It might seem simple but if managers and owners take actions to create an environment where that happens they’re also likely to go from being good employers to great ones and that’s what the sector needs, he says.
And helping farmers move from good to great is exactly what’s behind the new DairyNZ and Federated Farmers-backed Workplace Action Plan.
It’s a major initiative also supported by industry groups such as Young Farmers, the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management, Dairy Womens’ Network, Rural Support and Primary ITO as well as government departments including the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, ACC and Worksafe.
It will give farmers practical tools and advice across a range of human resource areas helping ensure that, at a minimum, all employers are meeting their legal requirements but that they also know how to go beyond that.
The target is for 90% of dairy farm businesses to have a quality work environment by 2020, with the aim of not only attracting and retaining employees but also making the industry a genuinely enjoyable and safe place to work.
Currently it’s estimated more than 40% of dairy farm assistants turn over within a single year.
At the core of the Workplace Action Plan are five pillars:
- Balanced and productive work time
- Fair remuneration
- Wellness, wellbeing, health and safety
- Effective team culture
- Rewarding careers.
Underpinning these are the minimum legal requirements such as ensuring all employees earn the minimum wage when their total remuneration package value over a week or fortnight is divided by the actual hours worked over the period.
“We know there are still some farmers that need to lift the standard to make sure they’re meeting their legal requirements across all those pillars so they’re good employers, and the tools and templates that come out of this plan will help them do that,” Hoggard says.
“But what we really want to do is lift them above compliance and take them from good to great.”
So within each pillar, DairyNZ and Federated Farmers have defined what’s good practice and provided some ideas of what great practice looks like too.
DairyNZ people team leader Jane Muir says as part of the action plan a Good Practice HR (Human Resource) Assessment tool will be rolled out by early next year to help farmers gauge where they sit and what aspects of their people management they can improve.
It gives them self-help options, provides them with links to existing and new material and will also give them contact information for people management consultants.
Farmers and employees can also expect to see a greater focus on HR issues at regional focus and demonstration farms as well as discussion groups.
Hoggard says Federated Farmers and DairyNZ will build on their current strengths and areas of expertise with Federated Farmers promoting its employment resources such as employment agreements and its annual remuneration survey, templates and administrative compliance tools.
DairyNZ already has a big range of resources farmers can access through its online services and through its consulting officers and specialist people team members, but new tools and programmes are also being developed.
Farmers, employees and those associated with the industry are being invited to become “friends” of the action plan by signing up at www.dairynz.co.nz/WAP and clicking on the employer or employee section.
By signing up as a friend, farmers and employees show they endorse its outcomes and indicate they’ll work towards the practices as best they can.
They’ll get updated and targeted information on regulations and practical tools as well as notifications of upcoming workshops or events.
Targeted advice for employees
Farm owners and managers are not the only people getting help with employment matters in the new Workplace Action Plan – employees are also getting targeted advice.
DairyNZ people team leader Jane Muir says there are always two parties to an employment relationship and employees are often left out when it comes to resources on employment matters.
“Both parties are equally valuable parts of the equation,” she said.
The Workplace Action Plan gives employees advice so they understand what their rights are and what they should reasonably expect from their employer.
Rather than fuelling any level of conflict the aim is to give employees knowledge so they can be more confident in their employment relationship.
“Understanding what’s reasonable to expect may help as a mechanism to drive a level of change too.
“But it’s also about indicating what employees’ responsibilities are in the relationship as well and what they should be doing to ensure a good working relationship – the ways they can assist their employer.”
Employees are being encouraged to sign up as “friends” of the action plan to ensure they also get updated with any new rules about employment conditions and health and safety and can be notified about workshops or tools available on career pathways.
NZ Young Farmers is a supporting partner in the action plan.
Jessie Scobie started out as a dairy assistant two years ago and is now a 2IC, in her third season on a 600-cow dairy farm near Rakaia, Canterbury.
She’s right behind the action plan and says it’s a fantastic initiative, especially because it looks at employment from the employee’s perspective.
In spelling out what’s reasonable to expect, it gives employees solid information to work with if they experience problems.
“For people like me who want to progress it also shows you what you need to know as a manager when it comes to people.”
Much of the employment relationship comes down to good communication, she said. And that might be as simple as remembering to say please and thank you and have a real conversation.
“There’s a lot more to good communication than a good dairy diary.
“If people feel like they’re being treated as a person, not a work horse, then they’re going to feel valued and will go that extra mile for you. If staff feel they’re unsupported they’re just not going to hang around.”
Balanced and productive work time
Good practice
- Employees have regular days off, set by a roster system within the employment agreement.
- Employees can achieve good work-life balance.
- Hours of work manage fatigue, health and safety to good levels.
Great practice
- Farm team consists of the right people with the right skills to ensure workloads are achievable in the allocated time.
- Employees complete a variety of tasks offering appropriate physical and mental challenges.
- Employees working on a well-designed roster normally are not likely to: Work more than 50 hours a week; work more than 10 hours a day; work more than four hours in any day before a break is taken.
Fair remuneration
Good practice
- Minimum wages or above paid for all hours worked.
- Employment agreements are in place.
- Records are kept of hours worked and wages paid.
- Holidays and leave recorded.
- Formal accommodation agreements in place.
Great practice
- Remuneration provided is competitive with market and performance indicators for similar skills and experience.
- Time in lieu or hourly rate top-ups given in exchange for additional hours.
- Reward and recognition given aligned to individual employee values.
Scorecard approach
Industry progress towards creating a quality workplace environment will be measured and reported on using a scorecard approach across a range of employment metrics.
DairyNZ is also developing a measure of productivity per hour to set as a benchmark that will be incorporated into DairyBase and used in whole farm assessments by February next year.
The aim of the Workplace Action Plan is for 90% of dairy farming businesses to have a quality workplace environment by 2020.
To check the industry’s moving in the right direction at a fast enough rate, data will be collected from publicly available statistics such as ACC records using indices such as the annual total cost of ACC claims made by dairy farming businesses for work-related injuries.
That sits at about $20 million a year. On top of that conservative estimates show stress and fatigue cost the industry more than $100m/year in lost productivity based on a 25% reduction in capability for the 14% of farmers who are on average affected by burnout.
Reliable data isn’t collected on all aspects of each pillar so where applicable information about progress will also be gathered by incorporating relevant questions into existing farmer surveys.
The information will be put together to produce a scorecard of progress, which will be updated regularly and made publically available.
The Dairy Leaders Forum will use the scorecard to report industry results which will also be independently audited.
