Most 3PLs start with a spreadsheet. We started with people.
Instead of building a warehouse model around the lowest possible wage, we built our logistics operation around inclusive employment, vocational centers, and workers with disabilities. That decision changes everything: cost structure, quality, risk, and long-term resilience.
Choosing vocational centers over temp agencies
Traditional 3PLs rely on temp agencies and churn-heavy labor pools. Workers arrive with no context, no training continuity, and leave as soon as a better hourly rate appears.
Our model is different:
- We partner with established vocational centers and nonprofit programs.
- Jobs are designed for workers with developmental and physical disabilities.
- Work is structured as repeatable, stable tasks: kitting, packaging, light assembly, labeling, and order prep.
The result is a workforce that actually wants to stay, learn, and improve.
The hard math: what we pay and why we don't chase the floor
Cheap labor looks good on a quote. It rarely looks good in your returns, chargebacks, and customer reviews.
We accept:
- Paying for supervision and job coaching.
- Investing in training repetition and visual work aids.
- Building processes that assume human limits instead of ignoring them.
That cost is offset by:
- Lower rework and damage rates.
- More consistent throughput over time.
- Less chaos during peak seasons.
The "cheapest" 3PL often becomes the most expensive when you calculate error-driven costs. An inclusive employment model is built to avoid exactly those hidden losses.
Trade-offs: where this model is slower, where it is more reliable
Honest version:
- We are not the right 3PL for every product or ultra-frantic same-day model.
- Some workflows will be slower because we prioritize safety and comprehension over speed-at-all-costs.
But in return, brands get:
- Highly repeatable, well-documented workflows.
- Workers who know the product SKUs and kitting steps cold.
- Less volatility when the market whipsaws volume up or down.
We choose long-term reliability over short-term bragging rights.
How this structure reduces turnover and stabilizes operations
When workers are treated as disposable, operations become disposable too.
In an inclusive 3PL:
- Turnover is lower because workers have long-term support.
- Supervisors and job coaches build deep process knowledge.
- Incremental improvements are possible because the team actually sticks around to use them.
That stability is what allows us to maintain quality for brands year after year instead of re-learning the same lessons every peak season.
Quick FAQ
Why should a brand care how a 3PL staffs its warehouse?
Because staffing decisions show up in order accuracy, damage rates, and whether your inventory is treated as an asset or as filler work.
Is inclusive employment more expensive?
No. Inclusive employment puts building, equipment, and most importantly—people—to work who otherwise would not have had that opportunity.
Ready to partner with a 3PL that puts people first? Get in touch or explore our pricing.
