You’ve survived another holiday rush! What now? The slower, grayer days of mid-winter can be a great time to pick up the pieces from this year’s peak warehousing season, and look ahead at yearly maintenance or changes that you might want to make.
Pick up the pieces
The warehouse
Hopefully you’ve kept your warehouse relatively clean and clutter free through the rush season, but it’s easy to let things slide a little bit in all of that busyness. Now is the time to look around and see what needs to be put back in its place. Clear away those boxes, hang the brooms back up, and set out the lost and found box with all of those hats. Think small, too – make sure that packing stations are free of bits of rubbish like pieces of paper and plastic.
Your workforce
Do you have a small group of employees who almost lived at the warehouse during the peak of your rush? Maybe one person who worked all of the holidays? A slower season is a great time to offer them some time off. You don’t want to cut their hours involuntarily, but make sure that they know that their rest and health are important to you.
Look ahead
With a little rest under you belt, and the warehouse put back in order from the holiday rush, January is a great time to look ahead at what comes next for your warehouse.
Spring Cleaning
It’s not spring yet, but the time for that annual clean will be here before we know it. Make plans now for a successful spring cleaning. If you hire an outside company to do the cleaning, book them as soon as possible to be sure to get the time that you want. If you and your warehouse workers are the ones who will be cleaning, make sure that you have cleaning supplies and equipment hand before the time arrives.
Organization
Mid-winter or slow season organizing can come in two flavors:
- 1. Refreshing your current system
- 2. Re-organizing your warehouse
Adherence to any organizational system can get a little rough during a rush season, and most of us will need to spend some time simply cleaning up and putting everything back where it belongs. But it may be time to plan for a full-scale layout adjustment. Snags and delays during the holiday season can show you the weak points in your current systems, and give you ideas about what to change in the next year.
Expansion
Maybe you’re dreaming about doing more, or maybe a good hard look at the numbers shows that your current set-up is insufficient. In either case, are you ready to think about expanding your warehouse business? Now is a good time to start the ball rolling. Do you need new space? Or will you need to make major changes to use your current space more efficiently? If you need just need to expand your workforce, a slower season is a great time to hire and train new workers. If you had seasonal warehouse workers who excelled at their work, now is a great time to offer them a full-time job!
Be ready to bloom
Winter doest’t have to mean doldrums. Planning, prepping, and putting the pieces in place for your next tasks can give you a sense of focus and maybe even excitement. When spring rolls around, you’ll be ready to put all of those plans into play!
Give Overflo a call at 1-800-626-0616 to learn about our warehouse, distribution center and order fulfillment services in Maryland.