Industrial warehouse jobs involve many functions that may include receiving and processing incoming stock and materials, picking and filling orders, packing and shipping orders, or managing, organizing and retrieving stock in the warehouse. Warehouses are a vital part of the UK supply chain and hold goods and equipment until they’re ready to be distributed to shops, stores, supermarkets, and online deliveries.
Working as a warehouse operative in the logistics sector will mean that you are part of a vital industry, which employs one in every twelve people in the UK.
Shipping warehouses come in different shapes and sizes and A&S provide the warehouses in Felixstowe docks with the majority of their employees.
What Skills Do You Need To Be A Warehouse Worker?
If you are looking to apply for Industrial warehouse jobs, the skills that should be included on your CV should include good organization, planning, time management, stock control, equipment maintenance, health and safety awareness, teamwork, and data entry. You can enter after GCSEs or A Levels as no formal qualifications are compulsory. However, you should be literate, be able to work as a team, and to respect and adhere to business values.
Warehouse roles can also be physically demanding, so they can be more suited to candidates that like to be active and thrive in a busy environment. Warehouse managers look for enthusiasm and drive, people who are good with details and focused on accuracy. If you think of yourself as a practical, common sense sort of person with a methodical approach, who is happy to work in a team, this might be the role for you. The ability to work quickly, accurately and safely are also highly desirable skills.
What Does an Industrial Warehouse Job Involve?
There are plenty of warehouse operative jobs available on Felixstowe docks, at every time of the year. Only fairly basic qualifications are needed to work as a shipping warehouse operative.
Employers look for energy, enthusiasm and a positive attitude. If you are well suited to the role, you may find there are opportunities to progress as well.
Working in a team, you’re likely to do a variety of jobs including taking delivery of goods for sorting, stacking and storage and then eventually picking and packing items for dispatch as they are sent on their way to our high streets.
Industrial warehouse jobs in Felixstowe take place in a highly dynamic, fast-moving setting with some of the biggest names involved like Amazon and Apple. It is becoming more technology-driven with an increasing use of automation. Everyone plays a vital part in ensuring that parcels arrive on time and in great condition.
You can apply for jobs in Felixstowe, including industrial warehouse jobs, through A&S recruitment.
Shift work is common and might include early mornings, late nights and/or weekends. Some roles require long shifts but are flexible and may only need you to work four days a week.
On a practical level, warehousing jobs in Felixstowe are generally located out of town, so check if there are public transport links if you don’t drive.. Evening or weekend shifts often fall outside of public transport hours.
Typical Warehouse Operative Duties
- Loading and unloading delivery vehicles, sometimes by hand or with a forklift truck.
- Examining cargo for damaged or missing items.
- Sorting stock for storage in the warehouse.
- Taking goods to the appropriate storage space
- Using loading and lifting gear for heavy goods, like appliances and furniture.
- Keeping careful records of the stock on the warehouse management system, so it can be located quickly.
- Operating a forklift truck.
- Picking orders and using a hand-held scanner, then bringing them for packing or to the loading bay for transportation.
- As a packer, you may spend most of your time at a packing machine or conveyor line. You will have to put products into the relevant containers using bubble wrap or polystyrene, then seal the containers for delivery.
- Ensure orders are packaged and labelled correctly.
- Organising transfers and loading goods onto delivery vehicles.
- Cleaning and maintaining the warehouse.
- Warehouses can be dangerous places, so getting to know, then following, workplace health and safety rules will be essential.
Warehouse Operative Salary
An entry-level Warehouse Worker with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total (inclusive of tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of £8.10. This is based on the average of 99 salaries. A career Warehouse Worker with 1-4 years of experience can earn an average total of £8.16 based on 573 salaries. A mid-career Warehouse Worker with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of £8.39 based on 214 salaries. An experienced Warehouse Worker with 10-19 years of experience earns an average total compensation of £8.61 based on 192 salaries. In their late career (20 years and higher), employees earn an average total compensation of £9. (payscale.com)
As an essential and fast-moving industry, busy times such as Christmas might mean working longer hours or doing overtime. Temporary workers are paid hourly with rates ranging between £7 – £10 an hour. Pay may also be performance-related, for instance depending on the number of items packed by a warehouse packer.
In addition, browsing through the warehouse jobs in Felixstowe, this will give you an indication of typical wages and pay rates.
Warehouse Operative Career Path
With experience you could become a team leader or chargehand, or you could move into quality control, freight planning or distribution. As a yard person, with experience, you could become a yard supervisor, warehouse supervisor, or yard manager. A more formal path of progression could be an apprenticeship scheme with a training programme.
You could even work your way up to a warehouse Managers job, a really important part of the supply chain process.
