Warehouse work is one of the most searched-for jobs in Poland. Many people ask what it actually involves, whether you need experience and what an ordinary day on the floor looks like. We answer step by step, based on the job offers we run at HR Work.
What a warehouse worker does
A warehouse is where goods arrive from suppliers, wait on racks and leave for shops or customers. The warehouse worker keeps this flow moving without mistakes. The most common duties are:
- order picking: you collect products from the racks following a list shown on a scanner or terminal
- packing and labelling: you prepare parcels for shipping, apply labels and check them against the order
- sorting: you split goods by category, shipping destination or store
- receiving and unloading deliveries: you count goods, check documents and put products in their place
- internal transport: you move pallets with a hand pallet truck and, once licensed, with a forklift
In one warehouse you may stay in the same position for a whole season. In another you will switch departments depending on where the work is on a given day.
Scanner work, the heart of a modern warehouse
Most large warehouses today run on a system that guides the worker step by step. The scanner shows which rack to go to, how many items to take and where to put them. Scanning the code confirms every action. This means you do not need to memorise the layout of the hall or know every product.
You learn to use the scanner on day one, during the induction. It requires no education or computer skills. Attention to detail and basic Polish are enough, because the instructions on the screen are in Polish. Read more about this position on our page about warehouse jobs in the Masovian Voivodeship.
What a typical working day looks like
The day starts with changing into work clothes and a short briefing. The shift leader tells you which department you are in and what the plan for the shift is. Then you pick up a scanner and start the tasks the system sends you one after another.
During the shift you have breaks set by the warehouse rules. At the end of the shift you return the equipment, report any problems to the leader and finish. Most warehouses work in shifts. In HR Work offers you will find shifts starting in the morning, during the day and in the evening, usually 8 to 10 hours long. Before the holiday season shifts can be longer, because the number of orders grows.
Is warehouse work hard?
It depends on the department. Picking with a scanner means a lot of walking, sometimes more than ten kilometres a day, but rarely lifting heavy items. Unloading deliveries and pallet work are more physical. In packing and labelling you usually work in one place, at a table.
That is why both men and women work in warehouses. When choosing an offer, tell the recruiter what kind of work suits you and we will match the department to your abilities.
Which industry it belongs to and where it leads
Warehouse work belongs to the logistics industry. Employers include distribution centres of online shops, retail chains, car parts manufacturers, courier companies and logistics operators serving many brands at once. The industry keeps growing, because more and more shopping happens online.
You usually start as a picker or packer. Over time you can obtain a forklift licence, which opens the way to better-paid positions. We described this in UDT forklift licence in Poland. The next steps are shift leader, quality controller or goods-in worker.
What the employer expects
Most warehouse offers require no experience or education. Employers pay attention to a few things:
- punctuality and availability for shift work
- accuracy, because a picking mistake means a return from the customer
- physical fitness suited to the department
- basic Polish for people from abroad
- no medical contraindications, confirmed by the medical check we arrange before you start
What HR Work provides
For the warehouse offers we run, we provide legal employment, payments on time, induction training and work clothes. For many offers outside big cities we provide accommodation and transport to the warehouse. People from abroad can count on a coordinator who speaks Polish, Ukrainian, Russian and English, and on help with documents. See how legal stay and work in Poland works with HR Work.
How to start
Browse our current job offers and apply to the one that suits you. A recruiter will call you back, confirm the details and set a start date. Know someone who is also looking for work? Use our referral programme.
