A day in the life of…Gabriel Brinza, Warehouse Team Leader

We chatted to Gabriel Brinza, Warehouse Team Leader at our Slough facility to find out more about what he does, why he likes working in fulfilment, and what a typical day (there’s no such thing!) looks like.

Q What does a typical day as a warehouse team leader look like?

A Well no day is really the same. But mainly, first thing I do a walk around to check health and safety elements in the warehouse and make sure everything is as it should be. Then I take a look at the orders for the day, assign priorities to them and talk to the team about all inbound and outbound activities. I then assign orders to the team and keep an eye on the process throughout the day to make sure everything is going smoothly and orders are being picked and packed on time.

Q How did you get into fulfilment?

A Well I worked at Amazon for a while as a warehouse operative before joining Fullers. I started here also as a warehouse operative, about six or seven years ago, gaining more experience and also driving a forklift. Then I was promoted to team leader, which enabled me to use all the skills I’d learned over the years.

Q What do you like about working in fulfilment?

A As I mentioned, no day is the same, and it’s that element that I really enjoy. You really don’t know what’s coming one day to the next, especially with client requirements being so diverse. For example, we have health & beauty, food, pet food and clothing brands, all with very different needs for storing and packing.

I even worked up at our Leamington Spa site when it was being developed, helping set up clients, the warehouse and products.

I am also responsible for onboarding new clients, and that’s interesting because you work with your team to get to make sure everything is set up properly in the warehouse, their requirements are being met.

Q What three characteristics are vital for your role

A Reliability, because a lot of people depend on you, from your team to the client and their customers. Taking that a bit further, you need the skills to manage your resources properly; make sure you’ve got the right capacity for the day to get the orders out on time and keep things running smoothly.

You need to be hardworking because it’s a fast-moving, sometimes challenging job. And finally, attention to detail. This is really important in making sure goods are picked, packed and dispatched correctly, and managing your team.

Q What advice would you give to someone starting a career in fulfilment?

A I’d say that you need to take the job seriously. You’re working in an environment where mistakes can be costly, so be careful and pay attention! But also, it’s a good industry to develop in, especially at Fullers there are good opportunities. I started here as a warehouse operative and forklift operator, and I’ve worked my way up to my role now as warehouse team leader.

Q What do you like doing outside of work?

A I like to swim and play football. I’ve also got a son who is a year old, so I love spending time with him. And once he’s old enough there will be swimming lessons and football with him!

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