HOW WE'VE PROGRESSED OUR CAREER IN LOGISTICS AT CO-OP

How and why did you first join Co-op Logistics?

Dale: I started with the Co-op about 6 years ago. I first joined as a Warehouse Operative through an agency. In all honesty, I was just looking for a job which paid well, but I’d heard good things about the Co-op from some people who had worked there previously. The depot is also a well-known employer in the area and the colleague benefits are pretty good too.

Lewis: I used to work in the pet industry as an Operations Manager for independent pet shops. Unfortunately, I was made redundant back in 2017. I had a friend at the time who worked for Co-op, and they told me the depot was a place you could get on if you put the work in. I joined as a Warehouse Operative on a temp contract initially, and then 5 months later I was made permanent.

How did you learn, grow and progress once you’d joined Co-op at Birtley depot?

Lewis: There’s always so much going on at Birtley, which kept me interested in staying with the Co-op and made me keen to explore other roles I could do in the depot.

I started in the chiller, working in the receiving department. I then became a forklift driver for a few years, and during lockdown in 2020 I stumbled across a route into training. Due to Covid, there was always some recruitment taking place, so I started delivering new starter training sessions. I was training others, became an MHE (material handing equipment) instructor where I got my certificate, and ran health and safety training while also working on the depot floor.

After 2.5 years in that role, I had the opportunity to apply for a secondment to a Warehouse Team Manager position. I was successful in applying and it has since opened up so many doors to support and develop people, whilst still having a hand in the training side of things.  I'm hoping to go permanent soon, so I can play a bigger role in managing my own team, and supporting and developing them. I love managing people, and my aim is to become a Shift Manager in the future, then who knows what else.

Dale: Even starting out as a Warehouse Operative, I was really keen to get an overview of the whole site. I worked across transport, stock and planning, and I was able to shadow other colleagues and get a feel for what it’s like to work in different departments. Eventually the time came to make a decision about my next move. I’d been recognised for my hard work and desire to do more, and when the opportunity came up I was encouraged to apply for a secondment as a Warehouse Team Manager.

I like challenges. I wanted to go home after my shift and felt like I’d been stimulated, like I'd solved something. My role is all about performance, and I really like the coaching element of being a Team Manager - I enjoy working with colleagues, helping them develop and getting them to where they need to be, just as my manager did with me.

In 2024, an opportunity came up to go onto the Team Manager Level 3 apprenticeship programme, which I grabbed with both hands. The apprenticeship has not only given me a qualification, but also loads of opportunities - I've been up and down the country visiting different depots, met loads of new people across the network and it’s really opened my eyes in terms of what is available out there.

Now, after 18 months, I've completed the apprenticeship. I'm back to my seconded Team Manager position which I’m still enjoying and I'm able to apply what I've learnt through the programme in real life scenarios. I am eagerly awaiting a permanent Team Manager position to become available, as I'd love to stay in leadership as that's where my passion lies with developing and recognising people.

Dale Burns & Lewis Archer, Warehouse Team Managers