Creating Culture in the Freight Brokerage Arena

Logistics, Supply ChainIn an environment where unemployment rates are low and freight brokerages saturate the market, establishing culture is key to bringing in quality talent.Jason Roberts, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Avenger Logistics, LLC, 423-664-3568In most major cities across America, working at a freight brokerage has become an increasingly desirable profession. It has also become one of the fastest-growing jobs in the country. One of the biggest challenges these logistics companies face is how to attract and retain top talent when there are simply so many different freight brokerages to choose from in a given market.The MarketThe city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, is home to a little shy of 200,000 people, but there are at least 20—25 asset and non-asset-based freight brokerages in the city. That's a lot of competition! Avenger Logistics has been able to separate itself from other brokerages and become an industry leader when it comes to creating a culture of positivity that balances competition and celebration of both individual and team wins.Priorities as a CompanyFrom a culture standpoint, inclusion and empowerment must be a constant focus for leadership. Dedicate a fair amount of time to strategizing on how to creatively maintain different monthly contests, reward-based excursions, company lunches, and regular meetings to make certain that everyone in the company has an equal opportunity for success. For example, Avenger has put in a full-service gym and chapel in the office to provide employees with positive enrichment. To attract quality talent, a business has to try and make its facility the best place any person has ever worked in their lives.Contests and CompetitionKeeping your employees motivated and engaged in the workplace has to rank high on a company's list of priorities. Retention rates hold strong when individuals are driven by positive culture.The worst thing a company can do is continue to have the exact same contests month in and month out, as the novelty can wear off fast. How do you keep pumping out fresh contests? Ask your people for input! Nothing creates a better culture than empowering your people and letting them see their ideas come to life.Capture the Flag: How It WorkedOne great example Avenger adopted for one month was Capture the Flag.Each time someone gets a new customer they are able to bring the flag to their desk. Each time someone gets a certain profit margin amount (ours was $500 or better) they bring the flag to their desk.At random points throughout the month, week, or day, Avenger established preassigned times that awarded whichever group had the flag at that time with various prizes. Some of those prizes included things like group lunch being brought to the entire team, escape room adventures, axe throwing sessions, etc.On an individual level, each time someone grabbed the flag they received a lottery scratch-off ticket to reward both themselves as well as their teams.Adopt ideas like this and your company will reap the benefits of creating culture that keeps employees loyal to your brand.