Flexibility and Culture Tested in the “New Normal”

Cities, businesses, families, and ideologies are being tested as never before. Throughout the world, lockdowns, protests, shortages, and anxiety have shaken the global economy and our sense of “normal.” As we have adjusted workflows, schedules, expectations, and communications, one thing has become crystal clear. If you are going to survive and thrive, flexibility must be embraced as a core value and integrated into the company’s culture. As a global company with more than 500 years of history, our corporate culture has evolved to live at the intersection of predictable and flexible around the world. Adopting flexibility as a mechanism for reinvention and adaptation as supply chains and the workforce becomes more complicated is a mandate in a post-pandemic era.

When examining where our industry stands on the continuum of flexibility, we must take a deeper look at where we started. Prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, only 7% of civilian workers in the United States, or about 9.8 million of the nation’s approximately 140 million private workers, had access to a “flexible workplace” benefit, or telework, according to the 2019 National Compensation Survey (NCS) from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. This number has dramatically changed since March of this year, with as many as 2/3 of employed Americans working remotely, according to the latest Gallup Panel data. However, studies also indicated that flexible work is frequently aligned with white-collar jobs and executive positions. In the logistics industry, our workforce runs the gambit, and working from home all the time is simply not possible for everyone. Additionally, maintaining cultural continuity within an organization is not without its challenges in a virtual setting. So how can the logistics industry leverage the qualities of a flexible organization within a potentially rigid environment?

Eleanor Roosevelt is famous for saying, “Be flexible, but stick to your principles.” The dichotomy of holding fast while also bending is a challenge the logistics industry knows how to manage, and an agile work strategy is possible in the logistics industry. Our teams have always had a strong commitment to customer service. Over the past several months, employees have worked together to figure out how to continue to provide service excellence within our new work environments.

It Comes Down to People

When we evaluate challenges for our customers or examine how we can maintain productivity while implementing health and safety precautions, the success of the situation always comes down to people. Flexibility is a mindset, and when it is part of organizational culture and encouraged through communication, employees are more apt to thrive and stick around throughout changing times.

At this juncture, we continue to be nimble and follow the health and safety guidelines outlined by each state. Our teams are alternating times for office work; they are continuing to work from home in some cases, and we are utilizing technology to facilitate both internal and external communications. Our GW app has been instrumental in keeping teams aligned around the globe. Continuous communication using multiple platforms, even good old-fashioned mail, has become part of our customer service strategy. In addition, we are keeping employees safe by having fewer employees in the warehouse; We are providing personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer. Procedures such as no-touch delivery, utilizing photo technology instead of pen and paper is another way we have adapted.

Throughout the pandemic, GW has continued to expand and open new offices and warehouses. The expansion of warehousing provides opportunities to create safer physical environments to support social distancing and multiple shifts. It has also expedited the acceptance of technological aids on the job. Maybe this crisis is the unfortunate push our industry needed to engage teams more holistically with artificial intelligence and robotic integration. Already, many organizations are using robotics assistance for picking and packing. At Gebrüder Weiss, we’re rolling out newer client engagement portals and even leveraging robotics to help more accurately weigh oversized transports to save on fuel and shipping costs.

Put into perspective that the logistics industry operates on a global level and requires custom strategies for every client and every country. We already have many of the best communications, tracking, and management systems in place to account for the international transport of goods. Still, no country has been immune to the punches of the pandemic, and we have all had to adapt. Online portals for customers to track packages and apps for up-to-the-minute communications are now utilized as a part of a regular workflow. And, while I am a firm believer in face-to-face conversations and the joy of impromptu collaboration to bounce new ideas, the reality is that we must get comfortable with a new way of working and communicating. Virtual meetings and teleconferences are now an essential part of business and should operate as an extension of your company culture.

Agile Work Strategy Pros and Cons

There are plenty of positives that go along with telecommuting. Global Workplace Analytics has an extensive list of Pros and Cons that accompany an agile work strategy. One study the organization issued predicts that 25 – 30% of the workforce will be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021. The demand for flexibility and where and how people work has been growing over the years. Before the pandemic occurred, surveys repeatedly showed that 80% of employees wanted to work from home at least some of the time. More than one third would even take a pay cut in exchange for the option. The take-away from this kind of data is that flexibility can work with structure and clear communication.

While telecommuting works for some employees, we must evaluate how essential warehouse jobs that are key to any logistics organization’s success play a role in a virtual company culture. A divided labor force can be toxic to a company’s culture if one set of workers feels less important than another. By unifying our technology platforms across warehouses and offices, employees are still able to interact whether they are in the warehouse or working at their kitchen table. By taking the extra time to work with employees who may not be as comfortable with technology and allow them to come forward and ask for help and guidance, we have been able to reinforce the caring culture that GW is known for throughout the world.

As we embrace technology, we do not want to leave our warehouse workers behind. It takes everyone to create a successful company culture. When you build a team that thrives within your culture and contributes to the company’s overall success, you want them to stick around. Investment in your existing employees is a key strategy for perpetuating a positive culture that cultivates leaders organically.

Ultimately, it will take more effort and communication from leadership and key managers to integrate company culture across in-person and virtual work teams. According to a recent Gallup poll, leaders who invest in building cultures where people are positioned to do what they do best see up to 19% increased sales, 29% increased profits, 59% fewer safety incidents, and 72% lower turnover (in high-turnover organizations). The good news here is that Gallup also found that those who work virtually have more autonomy over their work and are 15 percentage points more likely to feel like they can do what they do best every day.

Amplify Success Through a Strong Culture

Provide employees with opportunities and training to advance in their careers. While we provide both on-the-job training and Orange University online, companies without internal resources can create ways to support career growth. Take the time to explore a variety of online education tools and/or consider establishing a virtual mentorship program to help employees stay connected when they can’t be face-to-face.

In a recent study by EmployBridge’s, they found that 95% of blue-collar workers are willing to invest their own time to learn new skills, 90% are interested in apprenticeships, and the majority believe pay increases should be earned by performance as opposed to tenure. This data indicates that looking at your current workforce with a flexible mindset is critical. Leadership can lead employees to take advantage of upskilling opportunities to acquire digital or technical skills. This strategy provides an option that allows us to continue to adapt to industry and environmental changes and solve for skill gaps. The logistics industry is essential in keeping the economy moving, and to do so, we must adapt and create the best possible work environment and culture for our employees.

This article is by Mark McCullough, CEO Gebrüder Weiss USA 

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