Nowadays almost any career in shipping and logistics can be done remotely. This was proven true during the COVID pandemic and many companies have decided to stay remote or at least offer the option. Working remote, however, does come with a whole set of hurdles to overcome. Some of these hurdles are going to affect anyone in any industry. Then, there are some that impact the shipping and logistics industry specifically.
In order to successfully work from home, there is a lot of work and effort that needs to be put in by the company as well as the employees.
What The Company Can Do To Ensure Success
Whether the career is in shipping and logistics or accounting and finance, there are plenty of things that a company needs to do for its remote employees. There are the basics like ensure that the infrastructure is there and lines of communication stay open. These should be a given by now. However, there is a lot more.
One thing companies need to be focusing on is making sure everyone feels connected. This is tricky to do when everyone’s off on their own but it is still very doable. First thing is that companies have to let their employees continue to talk to each other. Either over the phone or through some kind of instant messenger. Sure, employees will sometimes get off-topic and gossip. However, that happened in the office as well and allows bonds to form.
Second, there needs to be some kind of weekly catch-up, preferably companywide so that everyone is on the same page. However, even individual teams meeting together will work and really, should be done in addition.
Another thing that companies should be focusing on is ensuring that employees keep a healthy work/life balance. This is something that can be especially tricky if you have a career in shipping and logistics, I mean, what’s a couple more phone calls? It is however very important for employees to have that separation.
What You Can Do To Ensure Success
Now that we have covered what a company can do to ensure their employee’s success let’s look at what the employee can do. Luckily there have been countless articles put out on this very topic in the past couple of months. However, there is one thing that will determine the success of an employee’s ability to work remotely, intrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is someone’s motivation or drive to do something without anyone telling them to. Without there being any kind of reward. This is what is needed to allow them to go on and perform all the aspects of their job on their own.
You can develop intrinsic motivation by taking ownership of your job. Ensure that you have a purpose and that it aligns with what it is you are doing. Additionally, it has been found that maintaining a good work/life balance increases intrinsic motivation. This is another reason companies need to ensure it is a priority.
Ensuring Success remotely with a career in shipping and logistics
Now that we have covered some of the general work from home tips let’s look into how working remotely specifically in shipping and logistics works. The biggest thing we have seen at Becker Logistics is the need to embrace the communication technology available. This is especially the case in continued education and trying to explain a process. We have made sure that every employee knows the ins and outs of Zoom so that they can easily work with no interruption.
Additionally, we have made a strong push to highlight key performance indicators (KPIs) and make them readily available for everyone. Since everyone is off on their own, they have to know where they stand and if they need to make any improvements. Then, with intrinsic motivation, the employee can make the improvement before ever being told to do so.
Lastly, managers really have had to step up to ensure that multi-team projects are on schedule. This means regular check-ins to make sure that everything is going to plan. The best way to get this done it to make sure people meeting regularly, even if only for 10 minutes so someone can chime in with something.
At Becker Logistics, we have decided that moving forward we will always provide the option to work remotely. This will be for each and every one of our employees. While there are some challenges involved in working from home there are many benefits. If you are interested in a career in shipping and logistics check out our openings and apply now.
