Friday, March 29, 2024

Work through the issues

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The DairyNZ Southland/South Otago team, together with specialists from the DairyNZ people team, have been working with farmers to help improve productivity and staff retention rates in the region.
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Working to understand, lead and motivate people to produce the results farmers want onfarm is an area that a lot would prefer not to have to deal with, and can be a hard skill to master. The good news is that those skills can be learned.

The more time farmers spend developing themselves and their staff in this area, the easier it becomes. But as with learning any new skill, it can be a steep learning curve at the start.

This is reflected in where farmers place priorities in their business. How much time do they spend on cows and grass compared with people management? Understandably, most prefer to focus on what they’re comfortable with.

If they put the same amount of time and effort into staff selection, training, reviews and systems, the rewards around staff retention, sustainability and producing consistent results flow through the whole farm business.

Look at the recent publicity around hours worked onfarm as an example. Rather than just putting it down to seasonal fluctuation of workload, try taking time to work through the issue.

Long hours are a killer when we look at productivity onfarm.

The longer we work the less effective we become – we slow down and start making mistakes. The way we manage our spring sets us up for the whole season so the impact of getting things wrong flows right through to the bottom line of the business.

Do we have sufficient people on board or do we need some relief?

Why do we see similar farms staffed at the same level but the hours can be dramatically different?

Some staff are out until seven every night where others are done and dusted by 5.30pm. The answer usually lies in time spent implementing efficient systems coupled with good training.

Timesheets, rather than being a burden, can be a useful tool in this area. They help highlight where people are struggling to complete tasks in an acceptable timeframe and can also identify those working efficiently so we can learn from them and use that information to help the whole team.

This is only one example where working through the issue can produce positive results for the business.

The people space is the key to long-term success of any business.

The more time put into it, the easier life becomes for everyone.

DairyNZ has developed a range of practical resources to help farmers save time, money and stress in managing people.

QuickStart Recruitment Kits and People Productivity Kits can be ordered online at www.dairynz.co.nz. For other helpful fact sheets, tips and tools, visit www.peoplesmart.co.nz.

Richard Kyte is DairyNZ’s regional leader, Southland/South Otago.

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