How do you motivate your inventory staff?

An effective way to motivate a team is through true ownership from start to finish. While inventory staff seems very specific , I have more experience with the overall ownership of Departments within a store . Give people responsibility of ownership from ordering , merchandising , freight flow and yes even inventory control of such as in on hands and ordering . Truly allow people to engage and watch these owners and departments flourish . One of my greatest mentors taught me this stating “ We may not have sub owners for every department , but everyone owns a dept” . In sum if you have 38 departments and 25 Team members , every dept may not have an owner , but everyone owns a dept . People will be invested in the areas they own .

Efficient inventory management is crucial for business success. Communicate regularly with your team, identify issues, and collaborate with other managers to improve the process. Invest in appropriate technologies and provide training to enhance efficiency and reliability. Leverage your team's expertise and recognize their contributions. By doing so, you can foster a sense of ownership and engagement, leading to greater success.

I've found success in cross training the team and empowering them with the tools/training they need to problem solve daily on inventory control and allocation challenges. Weekly we praise each of our successes, whether they be small or significant, and discuss our roadblocks as a team so we can all learn about the hurdles each of us are working to overcome that week. When I see team members, although working on their own objectives, jumping in to assist each other or recommend a process improvement on their end to help align with the common goal, I get an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.

In my experience inquiring with one’s regular crew for their specific input, and regular communication if something new or different is happening in the day to day routine is a great way to motivate folks. Being open minded and flexible (as much as possible) . A department only works as well as its crew working as a unit. If the manager/ supervisor is unavailable the department should run just as efficiently. The crew feels confident in their skills and abilities. This allows the department to shine as a whole. That motivates anyone ??

In my experience, inventory is often thought of as an after effect, leading to teams feeling they are to clean up after operations with little impact of important metrics associated with speed or efficiency. Identify key proactive measures they can take to impact things like fill rate, replenishment, bin accuracy, etc. Furthermore, show support for this team by actively cross-training members of your operational team in inventory duties. This brings a one team approach to solving inventory issues while avoiding poor identification of your inventory team as operational police.

An example of recognition we use is to give members a HIGH FIVE via email directly to themselves and their immediate manager. This is written in brief format on why you are recognizing them and also which company value or maxim they exhibited. A ‘Thank you’ for doing a great job or going above and beyond is very easy to share.

I just would say this. Motivation changes with each person. Different people respond differently to different forms of motivation. It is not one size fits all. So tailor your approach to your team and your individuals. Also praise in front of everyone, criticize in private.

All good points and have learned from Managing an Inventory Team in my past, setting clear goals connected to business strategy, share the vision and set expectations, get clear and written buy in, be consistent on message, feedback and reviews. Incentives are good, taking interest in your employees and be open to ideas but at the end of the day “you can’t push a wet noodle” as they say. Don’t get frustrated if you seem to care more than they do about their job and future. If you have done all the above don’t have fear about moving them out if they do not develop over time. I wasted a lot of sleep over it.