Good Jobs Principles: The Role of Ergonomic Warehouse Equipment

The U.S. Departments of Labor and Commerce have launched the Good Jobs Initiative, which seeks to “create a framework for workers, businesses, labor unions, advocates, researchers, state and local governments, and federal agencies for a shared vision of job quality.”

In other words, the goal is to answer a simple (but powerful) question: What exactly is a “good job?” The answer is multifaceted, as one might expect. After all, there are about 158.7 million non-farm jobs in the U.S. as of July 2024. Finding a set of principles that can be applied equally to all of those positions isn’t exactly easy.

Below, we’ll discuss the eight principles that the Departments have identified as indicative of “good jobs.” We’ll also explain how employers can attract more talent by designing the work to fit the worker. 

The Department of Labor’s Eight Principles of a Good Job

The eight principles below are intended to create a framework — not just for business owners and hiring managers, but for workers, unions, researchers, and government agencies. 

1. Recruitment and Hiring: Qualified applicants are “actively recruited,” and the hiring process is fair and free from discrimination.
2. Benefits: Full-time and part-time workers are provided with “family-sustaining benefits that promote economic security and mobility.” The Departments specifically mention health insurance, retirement plans, and paid leave as examples of key benefits.
3. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA): Essentially, workers do not face systemic barriers to employment or within the workplace.
4. Empowerment and Representation: Workers can “engage in protected, concerted activity,” including the forming of unions, without fear of retaliation.
5. Job Security and Working Conditions: Workers have a “safe, healthy, and accessible workplace,” with adequate hours and predictable schedules.
6. Organizational Culture: The company culture respects and recognizes the contributions of workers, and all workers contribute meaningfully.
7. Pay: All workers are paid a stable and predictable living wage, and wages are fair, transparent, and equitable.
8. Skills and Career Advancement: Workers have the opportunities and tools that they need to progress to other good jobs within their organizations or outside of them. 

Many of these principles are common sense — which is partly the point. The Departments of Commerce and Labor intend to create a definition that can be extended across industries. Identifying factors like pay and culture as important is a good starting point. 

For Employers, Focusing on Working Conditions Can Yield Results

It’s also worth noting that many of the principles of “good jobs" require an organizational commitment and heavy investment. Establishing career advancement opportunities means making a concerted, company-wide effort to build those opportunities and make workers aware of them. Likewise, focusing on DEIA or worker empowerment — while certainly important — is a long-term process. 

Among the eight principles on the Good Jobs Initiative list, working conditions are arguably the most directly controllable. In industrial workplaces, working conditions are also uniquely important: Poor conditions lead to high turnover rates, low job satisfaction, and low productivity. 

Research shows that ergonomic practices can make an extraordinary difference for both workers and employers. According to one study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine: 

• Over a 13-year period, the market performance of companies that integrated a culture of health and safety outperformed competitors by up to 325%.
• Ergonomic workplaces enjoyed a 75% reduction in lost workdays and a 43% decrease in labor costs.
• Those workplaces also saw a 48% average reduction in employee turnover and a 58% average reduction in employee absenteeism. 

The science of ergonomics is most effective when combined with the other features of good jobs — but investing in material handling equipment is often the fastest and least expensive path to a better workplace. And without ergonomic equipment, few workers will remain on the job indefinitely.

At BHS, we’re committed to helping our clients find ergonomic solutions. That may mean using Tilt Tables and Lift Tables to match the work to the worker, choosing ergonomic warehouse carts, or building completely custom equipment for optimizing a unique task. 

To discuss solutions or to find a dealer near you, contact the BHS Sales Department today at 1.800.BHS.9500.