Warehouse Team Manager Review

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at Gist. You are given a great deal of responsibility and have the opportunity to really test yourself. The experience you gain is so valuable and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I have been able to develop immensely, both personally and professionally, giving me a great foundation to start my career after university.

I integrated well into the team of Team Managers and felt like I was able to make a difference. Your opinions and suggestions are very welcome, and you are encouraged to challenge the norm in an effort to continuously improve. There are also various training days that grads/IPs have at Head Office that really add to how valued you feel. The training is geared towards how to thrive in a managerial position for the first time, and provides great guidance in communication and management skills.

You are provided with all the support and guidance that you need. My managers were always available to answer any questions I had, or to give any support I needed, especially whilst getting to grips with the operation. As you develop, you are given more of a chance to work independently, in order to find your own way of managing the shift, but there is always plenty of support around you.

Pretty much everyday throughout my placement I was kept very busy. There is always something that needs to be done, or kept an eye on, and it makes your days at work go very quickly. I never found myself clock watching waiting for the day to finish which makes work so much more enjoyable.

You start as a Team Manager, managing the day to day operation and managing the warehouse operatives. As a graduate/IP scheme, Gist grant you a huge amount of responsibility. You are able to take full control of a shift and make it your own. You have a real influence over the operation and are responsible for starting/finishing shifts, handing over to the nightshift and also ensuring we hit our picking target for the day.

The skills and experience I have gained from being in a management position have given me such a strong base to build on. I have been able to gain exposure to difficult situations and how to work through them productively so all parties involved are happy with the outcome. I believe that I am going to be able use the knowledge and experience from this placement year to greatly assist my degree. I have gained a strong sense of business awareness, and I believe I can refer back to my placement year whilst studying to help make sense of what I am learning.

There was always a good atmosphere in the office with the other Team Managers and other departments. Most of the time we are in the warehouse managing the operative, but I was able to get a long with all the other managers and I always looked forward to going to work.

Gist have a very robust placement scheme which provides all the information you need before and during your placement. If you ever do have any questions the emerging talents team are always happy to assist you in any way. There was great communication between myself and the depot before I started so I knew exactly what I was going into.

There were a series of very useful and engaging training days made available for all the graduates and IP's for that year. The aim of which is to provide the guidance needed when starting off in your first management role. It was also a great time for everyone come together, as you get to know your colleagues from that years intake. I was also able to complete a 3 day health and safety course that was very useful.

From starting on the IP scheme, Gist offer very appealing employment prospects for when you finish uni. You are able to complete a shortened graduate scheme, as you already have 1 years experience, and if you do well you are able to progress up the company nicely. You can find yourself in quite a senior position at a young ages. They want to try and retain all industrial placement students if they are successful in their first year.

There is a great chance to get to know everyone from your year throughout the various training days. Also, when you first start, there is a buddy/mentor night, when you get to meet graduates from previous years in a relaxed environment that follows a few days of induction to the company, where you meet the senior members of Gist.