Welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I’m Marty and today, I thought we’d talk about three things that we see in just about every warehouse, manufacturing facility, distribution center, and production environment at one time or another. 

Horseplay. Drama. And standing around. Now, individually, they may not sound like the biggest workplace problems in the world. Somebody jokes around a little too much. Two people are talking about what somebody else said. A couple of associates are standing at the end of the aisle talking when there isn’t anything happening for a moment. No big deal,  right? Well, maybe it is. Today I don’t want to look at these three things only from the perspective of safety or productivity. I want to talk about what they can do to our reputation, opportunities, and ultimately our career. 

Let’s start with horseplay. I’ve spent a lot of years around warehouses and operations, and one thing I’ve learned is that people like to have fun at work. And I believe we should. There’s nothing wrong with laughing and enjoying the people you work with. There’s nothing wrong with having a little personality. We’re going to spend a lot of hours with the people around us, and nobody wants to work someplace where everybody walks around looking miserable. But there’s a difference between having fun and horseplay. Horseplay in a warehouse can turn serious very quickly.  Think about our environment. Forklifts, pallet jacks, conveyors, dock plates, trailers, pallets, racking, knifes, strapping, machinery, heavy products, blind spots. We’re surrounded by things that don’t care whether you were just joking. Push somebody jokingly and they can fall into a piece of equipment. If we throw something across an aisle and someone may instinctively step into traffic. Or sneak up behind somebody and startle them while they’re using a knife or operating equipment. Suddenly, the joke isn’t funny anymore. And the important thing is. When leadership sees you participating in horseplay, they’re not just thinking those guys are having fun. They may be thinking, can I trust this person?  

We know that safety and responsibility go together. If you want to become a trainer, lead, supervisor, or manager someday, people need to trust your judgment. And every day we’re building that reputation. 

Now let’s talk about something that can spread through a warehouse faster than almost anything else. Workplace drama. Who said what? Who doesn’t like who? Who moved to another department? Who got written up? Who got promoted? Who didn’t get promoted? Why did the supervisor talk to them? Why does she always get that assignment? Why does he get to leave early? Before you know it, five people are involved in something that originally concerned two people. And nobody is talking about today’s production numbers anymore. 

Drama is distracting. And distraction in an industrial environment can become a safety problem quick.  But drama also damages teamwork. I’ve watched small misunderstandings become department wide problems simply because everybody wanted to participate in the conversation. Sometimes the smartest thing we can say when somebody brings us workplace gossip is I don’t know anything about that. And then get back to work. We don’t have to attend every argument we’re invited to. That little piece of advice can save you a lot of headaches in your career. 

Here’s what leadership notices. They notice the people who calm situations down. And they notice the people who stir situations up. They see the person who says “Hey, let’s get back to what we’re doing.” And they also notice the person walking from department to department making sure everybody knows the newest piece of gossip. Which one do you think they’re considering when they’re looking for their next lead? 

And then there’s just standing around. This one can be tricky, because sometimes there really isn’t something happening for a moment. The conveyor may be down, or you’re waiting on product, or a trailer hasn’t backed in yet, or our machine is being adjusted. 

There’s a difference between waiting on the operation and developing a habit of standing around. I think, or hope, we’d all agree there’s always something to do in a warehouse. Housekeeping, straightening pallets, cleaning your area, maybe checking equipment or machine, restocking supplies. And of course a couple of my favorites, how about learning another position, helping another associate, or asking your lead what needs to be done next. And here’s a sentence I want everybody to remember. We are being observed even when we don’t realize we’re being observed. Your supervisor may walk by. The facility manager may be on the floor. The customer may be walking through. Even a visiting corporate manager may see us. And they don’t know that you’ve been working hard for the previous three hours. They only know what they see right now. You’re leaning against a pallet talking. Perception becomes reality very quickly. 

And standing around doesn’t just affect your reputation. It affects the operation. If ten people waste ten minutes, that’s 100 minutes of labor. That’s more than an hour and a half of paid labor time. Those little periods add up. 

Here’s one we’ve all heard or maybe even said. “But everybody else was doing it.” Maybe they were. That doesn’t change the conversation about you. Here’s one of those opinions of mine. One of the biggest lessons we can learn in our careers is to stop measuring our behavior against the lowest standard around us. Instead, ask yourself.  If your goal is simply to get through today’s shift, that’s one thing. But if you want more responsibility, better opportunities, higher pay, leadership positions, or a career, then your standard has to be different. 

And this may be the most important part of today’s episode. Let’s say your supervisor walks over and says: “Guys, quit standing around and get back to work.” How do you respond? 

Option one. “We weren’t doing anything!” “We’ve only been standing here for a minute!” “What about those guys over there?” “Why are you always saying something to me?” Now we’ve taken a simple coaching moment and turned it into a confrontation. 

Option two. “Got it.” And you go back to work. 

Which employee do you think is easier to coach? Which employee would you trust with additional responsibility? I understand that none of us enjoy being corrected. I don’t care if you’re 18 years old or 65 years old. Nobody wakes up in the morning hoping somebody points out something they did wrong. But being coachable is a career skill. Your supervisor shouldn’t have to debate with you every time they give you direction. 

And here’s something I’ve seen happen throughout my career. Sometimes the original issue wasn’t that serious. Maybe somebody was standing around for a couple minutes. The supervisor says something. Instead of simply correcting the behavior, the employee becomes defensive, argumentative, or disrespectful. Now the problem isn’t standing around anymore. The problem is behavior. A ten-second coaching conversation has turned into something much bigger. Sometimes we’re responsible for escalating our own situation. 

I’ve shared many times, I believe any way, that our reputation is being built every shift. Here’s something I wish every new associate was told or understood on their first day. Your reputation isn’t built when a promotion becomes available. It’s built months before the promotion exists. Every shift you’re answering questions people may never ask you directly. Are you dependable? Are you safe? Do you work without somebody constantly watching you? Can you handle correction? Do you bring solutions or problems? Do you stay out of unnecessary drama? Can you work with different personalities? Can you be trusted? That reputation follows us ladies and gentlemen.  

Let’s look at this scenario. One day a lead position opens. The manager walks into the office and asks his or her supervisors. “We need another lead on second shift. Who do we have?” And names start being mentioned. That’s when your previous six months start talking for you. Someone might say, “He’s productive, but he’s always involved in drama.” Or, “she’s a good worker, but we’ve had to talk to her several times about horseplay.” Or, “He knows the job, but every time you walk through his area he’s standing around.” I feel we need to remember, Yes, those may sound like little things day to day. But, like in this scenario, they can become big things tomorrow. 

So, with all that being said. The message I want to leave you with today is, don’t let little things cost you big opportunities. Horseplay, drama, and standing around. Three things that can seem small. But they can become habits. And they are three things that can keep you from becoming the person management looks at when opportunity knocks. 

I’m not saying we have to be perfect. None of us are. You’re going to make mistakes, going to have conversations, and going to joke around. And every once in a while you’re probably going to get called out for something. The important part is what happens next. Can you accept the coaching? Can you correct the behavior? And can you move forward? 

Because sometimes career growth isn’t about learning one more piece of equipment or increasing our cases per hour. Sometimes it’s about, lets see, what word am I looking for, lets use maturity. Knowing when to joke and when to work. When to walk away from drama, knowing when to find something productive to do, and knowing how to respond when someone tells us we’re falling short of the expectation. 

So tomorrow when you walk through those warehouse doors, ask yourself. What reputation am I building today? Because somebody is noticing. And that little decision we make today may have a lot to do with the opportunity we’re offered tomorrow. 

Until next time, stay productive, keep learning, and keep building that career. And above all else, be safe in all that you do.