Are Your Warehouse Workers Keeping Up? Use Skills Tests for Training

A report by the global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. found that nearly 40% of U.S. organizations cannot find candidates with the skills they need, even for entry-level jobs. With a staggering number of U.S. workers lacking the skills required in today’s workforce, organizations need to consider new strategies to fill positions with skilled workers. If the current workforce does not have the required skills, and filling positions externally is becoming difficult, how can organizations meet their goals?

Business leaders need to abandon the costly and insufficient practice of hiring new employees to replace existing employees that are lagging. Instead, organizations must systematically and objectively assess individual workers’ skills to address targeted training efforts and strategic workforce planning. With eSkill’s extensive library of customizable employment assessment tests, organizations can easily measure warehouse employees’ job-relevant skill sets and effectively develop internal talent.

Identify and Quantify the Skills of Your Warehouse Workforce

With today’s accelerated digitalization and rapidly evolving business models, organizations have quickly realized they need new and different skills to keep pace. Implementing efficient processes to develop internal talent is possible when organizations have a clear picture of existing and needed skill sets. eSkill’s skills testing platform enables organizations to do just that.

eSkill’s job-specific employment assessment tests provide human resources (HR) professionals with the data-driven insights needed to make informed and strategic workforce development decisions. From entry-level positions to executives, eSkill offers an extensive library of employment assessment tests for the warehousing and storage industry, including:

• Warehouse Pick and Pack Skills Test: This test measures employees’ ability to effectively pick, pack, and ship orders. The test measures candidates’ proficiency level using industrial pick and pack equipment, ability to maintain a safe work environment, attention to detail, and English language proficiency.
• Warehouse Worker Skills Test: This test measures employees’ ability to accurately select products according to customer order specifications, move items to designated areas manually or with a forklift, and verify that the correct product is in the appropriate pick location. The test covers warehousing pick and pack skills, basic mathematical aptitude, English language proficiency, and data checking abilities.
• Forklift Operator Skills Test: This test measures employees’ ability to safely operate a forklift in a production or warehouse environment, transport materials from receiving or production areas to storage or other areas; organize, count, weigh, and secure materials, and perform routine pre- and post-use inspections on forklift equipment. The test covers warehousing pick and pack skills, basic mathematical aptitude, logical thinking skills, and mechanical engineering skills.
• Warehouse Supervisor Skills Test: The eSkill’s Warehouse Supervisor Skills Test identifies employees who are capable of supervising warehouse activities and effectively training warehouse staff. This test measures candidates’ ability to oversee shipping, receiving, storing, and inventory control operations, maintain a safe work environment, provide training for warehouse personnel, and conduct daily safety checks of warehouse equipment.
• Supply Chain Management Skills Test: Well suited for executive-level positions, this test measures the ability to oversee warehouse operations. The test covers capacity management, forecasting, inventory management, logistics management, and supply chain planning. 

eSkill’s user-friendly skills testing platform provides HR professionals with detailed score reports for each applicant that quantify each skill assessed.

Implement Targeted Employee Training Programs

Skill identification provides the data needed to quickly and effectively train employees who lack the necessary skills or experience to perform their current role. When organizations use eSkill’s employment assessment tests, HR professionals can instantly identify individuals’ skill deficits and provide differentiated training based on need.

Differentiated employee training is the deliberate act of selecting or modifying training materials to align with each employee’s particular skills and level of skills to meet specific training goals. A data-driven targeted approach to employee training improves retention and engagement by surpassing unnecessary training material and focusing on the content that matters most. This approach decreases the amount of time spent on developing skills and ultimately improves productivity.

Optimize Workforce Strategies

Offering employees personalized training paths to master the skills needed in their current role is just one example of how skills testing aids workforce development. Skills testing also allows HR professionals to tap into existing talent to fill skill gaps in other areas of an organization. Organizations can use the data-driven insights gleaned from skills tests to identify workers with the potential to step into new or in-demand roles. This approach provides HR leaders with another way to develop and implement a talent strategy that will drive business outcomes.

Gartner’s 2021 Future of HR Survey found that 68% of HR leaders ranked building critical skills and competencies as their top priority. And HR leaders increasingly view skill identification as essential in doing so. As warehousing organizations look to increase productivity and profitability, they must focus on improving and building the skills of their workforce through targeted training opportunities and personalized career pathways. eSkill’s user-friendly skills testing platform provides HR professionals with the tools to move their workforce forward.

Interested in Using Skills Testing to Improve Employee Training?

Learn more about the benefits of using eSkill’s warehousing skills tests and behavioral assessments to find qualified candidates quickly.

Request a demo today.