Motivating / getting the most from other staff

[llamedos]

sometimes i wonder if im expecting too much of an assistant

perhaps he dosnt know what you expect

 

[multi power]

Maybe he is afraid he is overstepping a mark, or teaching you to suck eggs, and dare not say anything when you are present.

Give him the encouragement he needs, and accept his judgement, But you have to speak to him first

i was just talking to mandy about this, lack of english means i cant have a good conversation with him about whats happening on farm n why we are doing things this way etc
he spotted a calved cow that i had missed yesterday, i made a point of making sure i agreed that he was right

 

[multi power]

perhaps he dosnt know what you expect

he thinks im too fussy about things, it seems to me im working to a higher standard than he is used to

 

[llamedos]

i was just talking to mandy about this, lack of english means i cant have a good conversation with him about whats happening on farm n why we are doing things this way etc
he spotted a calved cow that i had missed yesterday, i made a point of making sure i agreed that he was right

if he is a good member of staff, ask him if he would mind enrolling on an English lessons class
sound like he would be worth keeping, ask local council if they have an interpretor for a couple of hours, and have a proper conversation with the lad.

 

[multi power]

he is ment to be learning english but its a very slow process, his wife speaks far more english

 

[Derrick Hughes]

sometimes i wonder if im expecting too much of an assistant

What does she assist you with??

 

[multi power]

milking stock work yard scraping bedding etc

 

[jade35]

What does she assist you with??

milking stock work yard scraping bedding etc

Misread comment or his wife works on the farm as well? You may have part of your answer if she does help on the farm as well. Is he employed through an agency? If so, can you ask for some simple sentences so you can explain what you want doing and also, as importantly, to thank him in his own language when he takes the iniative. Think how you would feel if you were in a country where English was not spoken, sign language will only take you so far.

 

[multi power]

no his wife does not work on the farm, i think i need to write some things down n his wife can translate for him
i certinly would not like to be in a country with no english spoken

 

[Landyman]

he is ment to be learning english but its a very slow process, his wife speaks far more english

Employ his wife then

 

[jade35]

no his wife does not work on the farm, i think i need to write some things down n his wife can translate for him
i certinly would not like to be in a country with no english spoken

Google may help. There is a translation tool and hopefully an online dictionary for the language you need as well. Checked just now for Polish and Croatian. There is also Amazon, who do a range of dictionaries.

 

[IANTO]

sometimes i wonder if im expecting too much of an assistant

MP you say he is Eastern European, with very little English.

I guess you are still working for Laurence, and therefore only a few miles from me.

Most of the Dairy Farmers in the area employ Polish Workers, as they want to work, and they could not function without them.

Ask Geraint Pencwarre or Trebarred.

The very fact, that he has to the area, suggests to me, that he wants to work, but the language barrier, may be holding him back.

How would you feel, if you found yourself in a foreign country, and had difficulty communicating?

Try giving him responsibility for certain things. Ask him to report back to you, and then discuss it with him.

Don't give him all the "sh!t" jobs.

It is a matter of encouragement, and making him feel, he is part of the team, rather than just an employee.

I am straight talking, and so are most of the family.

Both my Employers and those I supervised, providing you were fair appreciated this.

IANTO

 

[multi power]

Google may help. There is a translation tool and hopefully an online dictionary for the language you need as well. Checked just now for Polish and Croatian. There is also Amazon, who do a range of dictionaries.

sometimes use an online translation thing but limited success, im not sure how accurate the translation is

 

[multi power]

MP you say he is Eastern European, with very little English.

I guess you are still working for Laurence, and therefore only a few miles from me.

Most of the Dairy Farmers in the area employ Polish Workers, as they want to work, and they could not function without them.

Ask Geraint Pencwarre or Trebarred.

The very fact, that he has to the area, suggests to me, that he wants to work, but the language barrier, may be holding him back.

How would you feel, if you found yourself in a foreign country, and had difficulty communicating?

Try giving him responsibility for certain things. Ask him to report back to you, and then discuss it with him.

Don't give him all the "sh!t" jobs.

It is a matter of encouragement, and making him feel, he is part of the team, rather than just an employee.

I am straight talking, and so are most of the family.

Both my Employers and those I supervised, providing you were fair appreciated this.

IANTO

yes im still working for laurance, if i leave him with responcability to do something it wont get done, or at least not to the standard i expect, definetly agree about encouragement, its hard to get somebody to do something they dont want to be doing
i would never ask anybody to do all the crap jobs or anything i wont do myself
sometimes i will have a bbq n a few drinks one evening if finished milking early, all the other boys come but cant get him to join us

 

[jade35]

sometimes use an online translation thing but limited success, im not sure how accurate the translation is

Yes, I did wonder as well.

 

[jade35]

yes im still working for laurance, if i leave him with responcability to do something it wont get done, or at least not to the standard i expect, definetly agree about encouragement, its hard to get somebody to do something they dont want to be doing
i would never ask anybody to do all the crap jobs or anything i wont do myself
sometimes i will have a bbq n a few drinks one evening if finished milking early, all the other boys come but cant get him to join us

Do they all get on? Invite the wife as well!!

 

[multi power]

rough digrams/ maps on white board work quite well, i would like a big farm map on whiteboard

 

[multi power]

Do they all get on? Invite the wife as well!!

yes everybody gets on fine, i do invite his wife as well, next time i will ask mandy to invite them, via his wife, if that makes sence

 

[jade35]

rough digrams/ maps on white board work quite well, i would like a big farm map on whiteboard

Good idea, how about some photocopies of the map to use day to day. How about numbering the fields rather than names?

yes everybody gets on fine, i do invite his wife as well, next time i will ask mandy to invite them, via his wife, if that makes sence

Even better

 

[Princess Pooper]

Can you get an involvement in a discussion group with the other local Polish workers (possibly without the managers/bosses present)? (Don't think you've actually said he is Polish, making an assumption here). It should be run in English but at least others with better language skills can then help him along. I am assuming that his abilities are beyond the stuff that was done in several languages as DVDs by DairyCo a few years ago to help with exactly this problem. Aside from the language barrier, it does seem as though he can be on the ball and it is perhaps a nervousness when you are around. I often tell my OH off as he criticises or makes sarcastic comments about my work ('I was only joking') which then makes me lose my confidence and I have to remind myself that I was a well paid and respected asst herdswoman 25 yrs ago so my abilities can't be that bad given that I have a lot more experience and knowledge now! Can you give him some definite areas of responsibility eg he does all the mobility scoring and then is responsible for foot trimming (or liaising with the foot trimmer if you use a contractor) - get him trained up if necessary. When I worked as an asst I had definite areas that were my responsibility and then obviously did everything when working alternate weekends etc. Also see if there are particular skills he would like to improve - again perhaps through a local group, is he allowed to go to vet meetings etc? If there are other Poles there they can help him if he has a job with some of the language. In terms of motivation, find out what motivates him. Family time? Getting peer respect? Money? Getting better trained? Then work on rewarding accordingly.

OF course you can always try and learn a bit of his language that might earn you his respect as well!