Farming is an industry where many people turn up to work with a smile on their face because they enjoy what they do. If you employ staff you probably know the vibe of the team can often be measured by the way people respond to your “good morning”.
And you also know your day is better when their “good morning” is happy and genuine. Even in tough times this is true – a good team of people working together with a united purpose makes for a better day.
Getting your team working with you is a great opportunity, and often it won’t cost you any actual dollars, so right now it is a very positive step you can take for your farming business.
Ideas for right now:
Orientation:
If you have new people in your team, taking them through an orientation process is possibly the BEST use of your time – and the one that will help you really enjoy farming.
Orientation is about introducing your new employee to the farm business, other team members and their role onfarm.
It is about explaining, and training, your employee about “the way things are done around here”. At the end of a good orientation your employee should understand how your farm operates, the values and things that are important to you and your business, how they fit in and their role in making the farm successful.
To run a successful orientation might feel like an extra pull on your time in the short-term. But investing time and effort up-front will provide you and your employee with immediate rewards – increased productivity, reduced stress and high satisfaction and motivation.
Step by step:
• Don’t leave it to chance that you will cover off everything you need to – follow a good orientation process like that outlined in DairyNZ’s QuickStart Recruitment kit.
• Know what you expect from your employee. This means having a clear job description but just as importantly it means knowing what behaviour and attitudes you expect onfarm. Discuss these in detail with your employee.
• Ensure all paperwork is complete and terms and conditions of employment are understood.
• Discuss with your employee all aspects of your farm such as wellness, wellbeing, health and safety, animal wellbeing, farm policies and procedures and the farm business and its goals. Back up critical information with written paperwork and-or practical demonstration where relevant.
• Introduce and get other team members involved. Consider giving your new employee a buddy from the existing team, someone with whom they will work closely and who understands the day-to-day tasks.
• Take time to assess where your employee is at and create a training plan to bridge any skill gaps needed to complete the required tasks.
Conversations
Talk to your employees about the challenges that are happening in dairying right now and the impact they’re having on you. Everyone knows the payout is low but it’s good for your employees to understand exactly why you are making the decisions you are. If you have reduced stocking rate, explain why this is the right decision. If you want the team to do more farm walks and pasture management, explain the dollar impact it makes when you all get it right.
The old saying “no news is good news” is rarely right these days – no news or no talking generally just allows for people to speculate and think negatively. One of those thoughts might be they are about to lose their job and that is very bad for motivation and productivity. So keep talking – about the good and the bad.
Plan your roster for calving
For a successful calving you need to ensure you and the team are prepared, competent and enthusiastic – on day one of calving, on day 60 and every day in between. And that means you all need regular days off-farm and to work realistic hours.
This season there is a chance you’re going into calving with reduced team numbers, so it’s even more important you plan how the roster will look. Seriously consider employing someone to help with calving on a fixed-term employment agreement.
If you pay them $17 an hour for 40 hours a week for eight weeks, it will cost you $680 a week or $5440 total. Every dollar counts this season but that extra person dramatically increases the chance of a happy “good morning” and a great calving season – both of which will recoup those extra dollars and then some.
For more ideas on creating happy teams or to order resources mentioned above, visit www.dairynz.co.nz/people
• Jane Muir is people team leader at DairyNZ
