Retail and supply chain leaders are all too familiar with the tension that exists between ensuring their operations remain competitive while also keeping costs down. The two are often intertwined and pulling on one almost always impacts the other. Try to cut costs and your competitive edge could suffer. Focus on building up your competitive edge, and your costs may increase.
Because labor is often one of the most expensive aspects of running a competitive supply chain, it also becomes one of the first places leaders look when the pressure to cut costs builds. However, part of keeping a distribution center (and the supply chain it supports) competitive is having a labor force that’s knowledgeable, well-trained, and capable of handling the demands of the job. Establishing that kind of labor force is often expensive. And, if you decide to simply hire more entry-level workers, you will incur additional training costs. So how do you win in a situation that feels lose-lose? You invest in labor standards.
In this e-book, we offer practical, tried-and-tested guidance for tackling the world of labor standards. First, we outline how to define labor standards. From there, we’ll walk you through several methods for developing them.
