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- TOP 5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN THE WARMEST JACKETS
- WHY DO YOU NEED COLD WEATHER BIB OVERALLS?
- 5 ALL WEATHER JACKETS YOU CAN WEAR IN ANY SEASON
- 5 WORK SWEATSHIRTS AND HOODIES THAT ARE PERFECT FOR FALL TEMPERATURES
- 7 OF THE BEST WORK JACKETS FOR MEN
- 8 BEST HIGH-VISIBILITY JACKETS FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
- COVERALLS vs. BIBS: WHICH ONE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
- HOW AND WHY TO CHOOSE A PUFFER JACKET
- HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST INSULATED BIB OVERALLS
- HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT FLEECE JACKET
- BEST INSULATED GEAR FOR WOMEN
- OUTWORK ANY WEATHER WITH PREMIUM JACKETS
- THE BEST PANTS FOR COLD WEATHER
- TOP 7 FEATURES OF A SUBZERO SWEATSHIRT
- WHAT ARE THE BEST SWEATSHIRTS TO WEAR FOR COLD WEATHER?
- WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DOWN JACKET AND A PUFFER JACKET?
- WHY AND WHEN TO WEAR A VEST FOR WARMTH
- TOP 4 OPTIONS FOR SPRING AND FALL GEAR
- 3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HIVIS WORKWEAR
- TOP 5 MUST-HAVE FEATURES FOR RAINWEAR
- WHY DO YOU NEED A FREEZER SUIT IN THE GROCERY BUSINESS?
- WHY YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR BREATHABILITY AND WICKABILITY IN COLD WEATHER WORKWEAR
- CUSTOMER STORIES: BEST INSULATED BIB OVERALLS FOR WOMEN
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Footwear
- 6 MOST DURABLE COLD WEATHER WORK BOOTS FOR MEN
- CASE STUDY: KEEPING CREWS ON THEIR FEET WITH PROPER FOOTWEAR
- HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SIZE WORKBOOT
- HOW TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR WORK BOOTS
- HOW TO FIND THE PERFECT WORK BOOTS FOR LANDSCAPING
- THE SCIENCE BEHIND MOISTURE-WICKING SOCKS
- YOUR FEET WILL THANK YOU FOR WEARING THESE WORK BOOTS
- 5 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE BEST WORK BOOT
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Gloves
- TOP 5 WATERPROOF WORK GLOVES
- 5 UTILITY GLOVES THAT KEEP YOU WARM IN EXTREME COLD
- GIVE COLD THE FINGER: TOP 5 FEATURES OF PREMIUM GLOVES
- HOW TO USE GLOVE LINERS
- TOP 3 ADVANTAGES OF PERFORMANCE GLOVES
- 3 WAYS TOUCHSCREEN GLOVES MAKE YOUR JOB EASIER
- TOP 4 THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN WATERPROOF GLOVES
- HOW TO WEAR GLOVE LINERS ON THE JOB
- 9 WORK GLOVES BUILT FOR SERIOUS PROTECTION AND PERFORMANCE
- 9 MUST-HAVE FEATURES FOR WAREHOUSE WORK GLOVES
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Garments
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RefrigiWear Knowledge
- 10 ESSENTIAL PIECES OF COLD WEATHER GEAR FOR FARMERS
- 10 TIPS FOR WORKING SAFELY IN COLD WEATHER
- 3 REASONS WHY FREEZER SUITS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR WORKING IN THE COLD
- A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO WORKING OUTSIDE
- ADVANTAGES OF SYNTHETIC INSULATION
- COLD WEATHER GEAR FOR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
- HOW TO AVOID DRAFTS IN COLD WEATHER WORK CLOTHES
- HOW TO STAY WARM FROM HEAD TO TOE IN COLD WEATHER
- HOW TO STAY WARM ON THE JOB SITE
- HOW TO STORE WINTER WORKWEAR FOR THE SUMMER
- HOW TO USE REFRIGIWEAR COMFORT RATINGS TO CHOOSE INSULATED GEAR
- THE HEALTH RISKS OF WEARING TOO MUCH COLD WEATHER GEAR
- THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER FOOT CARE WHEN WORKING IN THE COLD
- THE ULTIMATE SAFETY CHECKLIST FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IN COLD CONDITIONS
- WHAT SHOULD I WEAR FOR SNOWMOBILING?
- WHAT’S THE TOUGHEST GEAR FOR COLD WEATHER?
- WHICH TYPE OF SLEEVE IS RIGHT FOR YOUR WINTER ACTIVITY?
- TOP 5 COLDEST AMERICAN CITIES AND HOW TO STAY WARM
- TOP 4 TIPS FOR WORKING IN THE RAIN
- 5 TIPS FOR MOTORCYCLING IN WINTER
- HOW TO DRESS FOR THE COLD IN 4 EASY STEPS
- A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO STAYING WARM WHILE WORKING IN THE COLD
- HOW TO STAY WARM WHEN WORKING IN THE COLD
- Stories
THE REAL COST OF HIGH EMPLOYEE TURNOVER
When it comes to high employee turnover, many managers assume that's just how it is in their industry, or accept that it is part of the cost of doing business. But what’s the actual cost of employee turnover?
It’s much higher than you realize.
Turnover Costs Add Up Quickly
It’s fairly straightforward to tally up the tangible costs of replacing an employee: posting ads to job boards, a recruiter’s time for reviewing resumes, time used for interviewing and the new employee’s training period.
But the intangible costs add up just as quickly and can actually be more impactful for a company:
- Short-term lost productivity is lost from 2 employees because the new, inexperienced hire has lower productivity and the employee performing new-hire training is slowed as well.
- Long-term productivity is lost from 1 employee because it may take a new hire 1-2 years to reach the productivity of the experienced employee you lost.
- New hires can make costly errors that impact your customers and that take up time for otherwise productive employees to correct.
- Employee turnover also adds costs due to safety risks, as new hires may not be familiar with the work environment and required safety precautions.
What’s the Average Cost of Employee Turnover?
Turnover and replacement costs for semi-skilled workers, such as truck or forklift drivers, can be as high as 30%-50% of their annual salary. Costs to replace general warehouse workers can be an additional 16% on top of their annual salary.
Unfortunately, many managers see this data but don’t know how to address the issue. Though there are many reasons for higher turnover, especially in hourly-wage jobs, one of the biggest complaints cited for leaving a job is employee satisfaction.
When employees don’t feel safe, comfortable, and appreciated, they become disengaged from the job. Their performance and productivity wane, and sooner or later, they leave the job.
How Increasing Employee Satisfaction with PPE Can Reduce Turnover in Refrigerated Environments
Recruiting employees to brave the constant, brutal cold of refrigerated warehouses, blast freezers or climate-controlled food processing facilities is already difficult. But neglecting factors that impact employee job satisfaction, such as adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), can make a tough job even harder.
Cheap Gear Underperforms, Restricts Productivity and Requires More Frequent Replacement
Choosing cheaper protective gear that doesn’t last or adequately protect employees will cost you more in employee replacement costs and lost productivity. Spending $50 more each for 10 $13-per-hour employees, for example, may be more in upfront costs, but losing just a couple of those employees due to inadequate equipment would cost you twice as much to replace.
Inadequate Protection Leads to Dissatisfaction
Workers in refrigerated environments have unique challenges, including uncomfortable temperatures and mandated recovery time outside of the cold. Inadequate apparel that wears out quickly or allows for cold spots will lead employees to discomfort and impact their ability to perform well, leading to frustrations with the job. Whether it’s choosing the right jacket and gloves, or the all-important comfortable footwear, correctly outfitting your warehouse team in cold environments may be one of the biggest factors in creating satisfied employees.
Poorly Made Gear Hurts Production
You want to keep great employees who value performing well. Losing a high-caliber employee due to bad gear is a tremendous cost. One of your greatest risks may come from giving them the wrong tools and gear to do their job. After all, a great employee who strives to perform well but is limited by sub-par equipment will eventually become frustrated and leave. Things to consider in purchasing the right protective gear for the cold are whether it provides the right amount of protection while also providing a full range of motion, if it reduces recovery time, and if it provides extra functionality (like extra pockets on jackets or grips on gloves).
Safety Enhances Satisfaction
Obviously, recordable safety incidents will cost companies money. However, employee satisfaction is also impacted by safety in the workplace. This is especially true in cold environments, where health safety is as much a concern as forklift or machine safety. Keeping employees protected from the cold, whether in the warehouse, on the loading dock or driving a truck, will enhance safety and employee satisfaction.
Who Pays for Gear Affects Employee Productivity
Requiring protective gear but making the employee pay for it is a sure way to drive down employee satisfaction and loyalty. Employees are more likely to buy cheaper or inadequate gear for extreme cold, which leads to the issues impacting employee satisfaction mentioned above.
The Bottom Line: PPE and Employee Turnover
When managers are deciding on PPE for refrigerated or climate-controlled warehouse, they only consider the cost of the PPE instead of looking at the bigger picture of how PPE impacts employee productivity and satisfaction. These managers should be thinking, “How does my choice of protective gear impact productivity, employee satisfaction, safety and costs now and in the future?"
Employee turnover can’t be eliminated completely, but it can be reduced by considering employee satisfaction and how small changes in your approach PPE can result in a large reduction of costs by reducing turnover.
Shopping for a Team?
If you need help selecting PPE or insulated workwear for your employees, please contact RefrigiWear Customer Service.