WHAT DOES A WAREHOUSE ASSOCIATE DO?

Published: Dec 24, 2025 - The Warehouse Associate ensures smooth warehouse flow by processing inbound and outbound inventory, organizing stock locations, and preparing customer orders for dispatch. This role performs inventory counts, updates system records, and operates warehouse equipment to maintain accuracy, quality, and on-time performance. The associate maintains compliance and efficiency by following safety procedures, optimizing workspace organization, and supporting teamwork across daily operations.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Warehouse Associate

1. Warehouse Associate Duties

  • Material Handling: Perform the physical activities necessary to receive, sort, package, ship, and teardown inventory through the designated work stages in the facility
  • Inventory Staging: Move inventory to appropriate staging areas for further processing as per the statement of work
  • Asset Verification: Verify asset counts, sort, and label product
  • Line Loading: Load and unload product onto the production line to route to the appropriate area
  • Commodity Sorting: Identify and sort commodities into appropriate categories
  • Pallet Preparation: Consolidate and prepare pallets for shipment
  • Equipment Operation: Utilize material handling equipment
  • System Transactions: Maintain system transactions and paperwork that support and validate the processing and disposition of material
  • Quality Accuracy: Ensure quantity, quality, and accuracy of production levels

2. Warehouse Associate Details

  • Order Fulfillment: Assist in picking, packing, and shipping related products to end users
  • Shipping Methods: Assist in entering appropriate shipping methods, whether courier or freight
  • Returns Processing: Assist in receiving products from couriers and freight companies and executing appropriate return processes
  • Shipment Tracking: Utilize a computerized system to enter and track all shipments
  • Shelf Stocking: Stock shelves with products
  • Custodial Duties: Perform custodian duties to keep the environment clean and healthy
  • Database Maintenance: Understand and maintain database functions for operation
  • Inventory Checks: Perform routine inventory checks for inventory counts and obsolescence
  • Mailroom Distribution: Assist in periodic mailroom distributions to external customers

3. Warehouse Associate Responsibilities

  • Order Picking: Picking and preparing health care products for customers
  • Receiving Putaway: Processing incoming shipments and putting away orders to the proper locations
  • Quality Verification: Ensuring accuracy and verifying the quality of products being picked and received
  • Continuous Improvement: Actively participating in continuous improvement projects and initiatives
  • Mobile Equipment: Operating all types of warehouse mobile equipment
  • Recycling Sorting: Sorting packaging materials and processing items for recycling
  • Workplace Organization: Ensuring a clean and orderly working environment to improve the overall efficiency of operations

4. Warehouse Associate Accountabilities

  • Truck Loading: Unloads and loads materials to and from trucks for deliveries
  • Shipment Inspection: Unpacks and examines incoming shipments and signs for all incoming materials once a visual check indicates no obvious damage
  • Damage Reporting: Reports damage immediately to the delivery person and the supervisor
  • Order Verification: Compares identifying information of incoming shipments by verifying against the purchase order, packaging slips, invoices, orders, or other records
  • Forklift Operation: Operates forklift truck or uses hand truck to move, convey, or hoist shipments from receiving platform to storage or work areas
  • Material Delivery: Delivers parts or materials to QC and to other departments in the plant and routes non-inventory items to appropriate persons or departments in the office
  • Paperwork Delivery: Delivers completed paperwork to the appropriate department for processing
  • Shipment Preparation: Picks items from delivery orders, and prepares items for shipment by visual inspection, weighing and counting parts by using electronic and floor scales
  • Packing Accuracy: Compares items packed with customer orders and other identifying data
  • Packaging Staging: Stage items at the packaging station or pack items for shipment

5. Warehouse Associate Functions

  • Parcel Shipping: Processes UPS, FedEx, and other parcel package orders, catches errors and brings them to the attention of the supervisor
  • Shipment Inspection: Examines outgoing shipments to ensure shipments meet specifications
  • Label Verification: Verifies quantity, quality, labeling, and addressing of products and items of merchandise ready for shipment
  • Order Reading: Reads production schedule, customer orders, work orders, or requisitions to determine items to be moved, gathered or distributed
  • Material Requisitions: Fills requisitions, work orders, or requests for materials, tools, or other stock items and distributes items to production workers or the assembly line
  • Stock Relocation: Move materials within the warehouse (changing physical stock location)
  • Cycle Counting: Cycle count on specific items or areas as directed
  • Forklift Maintenance: Perform forklift maintenance (charging, battery water level, etc.)
  • Internal Support: Assist internal customers via telephone and/or when they come into the stockroom
  • Supply Inventory: Maintains inventory of shipping materials and supplies
  • Workplace Safety: Maintains work area, tools, and equipment in a clean, safe and orderly manner, and observes proper safety and housekeeping procedures