So, I sat down at the mic and I don’t have a clue what I’m going to talk about today! I’ve had a lot of questions come across over the last few weeks, let me look at those I guess. Oh, and I’m Marty and I appreciate you joining us here at Warehouse and Operations as a Career this week. Ok, where’s my bullet points. I’ve made a few notes on several of them, so let’s talk about a couple of those. Ok, a listener wrote that I mention retirement quite a bit. That’s an important topic so let’s start there.

Now I know, if you’re 20 years old unloading trucks, running a pallet jack, selecting cases at 180 cases per hour, or learning how to operate a stand-up reach forklift retirement does not enter your mind, you’re thinking about the paycheck because you’ve got bills to pay!

Retirement is not something you reach, it’s something you build. And whether you realize it or not, you are already working toward it every single shift.

When you start your career in the light industrial arena, you’re focused on making it through the probation period, learning the WMS, hitting your productivity numbers, maybe getting cross-trained or learning that next position and the next promotion. Retirement is nowhere on the radar.

But the truth is, the day you receive your first paycheck from a company that reports your earnings, you begin building your retirement record. Every time you punch in and your employer withholds taxes, you’re contributing to the system. And that system keeps score.

So Let’s talk about Social Security for just a minute. No politics. No noise. It probably should be said that I am no authority on the social security system or tax system and by no means a retirement advisor so take nothing I say today as gospel and if you have serious questions reach out to someone other than an operations guy!

So some notes I took from a quick internet search tells me that you earn work credits by working and paying into the system. You can earn up to 4 credits per year. Most people need 40 credits, about 10 years of work, to qualify for retirement benefits.

If you work “under the table” and your earnings aren’t reported, you are not earning credits. You might feel like you’re ahead today, but you’re stealing from your future self, and your future self will live with that decision.

Our earnings can matter more than we think. I understand that Social Security calculates your benefit based on your highest 35 years of earnings. That means that promotions matter, our raises matter. Those certifications will matter. Moving from general labor to equipment operator can matter.

When I talk about building a career instead of just working a job, this is part of what I mean. Higher reported earnings over time can mean hundreds of dollars more per month in retirement. And that difference lasts for the rest of your life.

Here’s something most young workers may not understand. Presently, you can begin drawing Social Security as early as age 62. But if you do, your monthly benefit is reduced. For many younger workers today, full retirement age is 67. If you wait beyond that, up to age 70, your monthly benefit increases even more.

Here’s how someone explained it to me. If you clock out early every shift, your paycheck is smaller. If you stay the full shift, sometimes even staying for the overtime, the paycheck grows and is larger. Retirement works the same way. And once you choose when to start collecting or drawing your social security, that decision follows you for life.

Here’s something else that we need to understand. Social Security was designed as a foundation, not the whole house! If your facility offers a 401(k), an employer match, a Roth option, make sure we ask questions understand those things. If your employer matches contributions, that is free money.

I’ve seen young associates pass on it because they “need every dollar right now.” I understand that. I really do. But even $25 or $50 a week, invested consistently over 30 or 40 years, can grow into something meaningful because of compound growth. Time is your greatest asset when you’re young. Not your strength and not speed or productivity. In this instance time is our greatest financial asset!

We all know Warehousing is demanding. Loading trucks, Selecting cases, operating equipment and working 10-hour shifts on concrete floors is rough. Your body is strong in your 20s, even in your 30s, you still bounce back. Then In your 40s, you start noticing things. By your 50s and 60s? You respect recovery time a lot more. Planning for retirement isn’t about quitting work. It’s about having options. And planning can get us there.

You’ve heard me mention Career planning vs. Paycheck planning. A paycheck mindset says “I just need this week covered.” Whereas our career mindset says “I’m building something that lasts.” When you show up on time every shift, protect your attendance record, willingly accept cross-training, maybe learn inventory control and learn dispatch, or learn how the operation works. You are increasing your lifetime earnings potential. And our lifetime earnings impact our retirement. Everything is connected.

I want to mention the forty credits. That’s the minimum many workers need to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits. Ten years of documented, reported work. That’s not a long time. But if you spend years bouncing in and out of undocumented work, quitting without records, or not paying attention to your earnings history, you can delay or reduce your benefits. It’s important to review your earnings record periodically, make sure it’s accurate. This is your future income.

If you’re 20-something listening to this start early, build skills, increase earnings, and think long term. Don’t sacrifice tomorrow for temporary comfort today.

I think retirement is about having the choice to mentor part-time, consult, volunteer, travel, spend time with family and friends, or simply rest. But choice only comes with planning.

You are already working toward retirement. Forty credits. Thirty-five years of earnings. Small weekly investments. Consistent growth and career decisions that increase long-term value. This is the long game. And in warehousing, just like in life, the long game is what matters most.

Ok, enough of all that. Here’s one more bullet point I wanted to mention. I jotted this down a couple of weeks ago, I don’t remember who asked about it, but I’m asked the question almost monthly. How am I going to get a job as a forklift driver if no company is willing to train me? A fair question, but honestly, most all companies train people to operate their forklifts. There are no shortcuts to becoming an equipment operator. I urge associates interested in being equipment operators to target a company within a distance from the house that you can commit to the commute for every shift. Make sure they are using the kind and type of equipment you’re wanting to drive and take any utility position to get your foot in the door with them. Show up every day with a great attitude and be willing to learn every task they offer you. After about 3 to 6 months of being that employee, approach your manager and share your goal of being an operator. Companies train their associates. An employee knows the warehouse, they know every item, they know how the warehouse flows and works. Yes, you can take a short course and pay for a license. That’s a whole story on its own, that I won’t climb up on my soap box about right now, anyway, what you’re likely to find is that the first question a hiring agent is going to ask is, how much experience do you have? When we get our foot in the door as an unloader, loader, maybe even a sanitation associate, or almost any general labor job, our management team is more apt to work with us. They already have an investment in us, and we’ve shown them, and now told them, that we have a goal, and a plan. We’re going to be the safest and most productive equipment operator they’ve ever trained. Companies do train operators, they have to train them because it can take many months, even years to be a productive operator. So to answer the question. Companies do train. In my opinion, we have to work ourselves into the position. Theres no class that can teach us everything. We develop those skills over time, through experience. And that’s my 2 cents on that!

Theres my own personal thoughts on two points today. I hope I mentioned something that helped you or got you to thinking about a plan. Until next week, please be safe at work and at home, stay focused on the task at hand. We all want to do it again tomorrow!

AMA – 2 Important Questions – The “R” Word & Forklift