Many industries are experiencing a labour shortage, but logistics is suffering its own unique crisis when it comes to recruitment – a general lack of interest. We’re never shy about sharing why it’s great to work for this company, but we recognize there’s an underserved need to educate people on why it’s great to work in this industry.
A misunderstood business
There are a lot of misconceptions about what we do. When you mention logistics most people outside of the industry will imagine truckers and dispatchers and that’s about it. But moving goods is only one step of a much larger operation; a living, breathing, ever-changing ecosystem fueled by people, technology, and strategy. It’s far more exciting and rewarding than many give it credit for.
There’s also a misconception that logistics is a boys club. Historically it has been a male-dominated industry, but we’ve seen across all of our offices what a powerful impact women can have in this field. There’s also an assumption that logistics is a niche field that requires niche experience. Our goal is to challenge these old ideas that suggest a logistics career is best suited for a specific gender or personality type or professional background.
A part of something bigger
Younger members of the workforce are longing for more meaningful and stimulating work, and a lot of them are overlooking a career that can offer high volumes of both.
A 2022 Deloitte study revealed that one of the top reasons gen z and millennials chose their current role was the learning & development opportunities. People are yearning for work that will help them grow as a person, and not enough of those people are aware of the constant learning experience that is a career in logistics.
Most people don’t spend time thinking about how they got their toothbrush (or their breakfast or their laptop), and the many moving parts it took to build, transport, and deliver it. But since a pandemic caused such a disruption to the supply chain worldwide, more people are starting to consider how essential this industry is. Logistics has a profound impact on our global economy and virtually every material touchpoint in our lives. If younger generations want stimulating, meaningful work, we highly suggest a career that impacts literally every person on Earth.
More than make an impact, you get to meet a lot of people and build partnerships with a career in logistics. Since working remotely has become more commonplace, there’s a growing desire for careers that provide human connection. For us, human connection is essential in logistics, and a big reason this job is so rewarding.
Good for the mental muscle
People put a high value on careers that emphasize creative thinking. According to the Happy Planet Index, a global index of human well-being, “creativity drives innovation and creates happier employees.” It also creates happier employers. One IBM study revealed that in a survey of 1,500 chief executive officers, creativity ranked as the number one factor for future business success.
Creativity is king in logistics. Years ago logistics involved a lot of sending faxes and booking drivers. But the industry has evolved to cover so many more moving parts, and to optimize those parts we need clever, critical thinkers. Being able to think smart on your feet and solve challenges quickly and efficiently is a rigorous creative exercise for the mind, and it’s one we get to engage in every day.
This is also a rewarding business for people who have intuition, and instinct. We need people who can look at an inefficient system or seemingly insurmountable obstacle, and have the vision to carve out new paths, find synergies that haven’t been considered, and uncover entirely new ways to solve a challenge. Logistics is for innovative thinkers; for people who can see what isn’t yet there. These are the people who will help us evolve the whole industry.
The floor is yours
People want to know they have a voice in their place of employment. And in logistics that voice is enthusiastically requested because diverse perspectives solve problems. According to a study conducted by Atlassian, over two-thirds of high-achieving teams engage in honest feedback, while 94% of participants felt that mutual respect is important to a team’s success. For many businesses, and especially this business, there’s real value in hearing everyone’s point of view.
In logistics, there are best practices, and our teams adhere to those strategies and approaches that have proven successful. But there’s always room to poke holes and experiment with new methods for increasing efficiencies. We train our teams to understand how logistics works, and then we invite them to find ways to make it work better. Not only does this contribute to the growth of the company, it contributes to the growth of each employee too.
Never the same day twice
For all of the hustle culture we see in our feeds, there’s also a boredom epidemic occurring in the workforce. Contrary to what many might think, the common issue of burnout doesn’t always have to do with being overwhelmed.
Psychology Today highlights how burnout can result from an underwhelming job too. Occupying a role that doesn’t fully utilize your talent or leave you intellectually fulfilled will actually sap your energy and leave you feeling drained. And that’s a hard feeling to ignore. According to one Korn Ferry study, 1 in 3 professionals cite boredom as the main reason to leave their jobs.
Logistics is a job that will make you feel many things, but boredom isn’t one of them. There’s no such thing as an average day in this industry. It’s not a one-dimensional job. There is no status quo, and every day brings a new challenge to overcome. Our minds are always learning, adapting, sharpening, and growing.
Strike while the industry’s hot
Logistics is an industry teeming with opportunities for rewarding employment. It’s also a fascinating time to be working in the supply chain. Since it recently reached a crisis point, that crisis point is a call for major change. We feel fortunate to work in an industry that impacts everyone on Earth, while also working to evolve it. If ever there was a time to make a meaningful career move, it’s now and it’s logistics.