Calling in the Bullpen 

Things have been going well at GHE. We are running like a well-oiled machine. We are growing each quarter despite the pandemic. It’s truly been amazing to be a part of. But what do you do when it’s time to grow? Your operation is already running so smoothly and all your employees get along great together. Your work station set up is perfect and there’s just a generally good flow to the daily routine.

But then one of our customers comes along and says they would like to add 10,000 more kits to what we’re already producing… and then we acquire another couple of projects that we need staff for. Now we have to introduce more employees to the warehouse. It’s time to expand, time to make moves. How do we go about finding the right fit to our perfect puzzle? How do we introduce new instruments to our well tuned band? Do we reach out to a temp agency? Staffing up is a huge obstacle for every business right now. Do we dial for dollars calling everyone we know? Do we place a random ad in the paper?

That’s where we developed the Bullpen–a group of staff that could be called upon to come and help whenever needed. We use the Bullpen staff a few times a month. They help us catch up when we have a lot of orders, but they also help with the day to day operations like making boxes, garbage and recycling, and labeling packages. This Bullpen opportunity allows the “new staff” to get to know our “veteran staff” and familiarize themselves with the workplace. This also allows management to see what type of skills they may have and how they could help out and fit into the puzzle on a more regular basis without a full employment commitment. This also only requires making one or two work station changes to fit these workers into the warehouse. It’s been such an amazing asset and I think many companies would benefit from having their own Bullpen. It’s a great way to incorporate extra staff during high volume times without disturbing the rhythm of your existing team.