Staff Management ???

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
How can anyone get any work done in a tie? It's a major health and safety issue for a start.

If I wore a tie it would be minging by end of day. sh!t, oil, grease, chemicals and blood

PPE? Tidy working?


Ties still worn by livestock handlers in the ring and a lot of farmers here. They obviously aren't wearing their Sunday best, but often a tie will be worn as part of their working apparel. I can't talk because I don't wear one but I respect all the working folk I know that wear ties, not because they wear ties but because they seem to take the same pride in their work and dealings as they do in their appearance.

The forces wear uniforms for a similar reason. If you can keep yourself neat and tidy then just maybe you stand a chance of keeping the whole job neat and tidy.

As I say, I'm not one to talk as my personal attire leaves a lot to be desired but maybe there is something to be learned. Maybe I should make more effort to cultivate an aura of tidiness, respect and efficiency?

When I was six years old I was sitting in my grandparents house after the death of my grandfather with grandmother who was relinquishing the tenancy. Lord Carrington's agent was sat with us at the kitchen table waiting to interview a prospective farm manager as they were taking my grandparents farm in hand. The prospective manager arrived in his car with his wife and family. The agent said he knew he would give him the job before he even knocked on the door as he could see from the window that he and his family were well turned out and his car was clean.

I think we have lost a lot of pride generally over the last half century and we are worse off for it. Some people might laugh about the lorry driver turning up in a tie with polished chrome work etc, but I don't. I think good on him for creating the right impression.
 

Pilatus

Member
Location
cotswolds
Human Resources


I was told the following story. A couple of guys sold out their company to a cmpetitor for a few million,with in a year or so the company they sold out to were in financial trouble. The guys who sold to them discovered that the company had drained its finances substantially by over spending on staff in its Human Resources dept!!!
 

Dan7626

Member
People management is deeply personal. Wondering if your staff or bosses are also on TFF might be why we don't talk about it much! Plenty of threads about motivating people and how cheesed off others are even if that wasn't the origin of the thread. The staff pay threads make for good reading. What you say if you knew your boss was reading your posts @Dan7626 ??

Different people have different methods. Some lead by example. Some dictate but listen too. Some wear a tie but will have other skills that make them good leaders or managers. Others set a bad example but can run a business quite well, with the right people around them. Some just don't get it at all.

I wouldn't be able to do the jobs I ask my staff to do as well as them - they do it all the time and I'm juggling lots of other things too. There isn't a job on the farm that I can't have a go at even if I'm not the best at it. I have to fill in if one of them wants to go to an appointment even if it's during harvest. At least I get to see what they complain about with my own eyes! Can I manage staff? You'd better ask them... I know that at least one of them looks at TFF occasionally.
My boss is actually on here. I wouldn't mind if he did see this.
 

simmy_bull

Member
Location
North Yorkshire
A couple of lads where I work sometimes decided to have an off the cuff "meeting" with the boss as they were abit fed up with one thing and another I said I take my hat off to them it takes guts to do a thing like that with a boss who's not exactly the greatest people person:rolleyes:

Would like to think if I ever had staff they could come and talk to me.

@Dan7626 you say you sometimes get treated like it's your first day. Does your boss never ask for an input or an opinion?
 

Ukjay

Member
Location
Wales!
My boss is actually on here. I wouldn't mind if he did see this.

For what its worth, if he is on here and reads what you are saying, personally I wouldn't blame him for coming back at you hard, as openly chastising someone without the other side of the equation for all to see is a subjective action imho!

Now don't get me wrong, it is not what you are saying - it's how you have gone about it, as you have aired your frustration on an open forum whilst at the same time calling him a pita.
People get fired for this kind of thing in todays society - so one would always advise caution when talking about the company you work for on a forum, facbook etc, or you could just find yourself out of the house that is one of the things keeping you working there.

Maybe it would have been more prudent to have a private meeting with him to air your concerns / frustrations in an amicable manner possibly over a cuppa and being open to accepting his potential frustrations with you (or his business, family problems etc), not simply post a one sided view out in the open.
For all we know, you may actually be contributing to his frustrations, and between the both of you - you are too frightened to face up and broach the subject!
 

Dan7626

Member
A couple of lads where I work sometimes decided to have an off the cuff "meeting" with the boss as they were abit fed up with one thing and another I said I take my hat off to them it takes guts to do a thing like that with a boss who's not exactly the greatest people person:rolleyes:

Would like to think if I ever had staff they could come and talk to me.

@Dan7626 you say you sometimes get treated like it's your first day. Does your boss never ask for an input or an opinion?
He does ask for my input but then usually ignores it. Since I've been here I've not really advanced at all. I would love to be given more responsibility whether it be arranging deliveries, organising machinery servicing etc. I don't have sit down meetings with the boss and his wife to discuss things, I think it's something I need to suggest.
 

Ukjay

Member
Location
Wales!
He does ask for my input but then usually ignores it. Since I've been here I've not really advanced at all. I would love to be given more responsibility whether it be arranging deliveries, organising machinery servicing etc. I don't have sit down meetings with the boss and his wife to discuss things, I think it's something I need to suggest.

May I ask how big the business is, is it just you plus the farmer and his wife - or are there other employees?
 

Dan7626

Member
I think I'm going to go back through my posts and delete/edit a couple. As has been said I don't want to end up getting kicked out with a wife and 2 boys to look after. After reading various posts on here I'm going to have a word and try and sort things out properly. I have huge respect for my boss and what he has built up, I just hope I get listened to and I hope it makes a difference.
 
My boss is also a member, and another chap that i work for, I'm not afraid of them reading my my posts on here, any complaints on here they'll have already been told!
I have no problem people reading my posts, only write what ye would say to their face, but it does scare the feck out of my when people actually remember what I've written!!!:eek::whistle::LOL:
 

CornishTone

Member
BASIS
Location
Cornwall
Good thread this. Some very useful tips. I've never managed people in a commercial setting, but have managed volunteers in a couple of previous lives. Slightly different dynamic but the principles of fairness and effective and open communication stand true.

Conversely, I have been employed by some atrocious farmers/managers pre-uni, and some excellent ones. Same in my graduate career. When I think back at some of the sh1t and nonsense I've had to put up with over the years, it boils my p1ss!

I suspect it's the same in all industries though, there are good and bad. I just hope that if/when I am put in a position where I have to manage employees I can remember all the good practices and avoid the bad habits.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
I think I'm going to go back through my posts and delete/edit a couple. As has been said I don't want to end up getting kicked out with a wife and 2 boys to look after. After reading various posts on here I'm going to have a word and try and sort things out properly. I have huge respect for my boss and what he has built up, I just hope I get listened to and I hope it makes a difference.

Good move. Using an internet chat room to publicly communicate to your boss probably isn't the best way. :)

If it's any consolation many bosses are nervous as hell about talking to people, even their own staff. There's a big difference between perception of a relationship & how each party in it actually feels. Farmers are generally a very practical hands on bunch. "Softer" skills like people management can take second place to just getting the damn job done.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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