Research project
Working in warehouses
- Start date: 1 October 2022
- End date: 1 October 2025
- Funder: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Principal investigator: Professor Niall Cullinane (Queens University Belfast)
- Co-investigators: Dr Emma Hughes (Leeds University Business School); Professor Tony Dundon (University of Limerick, University of Manchester); Professor Debra Howcroft (University of Manchester)
- Postgraduate researcher: Dr Conor McCabe (Queens University Belfast)
Description
This three-year Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) project aims to understand the nature of work in e-commerce fulfilment warehouses.
We are focusing on e-commerce warehouses of all sizes, from micro to multi-national, including business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C).
The project is examining various aspects of warehouse work, including the impact of same day/next day delivery and how different technologies are being introduced and implemented, such as warehouse management solutions (WMS) software.
Another focus of the project is on the influence and dominance of different business models in the sector.
Finally, we are interested in how warehouse work links to the UK government’s ‘Good Work Agenda’.
Research overview
To deliver on these aims and objectives we are collecting data from a range of actors across the sector. We are conducting interviews with employers, workers and broader stakeholders online and during research site visits.
The primary data is being supplemented by the analysis of secondary data on warehouse work from a range of sources. We have established an advisory board which includes relevant stakeholders and academics.
Contact: Dr Emma Hughes