Employee well-being in logistics

Abstract

Although automation and digitalisation are rising in warehouses, humans still need to perform many tasks. However, finding and keeping qualified staff is a challenge. Although Industry 5.0 draws attention to humans again, many challenges must be overcome. This study examines how employee well-being can be increased in warehouses and how order pickers experience their well-being at work. First, a well-being framework was built based on the existing literature. Subsequently, a qualitative study was employed to discover the essential aspects and an in-depth understanding of order picker well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in six logistics companies. We used thematic analysis to analyse the data. Two main themes that came forward during the interviews are appreciation shown to the order pickers and the role of the leader. To continue this research, we focus now on the impact of leadership on the well-being of order pickers at work by conducting a case study.