A Warehouse Worker, or Warehouse Associate, is responsible for carrying out the logistics of receiving, processing, storing and sending inventory according to purchase orders and shipping schedules. Their duties include loading orders onto trucks and shipping containers, organizing incoming stock and putting the appropriate labels on outgoing parcels.

What Does a Warehouse Worker Do?

Warehouse Workers can directly work for a company or for a third-party shipping or storage company to facilitate the delivery of products to businesses and consumers. They work as part of a team to coordinate company operations and complete workflows in order according to schedule. Warehouse Workers accept orders, enter them into the warehouse database and keep track of how much of each type of item or material they have in stock. They operate picking and lifting machines according to safety regulations and keep aisles clear and free of debris to make it easy to access bins and pallets.

Warehouse Worker Skills and Qualifications

A good job description clearly outlines both required and preferred skills for that particular position. Ideally, include educational requirements, previous job experience, specific certifications or technical skills, soft skills and personality traits.

Some examples of warehouse worker skills include:

Warehouse skills are mental and physical qualities that enable you to perform warehouse-related work at a high level of competence and professionalism. Some skills are technical and very specific to the job, such as operating heavy equipment and packing machinery. Other skills are more general, involving administrative and organizational skills that would be valuable in any workplace.

Experience is often the best way to learn skills such as scheduling deliveries and shipments, monitoring supplies and keeping stocks organized. Since most people learn necessary skills via practical experience rather than formal education, warehouse workers come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some enter the trade right out of high school, while others become warehouse workers after earning a college degree.

There are also warehouse skills that require training and education. Using specialized monitoring and record-keeping software often requires a bit of training. This is also the case with operating packing and sorting machinery, as well as the heavy equipment used in transporting and moving heavy boxes.