Employees are your number one asset- this is common knowledge across businesses and is taken very seriously by governments and labor unions. Employees have rights and you need to ensure that you enforce those rights into warehouse practices. Looking after your employees’ well-being will not only ensure that they are more positive towards their jobs, but will also cost you less in terms of sick days and ultimately, lawsuits.
Minimum Wage, Access Control and Overtime
It is important to note that in South Africa minimum wage is not standard across all sectors and only applies to certain sectors. such as domestic and farm workers, wholesale and retail. It is crucial to ensure that you are paying your employees what you are supposed to pay them. The warehousing industry does require manual labor and while warehouse software can assist you in automating most processes, manual labor is still necessary.
Minimum wage usually applies to unskilled and semi-skilled workers. It is important, however, to ensure that employees are paid according to the duties they perform. This will motivate and encourage employees to deliver their best work and contirbutes towards overall wellbeing.
In addition, overtime is a very important consideration in a warehouse environment. Owing to all of the safety aspects that need to be taken into consideration when operating machinery you need to ensure that employees are well rested, take breaks and maintain maximum concentration at all times.
To ensure that working hours are adhered to and only authorised staff enter the warehouse environment, warehouse software can be used for maximum control. Warehousing software comprises RIFD technology, which helps track and trace the movement of goods and employees in and out of the warehouse environment.
In addition, fleet management software can be integrated with warehousing software to ensure that the goods transported to and from the warehouse can be controlled with the fleets used for transportation.
Other Considerations
Warehouse workers need to wear safety equipment at all times in the warehouse environment. Gloves and safety shoes are standard safety practices and, depending on the types of goods stores and machinery used, helmets and ear plugs might also be necessary.
To ensure that you are complying with South Africa’s labor laws and safety practices visit Employment & Labour