The global supply chain disturbance has had a ripple effect on many industries. Some sectors are grappling to stay profitable due to the hardships faced by supply chains. Although the supply chain disturbance impacts mostly manufacturers, warehouses, and distribution companies, other employees also feel the effects of this change. The extra pressure added to the respective workforces ranges in intensity. However, its effects are all the same. Here is how the current supply chain disturbance has put extra pressure on the workforce.
Employee retraining
The lack of equilibrium between supply and demand has disrupted many industries. As a result, supply chains face real challenges that need innovative solutions. As a result, many new technologies are being implemented to improve workforce performance. However, to achieve that, companies have to retrain their employees.
This requires time and effort from the employees, and without their cooperation, these efforts could be futile. As this requires time and effort, your employees might need to work a little overtime. If they feel fatigued, report this to your HR to avoid causing accidents.
Budget cuts
Some companies that play a pivotal role in supply chains received budget cuts. These budget cuts led to added pressure on workforces servicing this industry. In addition, due to staff members being laid off, some employees had to pull double the slack.
This is a risk to employees, and if an accident occurs due to added pressure, as an employer, you should readily compensate.
Staff shortages
One of the main drivers of this supply chain disturbance is a shortage of employees. The White House reported that there had been a record high of jobs, reaching more than 8 million vacancies. Most of these vacancies remain unfilled, creating a challenge for manufacturers, warehouses, and distribution companies. The staff shortage makes it harder for employees to manage their workload.
Instead of only carrying out their tasks, employees have to bear the yoke of other former colleagues that left their jobs. Unfortunately, work pressure due to a shortage of personnel could cause serious injury, so avoid such a situation by taking care of employees the best way.
Supplier sourcing
Although the supply chain disturbance affects employees working in factories and warehouses the most, it also impacts procurement teams. Employees working in procurement teams find it hard to source items needed by their respective companies. As a result, a significant portion of the global procurement workforce is under extra pressure to source items at reasonable prices.
This is not an easy task given the volatile import and export landscape that changes within a moment’s notice. Therefore, procurement teams are forced to source items locally, which is impossible in some cases. Moreover, that extra pressure harms the livelihood of procurement employees since they work overtime to get good deals.
Consumer dissatisfaction
Customer dissatisfaction is inevitable for most industries. There will be a phase where customers are not satisfied with the service or products they are getting. However, in most cases, this is easy to fix. By focusing on customer relationship management, some customers might come around and become loyal customers.
However, the kind of customer dissatisfaction facing companies currently is different. There is little they can do because sourcing items is complex, impacting price or product quality. Employees that are the face of the companies bear the full brunt of customer dissatisfaction. Those employees might try to work extra hard to please customers, which adds pressure to their jobs.
