Tackling the Driver Shortage the Home Bargain way!

During the research phase of Road to Logistics, I have recently had the privilege of speaking with the logistics team at Home Bargains.

We were discussing the national driver shortage and they had a really refreshing approach which I wanted to share with you.

Home Bargain conducted a forecast analysis back in 2015 and the results demonstrated that by 2020 they would be facing a real crisis unless they took some action.

After assessing the market, and listening to feedback from driving professionals, they decided that the best course of action was to change shift patterns to 4 on 4 off, and increase salaries by 19%, making their renumeration packages amongst the best in the UK. 

The results have been phenomenal, they currently have all of their driver roles filled, with a further 500 applications in their database. Staff turnover has dropped dramatically and feedback from the employees is that morale is at an all-time high.

Whilst there was an initial cost implication to raising the driver salaries, Home Bargain says that the business has been able to demonstrate considerable cost savings in other areas, due to lower agency costs, and because of the improvement in delivery efficiency. 

Whilst there are many reasons for the driver shortage crisis in the UK, and we definitely need to attract new talent into the industry, Home Bargains story without a doubt demonstrates the importance of ensuring that our drivers are happy, paid well and treated fairly. It’s not just the right thing to do – it’s a no brainer from a commercial perspective too.