Staff Management ???

[glasshouse]

A bloke in the suit and tie will always be regarded with caution and suspicion ,but the bloke wearing a black singlet, shorts and Redbands will be more than likely be respected and trusted!!!
I'm not joking either.

Spot on.

 

[glasshouse]

I was fortunate to work for a farm manager of a very big farm of 20 plus workers in australia 30 yrs ago called simon capper.
He was a great manager, wore bare feet and shorts just like us workers.
He was a great example of how to manage staff.

 

[glasshouse]

I

So why are you knocking people by how they dress and not how they farm?

i am not

 

[Dave645]

On "TFF" there are threads on livestock management,crop management etc ,BUT unless I have missed it I have not seen a thread on "Staff Management",why is this the situation?
I get to read the "Farm Contractor,Large Sale Farmer" magazine on odd occasions ,and I have to say I do not remember seeing any articles on staff managment , why is this the situation?

I suppose it comes down to it's a smaller % that employ now, even small farms often had staff, now it's often family or nothing, or farms have different arrangements like contractors, that come in do the job and leave. Not all farms lend them selves to full time employees case in point Dan7626 the farmer needs him but at some points of the year sees him as a cost burden hence the farmer complaining, it's not that's he is a bad worker but he is a cash drain when there is no actual work for him, which is not Dan7626's fault but he gets it in the neck.
One fix is Dan gets outside jobs in quite times this arrangement let's Dan get more interesting work in quite times and reduces the grumpy farmers wage bill, by this I mean Dan asks for unpaid leave so he can go out doing other jobs, he only does so when he has found work to do. It can be benifical for both parties. As Dan may get more lucrative short term jobs that he enjoys, and the farmer reduces his wage bill. This puts Dan in the driving seat, he is offering the farmer savings but only when it suits him, but the farmer will have the last say if he has a job he needs done Dan would have to juggle his side jobs around them.
It was quite common around us to do this.

 

[farmerman]

I cant believe anyone could wear a tie while grafting at manual work.
I always laugh at stobarts drivers who have to wear them.

Let's be honest though do stobsrts drivers graft much and they certainly don't do much manual lol but agreed does look funny!!

 

[yorkie]

In the summer when we're busy and there is plenty to do its the perfect set up, living so close I can pop up and see the wife and boys for a cuppa and then go back, no travelling home after a long day, no rent to have to find every month and all the other benefits of living on the doorstep.
But this time of year, having virtually no stock and just arable it's a slow few months. My boss is in his 60s and is a pain in the arse.
He is constantly on my back all the time and won't leave me to get on with the simplest of jobs on my own, he is there all the time pestering.
He finds the most pointless of jobs to do just to keep me busy and then moans that it's a waste of time. It might sound like I'm being silly but it gradually winds me up after a while. His people skills are pretty non existent and if it wasn't for the fact the house is with the job, my boys are settled in the village nursery/school and I generally enjoy the summer/autumn work then I'd of definately of been gone by now.

if you are not happy it rubs off on every body right down to the dog,been there always been in a house with job until lately,just look it as the job,better to move than be miserable,trust me

 

[Watty]

My rules with employers or subcontractors of whatever role
Never shout - unless it is a warning of danger. If I do end up shouting, it's my failing as I should have acted sooner, seeing the situation developing and managed it.
If the team is working - so am I, even if it's something I can't or don't know how to do. I can still be helping even if it's picking up, tidying, making a cuppa, pushing a broom, there will be something to be done.
If it's a late one, at my request, suppers on me.
I've bollocked people more times for not asking a question than for asking it.
Always explain why something needs to be done and how. If you do I have always found people to work better with better results. When it's a bad job it's often due to them not understanding.
Family, including an employees/ subbies, ALWAYS comes first.
Pay on time the agreed rate. If there's an issue, discuss it before payment is due.
I'm a long way from perfect but it's worked for me.

 

[TripleSix]

I've seen enough now to get the measure of a person that has trouble managing staff.

You get the ones that can't see it, and would benefit greatly from some training, IE a management course, gets them to see it from an employees perspective.

Then there is the type who always think they're right and their way is the only way (usually ex squaddies!)
You could beat this type over the head with a management course and they wouldn't change.


A good example of a poor boss was Jon Kelly of Heavy Haulage Australia (Stupertruckers on TV)
Never made staff feel valued, never let anyone progress.

Turns out he was a terrible businessman too.
Gone bust to the tune of $78 million.

 

[multi power]

I think Glasshouse is right, judge a farmer by how they farm , not by the clothes they wear, the car/SUV they lease or the tractor they hire.

100% correct

 

[willy]

I

i am not

Ok

 

[Norfolk Olly]

The bad employers are easy to spot. Just pick up the local paper or farmers weekly and they'll be advertising. It's always the same few around here, a good boss won't need to advertise. The better jobs go to the better staff usually all sorted before a position becomes available IME

 

[M-J-G]

My rules with employers or subcontractors of whatever role
Never shout - unless it is a warning of danger. If I do end up shouting, it's my failing as I should have acted sooner, seeing the situation developing and managed it.
If the team is working - so am I, even if it's something I can't or don't know how to do. I can still be helping even if it's picking up, tidying, making a cuppa, pushing a broom, there will be something to be done.
If it's a late one, at my request, suppers on me.
I've bollocked people more times for not asking a question than for asking it.
Always explain why something needs to be done and how. If you do I have always found people to work better with better results. When it's a bad job it's often due to them not understanding.
Family, including an employees/ subbies, ALWAYS comes first.
Pay on time the agreed rate. If there's an issue, discuss it before payment is due.
I'm a long way from perfect but it's worked for me.

A good post, showing a professional attitude! All too often absent on most farms.

 

[kfpben]

I find staff management one of the most enjoyable parts of the job.

It's good to see people improve and reach their potential. Often it's best to play to people's strengths. I am hopeless at fixing machinery, luckily one of the guys who works for us is excellent. He isn't great with stock though so beyond occasionally standing in a gateway/helping muck out I don't ask him to help.

The issue with our business is the farm often shares staff (and machinery) with the vineyard/winery side, even though they are now legally separate entities. We have to plan quite far ahead to avoid conflicts and to avoid staff being overstretched and trying to please 'two bosses'. It's not ideal but it means both the farm and wine business can justify the staff we carry, and the machinery we run.

 

[glasshouse]

A lot of farmers have never worked off farm, and never employed anybody, so when they try to employ someone they get it wrong quite often.

 

[Dan7626]

Sorry to hear that Dan
Your children won't like you to be unhappy as eventually you'll become grumpy at home if your not happy at work, and it's better to move schools while they're young , rather than later on when they're doing important exams etc.

Generally I love my job, from May through to October it's usually ok, jobs start building up and I can get out of the yard a bit, but winter drags so much. After the apple harvest in late October that's it then really.
I half heartedly look at other jobs but I suppose I keep hoping that things change here. I've been here exactly 4 years now and still get treated like it's my first day sometimes.

 

[M-J-G]

A lot of farmers have never worked off farm, and never employed anybody, so when they try to employ someone they get it wrong quite often.

I would say that many farmers have simply found themselves to be farming, with no preparation for running a business on the scale that they are.

This is often evident from how unprofessional some individuals and their businesses actually are. How poorly staff are handled is usually just a symptom of a lack of business like approach.

 

[Brisel]

On "TFF" there are threads on livestock management,crop management etc ,BUT unless I have missed it I have not seen a thread on "Staff Management",why is this the situation?
I get to read the "Farm Contractor,Large Sale Farmer" magazine on odd occasions ,and I have to say I do not remember seeing any articles on staff managment , why is this the situation?

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.

 

[Ukjay]

Generally I love my job, from May through to October it's usually ok, jobs start building up and I can get out of the yard a bit, but winter drags so much. After the apple harvest in late October that's it then really.
I half heartedly look at other jobs but I suppose I keep hoping that things change here. I've been here exactly 4 years now and still get treated like it's my first day sometimes.

Have you ever sat down to talk to him - and I mean seriously talk to him openly about your concerns, and equally try to get your head around to understand what his concerns are?
It's easy to knock someone - but if we do not know the full story, we can easily jump to conclusions.

 

[J B]

Can I manage staff? You'd better ask them...

Have you ever sat down to talk to him - and I mean seriously talk to him openly about your concerns, and equally try to get your head around to understand what his concerns are?

I've not been a 'proper' farmer for nearly ten years now but one thing we used to do was have a quarterly meeting with each member of staff individually to air any grievances on both sides.
It seemed to work well.

Maybe Dan could suggest this to his boss?

 

[Chae1]

He just got a brand new tractor and handler how could he not be happy in his work! ?