While walking a warehouse with an old friend and ex coworker this week, he brought up what years ago we used to call our 1, 2, 3 of the day. It was a simple term we used for training new unloaders, sanitation, and order selectors. It came up as we were talking about how things are a little different in the workplace today. I won’t pick a side or even share my opinion on any right or wrong, but things are a bit different.

A quick example, well, let’s take the clerk position. My first job as a clerk I had a desk out in the warehouse. I had a company stapler, a 10 key calculator, a medal ruler, a wooden inbox on the right of the desk, and a handful of pens and highlighters. My computer was an older model with a wired keyboard and mouse that both got dropped like 5 times a week. Walking by a clerks desk the other day I saw a hello kitty keyboard and mouse, a framed picture of the spouse, a picture of the grandkids, what appeared to be a picture from a recent vacation or cruise, along with a decorative and matching set of pen, paperclips, binder clips, and post it notes holder. Of course, there was a cell phone charger and phone stand front and center, and a pair of work shoes off to the side. I think they changed shoes once at the desk. I think we’d all agree, the workforce talks and shares more about their outside of work activities than the old boomer group ever did! And that’s just a quick example, I think we all get the idea. Things are just much more social or comfortable, I think.

So anyway, the reason we were talking about the old 1,2,3 thoughts was because of those types of things and he had and employee come to him, questioning why he was so strict about the equipment pre trips being completed and everyone having to be in the start up area for the pre shift meeting at least 3 to 5 minutes early each day. He’d gotten in trouble a couple of times for both. That reminded us of the old training technique or program. I guess about now I need to throw in that I’m Marty and that I appreciate you stopping in here at Warehouse and Operations as a Career.

Today I want to talk about it, something simple, but incredibly powerful. Things that happen every single shift in every warehouse, distribution center, manufacturing facility, and production environment across our industry. It’s what I like to call the 1-2-3 of our day. Three things that set the tone for every shift, the Pre-Trip Inspection, the Start-Up Meeting, and Meeting Expectations.

Now none of these things are given the attention, no that’s not the right word, none of them are given the status they deserve. But I’ll tell you something after more than forty years in this industry these three habits separate the professionals from the people just punching a clock. If we get these three things right every day, our careers will grow, our facilities will run better, and most importantly, everyone goes home safe every shift

The first responsibility, or our number 1 of the day for any equipment operator, or anyone operating machinery, is the pre-trip inspection. Whether you’re operating a forklift, the stand-up reach truck, order picker, electric pallet jack, lets see, what else have we mentioned lately, oh, the floor scrubber, conveyor system or any type of production machinery, you should never just hop on and go. The pre-trip inspection is our first safety moment of the shift. And it serves two very important purposes.

First, it protects you. When you perform a proper pre-trip inspection, you are confirming that the equipment you’re about to operate is safe. You’re checking things like, fork condition, hydraulic leaks, tires and wheels, the steering, horn and alarms, any lights and warning beacons, battery or propane levels, safety guards and chains, and the brakes and lift functions. If something is wrong and you don’t check it, guess who ends up responsible when something happens? You, the operator. But if you perform your inspection properly and report an issue, you have done your job. You have protected yourself and others.

Second, it protects the company. Equipment failures can cause accidents, product damage, injuries, downtime and expensive repairs. A five-minute inspection can prevent thousands of dollars in damage. Think about that. Five minutes.

In many cases, pre-trip inspections are required documentation. So, when you take your pre-trip seriously, you’re not just protecting yourself and keeping yourself safe, you’re protecting and keeping your coworkers safe as well, and your supervisors, and your company. The professional operators I’ve known over the years all had one thing in common, they never skipped their pre-trip.

Once our equipment or machinery is inspected and the shift is ready to begin, the next critical moment of the day is the start-up meeting. This is our number 2. Now I’ve heard associates say things like it’s just a quick meeting, I already know what we’re doing, it’s the same thing every day. The start-up meeting is actually one of the most important parts of the shift, because this is where communication happens. And in warehousing and operations, communication keeps the wheels turning.

During a good start-up meeting, several important things are usually covered. First up would be the safety topic. Almost every professional operation begins the shift with a brief safety message. It might be about forklift awareness, proper lifting, pedestrian traffic, dock safety, and now with it warming up I’ll add hydration, ergonomics, and things like recent near-miss incidents. These small reminders keep safety fresh in everyone’s mind.

And when safety is discussed daily, it becomes part of the culture. Next comes the plan for the shift. Your supervisor may review things like expected case counts, number of loads to ship or receive, order volumes, any special projects we may have going on, inventory activities, and any staffing assignments. And we’ll learn about any operational updates or updates that may affect the shift like new procedures, any equipment issues or customer requirements, trailer schedules, quality concerns or maintenance alerts. The start-up meeting keeps everyone on the same page.

If you miss the start-up meeting, or show up late, you miss all that important information. You may not know the safety focus for the day, your assignment, production and productivity expectations, or process changes. And when someone misses that information, mistakes happen. That’s why professional associates treat the start-up meeting like it matters, because it does. Showing up early and ready tells your supervisors you’re serious about your job.

Ok, After the pre-trip inspection and the start-up meeting, the shift begins. Now comes the third part of our 1-2-3. Every warehouse, manufacturing facility, and distribution center runs on expectations. These expectations usually fall into three main areas. First would be productivity. In operations, productivity is measured and we hear terms like cases per hour, pallets per hour, lines per order, loads per shift, picks per hour, etc. Meeting productivity expectations doesn’t mean rushing or cutting corners. It means staying focused, minimizing downtime, working with purpose and confidence. See how I threw that in there from last week! Oh, and I want to add understanding the workflow. And I want to say again that when associates consistently meet productivity goals, supervisors take notice.

The second area is safety. Productivity is important. But safety always comes first. Meeting expectations here means following equipment and machine procedures, wearing required PPE, doing our part and reporting hazards, operating equipment responsibly, watching for pedestrians, taking shortcuts out of the equation. The best associates understand a safe shift is a successful shift. No load, no order, and no production number is worth someone getting hurt.

Another part of meeting expectations, or the third area, is how we end the shift. Good operations teams know the importance of setting the next shift up for success. Sometimes called setting the plate. That may include cleaning work areas, returning equipment, charging batteries, wrapping pallets, staging loads properly, completing paperwork, and reporting any equipment issues. In many facilities, people call this closing the doors. When the next shift arrives, they should be able to step into an organized operation, not a mess left behind. That’s professionalism.

So, I’ve said a lot. Remember earlier I said I wanted to talk about something simple, but incredibly powerful? Well, every shift in operations really follows the same rhythm, our 1, the pre-trip inspection. We confirm equipment is safe and ready. Our 2, the start-up meeting. We communicate the plan and align the team. And our 3, meeting the expectations. We execute the work safely, productively, and professionally. Three simple steps. But when we commit to these three habits, something powerful happens. Supervisors begin to trust us and the team. Managers begin to notice us. And Opportunities begin to appear. Because in the warehouse world, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that reliability is everything. The associates who build strong careers aren’t always the loudest, the fastest, or the most experienced. They’re the ones who show up every day and consistently do their jobs and meet their expectations.

So tomorrow when you walk into your facility, think about the 1-2-3 of the shift. Take your pre-trip inspection seriously. Pay attention during the start-up meeting. And commit yourself to meeting expectations throughout the day. 3 Simple things, right?

Well, thanks for checking in again today and I hope we gave you an idea or two, at least something to think about. If you have a topic you’d like a little information on, send me a message at