What is a warehouse operative?
A warehouse operative is someone who works in a team to get goods to customers. This job involves safely unloading items, packing them carefully into boxes, and collecting specific orders to be sent out to people. They deal with goods and products that come into the warehouse or a stockroom.
How to become a warehouse operative?
You can go directly into this job as you may not need qualifications, but some employers ask for GCSEs at grade 4 (C) in English and maths, or equivalent qualifications. It’s usual to start through temping or seasonal work. It would also be useful to have a full UK-issued driving licence, and your employer may require you to do forklift truck training.
Warehouse operative duties:
There are many roles and responsibilities of a warehouse operative, including:
- Collecting items from throughout the warehouse, preparing and completing warehouse orders for delivery or pickup according to a schedule
- Checking for damaged or missing items and then sorting stock for storage in the warehouse
- Performing inventory controls and keep quality standards high for audits
- Communicating and cooperating with supervisors and coworkers
- Preserving safe and clean work environment by keeping shelves, pallet area, and workstations neat
- Maintaining truck or van by completing preventive maintenance requirements and arranging for repairs
Warehouse operative skills:
To be an effective warehouse operative you’ll need certain skills and competencies. The following are often cited in job vacancies:
- Teamwork
- Good organisational skills
- Ability to meet the physical demands of the job
- Data entry skills
- Problem solving skills
- Flexible and willing take on a variety of tasks
- Dependability
How to find a warehouse operative job
These jobs are advertised online, in local newspapers and at your local jobcentre. To find all the warehouse operative jobs near you, you need to:
- Search for warehouse operative jobs on popular job websites such as; Indeed, Total Jobs and CV Library
- Use the DWP’s Find A Job Service
- Check local newspapers and local Facebook groups, especially groups dedicated to local jobs
Warehouse Operative Job Titles
When you search for warehouse operative jobs online, be aware that the jobs might be advertised using a different job title. Popular job titles for warehouse operative jobs include;
- Warehouse worker
- Warehouse associate
- Warehouse assistant
- Picker / Packer
What does a warehouse operative do?
The day-to-day tasks of a warehouse operative include;
- Taking delivery of goods and storing them
- Checking for damaged or missing items
- Moving stock by hand or with machines
- Packing and wrapping goods
- Loading goods for sending
- Keeping stock records
- Cleaning the warehouse