without a lengthy chain of command.
Supervisory Connection
Mobile computers provide supervisors with a greater degree of connection to floor staff. They can monitor operations, provide instant feedback, and adjust priorities as needed.
Overviews of Processes and Stock Levels
Cobalt-supplied devices can provide staff with overviews of processes, stock levels, and prioritised tasks. This ensures that temporary employees have clear instructions and work on the most critical tasks.
Increased Accountability
Increased Accountability
Enhancing accountability is essential to improving productivity. Barcoding solutions and mobile computers offer:
Checking off tasks
Mobile computers allow temporary staff to check off completed tasks and update the system in real time. This improves accuracy and accountability, letting supervisors on your teams know exactly what’s been done and by whom.
Tracking Temporary Staff
Mobile computers coupled with intelligent cabinets also allow for more effective tracking of temporary staff members, ensuring they are where they should be during their shifts and letting you know they have the right equipment to do their job.
Productivity Anywhere
With rugged tablets and handheld computers, temporary staff can access clear instructions, track inventory, and update tasks from any location within the warehouse, eliminating the need to return to a central workstation for updates or new instructions.
If you’re looking for a solution to improve your temporary staff productivity and create a better workflow, working with the consultants at Cobalt can provide the answers you’re looking for. Our team is adept at working with manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing companies.
Get in touch today to see how we can help you improve your temporary employees’ productivity with barcoding solutions.
