The Effects of Put-away Errors and Time Pressure on Warehouse Worker Stress, Productivity, and Order Picking Accuracy

Warehouse workers are critical to the success of any business and supply chain. It is important to understand different factors that can influence an employee's performance and satisfaction at work. In order to determine some best practices, 173 students at Arizona State University participated in an online warehousing simulation in a controlled laboratory setting. Participants were subject to different combinations of time pressure and put-away errors (i.e. when items that need to be picked by a warehouse worker are not located where they are supposed to be). A preliminary analysis shows that the largest impact is that of time pressure on worker productivity. As time pressure increases, the time required to complete a task decreases. The trade-offs of using time pressure as a management option are discussed.