3.3 Human resource management
Human resource management can be investigated from
different angles. Scheduling of the staff [28], psychological
considerations [29], and ergonomics issues and safety [30]
are the main areas explored in the literature. Chakravorty
[31] posits that academic research in warehousing and
material handling is mainly focused on technical factors to
improve performance, but usually neglects human factors.
Ergonomics of warehousing jobs is the most investigated
topic in human resource management. Such research
can be useful when designing material handling equipment.
Even the way that male and female operators [32] and
expert and non-expert workers [33] are performing can be
different. Awareness regarding such differences would be
helpful not only in design of the equipment but also in job
assignment in the warehouses.
The reviewed literature shows that human resource
management has been considered mainly from an ergonomics
point of view, i.e., how handling of different items
can have negative impact on the body. Apart from that,
researchers have also explored impact of exposure to carbon
monoxide from equipment, job rotation and psychological
aspects of warehousing work, even though their
proportions have been significantly less. Scheduling and
rotation of tasks in warehouses are among the everyday
work in most of the warehouses and distribution centers,
but have not attracted much research.