Workforce Development | Industrial Distribution

Preparing Reticent Workers for Digital

The failure to properly account for and overcome the “people problem” is why so few initiatives succeed.

In this Dec. 17 photo, an Amazon robot sends a package down a chute, transporting packages from workers to chutes that are organized by zip code, at an Amazon warehouse facility in Goodyear, AZ. The tech giant is still rolling out new models descended from the Kiva line, including the Pegasus, a squarish vehicle with a conveyor belt on top that can be found working the early-morning shift at a warehouse in the Phoenix suburb of Goodyear.

Warehouse Workers Adapting to Robots

There are growing concerns that keeping up with the pace of the latest warehouse productivity technology is taking a toll on human workers' health, safety and morale.

This undated self-made photo provided by Nancy Glynn shows Glynn, of Manchester, N.H., with her son Hunter. Glynn works for several non-profits, including MomsRising, a group that advocates for paid parental leave and other policies. As a waitress, she belonged to the group least likely to have paid parental leave: Part-time workers.

Most Workers Still Lack Paid Leave

Just 9% of wage earners in the bottom 25% have access to paid family leave.

Quick Hits: Shakeup in Top 10 Workplaces

Employees are changing their tune on what constitutes a top workplace.

Nominations Now Open for AEM’s $50,000 Celebratory Grant Program

AEM is issuing five $10,000 grants to non-profit organizations to cultivate the next generation of the equipment industry’s workforce.

ORS Nasco Supports Workshops for Warriors’ Pride In Partnership Program

The program provides career training for U.S. military veterans.

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Behind Deadline: Home Projects Suffer From Worker Shortage

Current estimates indicate there are about 300,000 unfilled jobs in the construction industry.

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Poll: Some Younger Workers View Aging Workforce Negatively

Some younger workers aren't particularly thrilled to see a rising share of older Americans forgo retirement and continue working.

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A Business Secret Weapon: Using Education to Engineer Influence

Manufacturers and distributors spent, on average, $4.2 million on training last year.

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Boost Performance -- Connect Strategy and Execution Through Integrated Business Planning

Participants of the webinar will learn: • How to use IBP to clearly connect strategy to portfolio management, demand management, and supply management. • How IBP helps executive management to better focus on what matters to ensure the execution of strategy. • How to stay out of the “weeds” day to day and lead the organization to realize its strategies and financial goals.

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Employee Recognition and the Zombie Apocalypse

The working dead—employees with low motivation—can be devastating to your company’s performance and long-term potential.

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What a Great Boss Looks Like—How to Enable New Employees

Leadership is about teams producing results with a purpose mindset.

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Apprenticeships for Distribution Sales Organizations?

The urge to innovate is strong, but some approaches to workforce development have persisted for a reason.

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Attracting Gen Z Talent to a Career in Supply Chain & Logistics

Here are a few steps you can take to help illustrate to new graduates the opportunities that abound in supply chain and logistics, allowing you to attract the newest members of the workforce to your business.

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The Skilled Labor Shortage

In addition to the worker shortage, there’s also a skills gap to contend with.

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Mexican Border Strikers Win Agreements at 27 of 45 Plants

The factories make auto parts, medical equipment, plastics, and other goods.

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UPS Driver Rescues Dog From Ice

A UPS driver proved that man is a dog’s best friend after rescuing one from a freezing pond during his shift just before the Christmas holiday.

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Survey Finds Most Employees Want to Learn on the Job by Video, in Five Minutes or Less

The second edition of “Voice of the E-Learner” survey asked 1,327 workers from manufacturers and distributors in the electrical, plumbing, HVAC and industrial tools industries about their perceptions of online learning.

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TimkenSteel Awards $145,000 in Scholarships to Employees' Children

The TimkenSteel Charitable Fund has awarded seven new TimkenSteel scholars with $145,000 in scholarship funds.

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Amazon Pay Raises Leave Competitors Flat-Footed

Last week, Amazon raised its company-wide minimum wage to $15 per hour for all full-time, part-time and temporary workers in the United States, a move that is estimated to impact over 350,000 people.

A 2011 Google street view of Parker Hannifin's Composite Sealing Solutions facility in San Diego, CA.

Parker Hannifin to Pay $222K to Settle Female Pay Discrimination Case at San Diego Facility

The U.S. Department of Labor recently reached a settlement with Parker Hannifin that requires the company to pay $222,000 to remedy pay discrimination violations identified at its San Diego Composite Sealing Solutions facility, where the DoL says female employees were steered into lower paying roles than males situated similarly.

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Confusing Warehouse Policies With Rules Has Serious Consequences

No manager wants to own the guilt associated with failure to enforce safety rules. Here, Nancye Combs explains the difference between a rule and a policy and provides a guide to establish rules that are reasonable and enforceable.

Greg Goodman, right, assists a customer on the phone while son Chandler Goodman, center, helps a customer at the counter, in their Alta Mere franchise in Oklahoma City. (AP)

Next Generation: Business Owners Mentor Their Heirs Apparent

At some businesses, especially those that have been in a family for generations, children start learning some of the basics while on vacation from school. But owners looking to pass a company to their children or other younger relatives find themselves doing much more intensive training, including their heirs apparent in key decisions and entrusting them with major projects.

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Trump Promotes Job Training As Employers Search For Workers

Promoting a robust economy, President Donald Trump pressed U.S. companies and trade associations on Thursday to enhance their job training programs as employers search for qualified skilled workers to fill vacancies.

NAW, Texas A&M Partner For 2 Distributor Education Programs

The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence and Texas A&M University — which have collaborated to provide best practices in wholesale distribution since 2009 — are bringing their knowledge out of the pages of their studies and into the classroom with two different education programs.

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Stay Interviews, Probing And 'We Need More Staff'

Some managers fear a response of something they can’t control. Here, C-Suite Analytics CEO Richard Finnegan explains how conducting stay interview with your employees can help bring to light issues impacting your staff before they become a cause for them to leave.

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Power Tool Institute Launches New Training Module

The Power Tool Institute, an organization for power tool safety resources, information and education, has announced the launch of its new online training module, “Power Tool Safety – It’s in Your Hands,” designed to help users better understand the safe way to use power tools.

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Legal Watch: NLRB Reverses Course On Joint Employer Test

Fred Mendelsohn examines the National Labor Relations Board's decision this past December to overrule its own 2015 decision and narrow the test it uses to determine whether businesses are joint employers.