Looking for a new job? Employment opportunities at warehouses and distribution centers are always in good supply — especially in West Valley, Ogden and Salt Lake City — but misconceptions about the industry often scare people away from applying. KSL Jobs is here to bust those myths and help you find out if a warehouse or distribution job could be the right one for you.
They don’t pay well
Gone are the days of picking for pennies and shipping for shillings. Warehouse jobs are paying better than ever these days, even more so than just a year or two ago. Scroll through KSL Jobs and you’ll find plenty of jobs offering wages between $15-18/hr, with many offering up to $20/hr. Plus, you usually don’t need to have an expensive college education to get started.
You’ll work in a huge warehouse (for a huge company)
When you hear “warehouse jobs” you might think of corporate giants and cavernous spaces, but many of the warehouse jobs in Utah and on KSL Jobs are for smaller, local companies. Not only do these jobs often give you the chance to be part of a close-knit team and enjoy more variety in your tasks, but they also usually allow you to work for a company in a specialized field. Warehouse giants often deal with all kinds of products, but with a local warehouse job you may get your foot in the door to an industry you might not have explored before.
Your job will be repetitive and physically demanding
A common misconception about warehouse jobs is that you’ll only be performing mindless, repetitive tasks. There are all kinds of roles and responsibilities that need to be performed around a warehouse, and they may shift by the day. Some different jobs include:
Because there are many responsibilities around a warehouse, you’ll see lots of job listings with vague titles like “Warehouse Workers” or “Warehouse Associates.” With these jobs, you’ll likely be a jack-of-all-trades, performing different tasks each day. For those that want even more variety, here are also many jobs available for delivery drivers that let you travel new routes every day. And while many jobs will include requirements that you be able to lift a certain weight, there are plenty of roles within a distribution center that are administrative, behind the scenes or not as physically demanding.
There are no perks
Warehouse workers get the short end of the stick when it comes to perks and benefits right? Wrong. In fact, they might even get a discount on that stick! More companies than ever are now offering full-time warehouse positions with benefits like health insurance, 401Ks and generous paid time off. In addition to these benefits, there are other perks to consider. Depending on what your warehouse specializes in, you may be offered discounts on products. That’s not much to get excited about if you’re shipping off industrial siding, but you could save a pretty penny if you’re dealing with everyday items.
The most common perks offered in our “Warehouse and Distribution” section were “Flexible work schedule” and “Flexible dress code.” For those looking to get even more flexible, sorry, there was no “Free yoga class.” But there are a few other exciting perks — the other top results were “Tuition reimbursement,” “Stock options” and “Start up.”
There’s no room for advancement
Not only can you advance within the warehouse to managerial and supervisor positions, but you can also advance within a given company or industry once you’ve gotten your foot in the door. This could mean becoming a larger scale shipping coordinator at your company, or gaining enough experience to become a buyer or salesperson within your specific industry. Just like any other industry, success in warehouse jobs is about connections and experience, and a dedicated employee can work their way up.
Find warehouse or distribution center jobs on KSL Jobs and take the next step in your career today.
