Straggle Muster 146 - 11/3/2005
Staffing Issues - Don Fraser, Fraser Farm Finance
What are the issues around employing staff, training them and most importantly, keeping them! Also, some comments about staff relationship breakdowns.
The number one issue on most dairy farms, and in all business for that matter, is staff. Because farmers are often self-made men who have built the business from the ground up through sheer hard work, long hours, and total dedication, then we expect our staff to have the same approach, dedication and passion. If they don't show those qualities then as farmers we can get grumpy which sets the scene for trouble. I know this from first-hand experience.
So, how can we do it better? The first thing to do is a proper interview with the final few candidates. We need to ask more questions, find out more about them and how they would fit with our working values. Ask them about their ambitions and what their plans are for the future. How would the job you are offering fit with their plans? What are their strengths and weaknesses and where might their partner be going? What are the issues for them?
Because you will all be working on the same "factory floor" and therefore be in each other's faces, how will you get on and can you communicate effectively? Do they share some of your vision and will they buy into it?
Now, presuming you have found somebody suitable, don't just sit around the table and say 'the job is yours, see you on the 1st of June' because you have the job, and they want it. And so with the desire at its peak, it is time to get an employment contract and a job description signed.
An Employment Contract is the minimum legal requirement.
If you don't have these two important items completed prior to your new staff member being with you a month, then you are asking for trouble.
The job description should allow you to measure or quantify progress and specifically describe minimum standards. An obvious one is "do the weeds". What does that mean . could it be, do them occasionally and forget the back paddock. Or, does it mean, you don't want to see any weeds on flower at all. Be very clear about what you want and set the standards.
Time off is another big issue. It must be in writing, agreed to and signed off. What happens if things start to go wrong and it becomes a battle of wills? They want more and more time off, you have no reference point and it becomes a constant thorn in your side as to what actually happens.
Once you have the staff, retention becomes a key issue. It can cost a person his or her annual salary to replace and train somebody new. Extending that out, lose a staff member and it could cost up to $30,000 to replace them, let alone the grief.
Now, if you think you have got a staffing problem you will. If you know you have got a staffing problem then it's probably all over. This graph gives a really clear look at the deterioration that happens.
In summary, the dairy and farming industries must look after farm staff and look after existing staff. They are vital to the industry and to our farming future. We need to apply ourselves to the task and try to be better employers. If you don't feel you are up to all the formalities then get somebody suitably qualified, like Fegan & Co to assist you.
And finally, there are employment lawyers circling now who will make your life expensive, stressful and difficult if you do not get it right and put the correct structures in place.
Don Fraser, Principal of Fraser Farm Finance, is a consultant to the rural industry. You can contact him on 07 863 4885 or 021 951170 or visit his company website at: fraserfarmfinance.co.nz.
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