Fix your Company Culture for Supply Chain Success

Deadlines breathing down your neck, missing information driving you crazy, countless moving parts and the constant blame game... You know it well, working in logistics can be a tough gig.

Not to mention the uncontrollable market volatility and resulting mass layoffs, ratcheting up the stress levels. It's not even February and as many as 113 companies have faced mass layoffs this year.

‍We would know.

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In 2022 our team more than doubled. We opened three new offices and expanded five teams. This rapid growth put our company culture to the test. Yet get this. Our company culture results from our 2022 staff survey boasts glowing reviews from our team.

So how have we done it?

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1. Empower

Empowered employees run on autonomy, impact, confidence and meaning. For us, this means integrating balance into our team's workflow.

With this intention, we're proactively ensuring our teams have clear goals and timelines that are challenging yet achievable.  Furthermore, we have each team present their goals to one another to paint a clear vision for how, together, we're achieving a shared vision.

Meanwhile, company wide wellness events including meditation, stretching, bowling, putt putt and more, foster the relationships among employees.

"I know that the whole point of this was not to provide glowing reviews at every point, but I have to say, joining this team is so far to date one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I have never felt so supported in every aspect of my work and personal life and for that I thank you for giving me the chance to be involved in this awesome opportunity. I am honestly looking forward to the future"

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Ask yourself: does my team feel like their work matters? Do they have a sense of autonomy and choice? Do they feel that they can express their opinions and concerns?

2. Communicate

Having strong communication means more than just using Slack or Microsoft Teams. Rather, building open, bidirectional lines of communication builds trust among employees and aligns everyone towards a common goal. This means encouraging your team to speak up, actively listening, and giving feedback.

Accordingly, we do this through 'Ask the Founders' sessions. Thus, the whole team can come together and ask the founders anything in relation to Explorate, industry and beyond.  

When was the last time you checked in with your team?

Also, make your team feel heard through an anonymous staff survey. More importantly, address the challenges raised by your team and take stock of the opportunities.

Simultaneously, take note of your results and use this metric to drive meaningful change within your company culture.

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3. UpSkill

Our industry is going through some rough waters, with more unpredictable and volatile conditions than ever before. Making use of the tools available lightens the load on your team.

Does your team get the chance to learn new skills and try out new freight forwarding tools?

Trying new technologies gives you a sense of growth and development, while making you more efficient and able to face stressful situations with confidence.

"The short time that I have been here has exceeded my expectations. Most companies talk the talk, but very quickly it becomes apparent that intention does not equal action. So far Explorate has delivered the culture and work-life they promised. I am really looking forward to this continuing in the future."

Learn more about some great tools to up skill your team here.

We can help

Don't worry if you're not hitting all the marks just yet. Start by making small tweaks in your current company culture which can add up to great changes in the long run.

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We're here to help you streamline your supply chain and strengthen your company culture. We have some great tools that'll give your team a boost of empowerment and efficiency.  Contact us, we're always happy to chat. Follow us on Linkedin for more freight forwarding insights.