Real-time performance monitoring, goal-setting, and feedback for forklift drivers in a distribution centre

In this study conducted in two auto-parts after-market distribution centres, immediate performance goals and feedback were delivered to employees in a warehouse on wireless vehicle-mounted computers. Engineered labour standards (ELS) calculated work-unit goal times and presented the driver with immediate performance feedback. Ultimately, the ELS feedback was linked to the company's forklift driver team pallet-per-hour quota achievement. Replenishment performance for forklift drivers (N = 12) was improved by 2.14 pallets per hour when an intervention package that included the depiction of goal times and immediate performance feedback on wireless vehicle-mounted computers and a newly developed ELS. The implications of these findings, limitations, and safety issues are discussed in terms of operational issues regarding ELS in large industrial settings.