What Distribution Centers Can Learn From Office Buildings

Rich Thompson

Chicago, IL—With the rapid growth of e-commerce, logistic facilities are the star players in the game of fulfillment. For example, in a typical distribution center a 500,000-square-foot facility might employ 100–150 workers to replenish retail stores. In a similarly-sized building, three-to-ten times as many people may be employed but they are focused on fulfilling individual customers’ online orders. Movement from palletized shipments to more frequent, smaller, individual orders is far more labor-intensive and those employers need to attract and retain good, skilled people.

In short, not only do retailers need to employ a skilled work force, they also need to ensure their distribution centers are attractive, productive, comfortable and safe. But while these attributes and their supporting amenities are typically found in office environments, a recent JLL white paper explores whether the same perks and amenities should be offered in distribution centers—especially when the quality and availability of labor is one of the biggest influencers on supply chain decision-making today.