Staff retention

[PI Stsker]

What makes a good employer on a dairy farm? - Farmers Weekly

Finding – and keeping – good-quality staff is a growing problem for dairy farm owners and managers. To help tackle this, LIC consultant Piers Badnell

www.fwi.co.uk

A really great write up here about keeping staff happy. Cherry picking a part I found funny, people would take a £10,000 pay cut to work for a ‘good’ boss over a crap one.

in other words on an average farm with say 3/4 employees you could be paying £40,000 more than you might be able to ‘get away with’ if you were a nice person!

anyone have anything further to add to this, or top tips?
we have a relatively good staff retention rate, with only the obvious ones leaving (students/first job etc) we have several guys who have been here since they finished college and never left, hopefully that means we’re ‘good’ but does everyone have staff issues or is the problem more with yourself than the staff?

 

[Chae1]

Nice person=people take the pi$$ in my experience.

 

[PI Stsker]

Nice person=people take the pi$$ in my experience.

So act like an asshole and always be on the hunt for a new member of staff for when you pee one off?
I don’t know how true it is but I’m sure I read the true cost of a ‘new’ employee is double there salary for the first year. Due to training productivity etc

 

[Chae1]

So act like an asshole and always be on the hunt for a new member of staff for when you pee one off?
I don’t know how true it is but I’m sure I read the true cost of a ‘new’ employee is double there salary for the first year. Due to training productivity etc

No. But there's somewhere in-between

 

[Skintagain]

Nice person=people take the pi$$ in my experience.

Firm but fair is key

 

[PI Stsker]

No. But there's somewhere in-between

Fair comment. Although I wasn’t suggesting laying out the red carpet every morning and greeting them with lashings of ivory and gold.

more meaning biting your tongue when something goes wrong. We’ve all had an accident, unless it’s constant I take it on the chin and say oh well sh!t happens. I’d never ask for my employees to pay for any of their damages like I’ve seen on here before, if someone wants a day off late notice I’ll say sod it go for it, I’ve always adopted a ‘fair with me fair with you’ attitude.

ran out of holiday to take but a funeral has come up and you’ll be away for a couple of days to travel to timbuck two, no problem go for it I’ll pay you your basic.
but when I ring at 1am saying the cows are up the village they all come running no issues, no questions.

 

[PI Stsker]

Worth adding when it comes to money being quite a way down the FWI list if things to make staff stay.
I give a pay rise every year, normally around 5%. If a member of staff comes to me and says look I’ve been here a couple of years I’ve had my 5% but it don’t seem like enough I’ll take the time to sit them in the office and say okay what do you think is fair and why. If they can say to me the reasons they think they deserve 10/15/20% and convince me I’ll do it. If they always go above and beyond; make everyone else’s life easier then fair cop. I’d rather pay this guy an extra X amount per year and let him carry on doing his self designated management roll than say nah and inevitably see them leave with in 12 months and have to start from fresh.

How ever if someone gives me there notice under no circumstances will I beg them to stay, or offer better packages, there mind is made up at this point and your delaying the inevitable. The previous step mentioned when they come to you before looking else where is the time to act and make a change.

 

[Chae1]

Most things in farmers weekly is ballcocks in my opinion. Haven't read it for years.

Better advice and information on here

 

[PI Stsker]

Most things in farmers weekly is ballcocks in my opinion. Haven't read it for years.

Better advice and information on here

True!

 

[kiwi pom]

I don't think there's any magic formula for hiring and keeping staff, particularly in farming.
Get the basics right I suppose, make sure people know what's expected of them and if necessary, how you want things done. Set everything out in their contract have at least an annual review to talk through the year and any problems on both sides.
Except that some people just like changing jobs, the article is on dairy farming, I've noticed since being here that many dairy farms only really hire for a season with the expectation you will stay for the year then be gone. For some a lifer is considered a fault, entry level staff should expect a promotion (if available) or move away for better things, although that does seem to be changing a bit now.

I've never left a job because of the money.

For me today, I'll only take a job with known workdays and start and finish times (dairy farming is quite good for that) I wasn't always like that and it's not an issue for some.

 

[Netherfield]

Marriage usually gets rid of good staff.

 

[PI Stsker]

I don't think there's any magic formula for hiring and keeping staff, particularly in farming.
Get the basics right I suppose, make sure people know what's expected of them and if necessary, how you want things done. Set everything out in their contract have at least an annual review to talk through the year and any problems on both sides.
Except that some people just like changing jobs, the article is on dairy farming, I've noticed since being here that many dairy farms only really hire for a season with the expectation you will stay for the year then be gone. For some a lifer is considered a fault, entry level staff should expect a promotion (if available) or move away for better things, although that does seem to be changing a bit now.

I've never left a job because of the money.

For me today, I'll only take a job with known workdays and start and finish times (dairy farming is quite good for that) I wasn't always like that and it's not an issue for some.

Everyone is All year round calving round here so not seasonal. Makes it far easier to keep staff as you can afford them AYR!

 

[tw15]

The Beano has more content than the farmers weekly all old news in the weekly just seem to copy stuff from here. Sad really as the industry could do with a really good weekly mag not just a toilet read .

 

[Jasper]

Mate of mine has clocked up over forty years he’s now past retirement age and the twits he works for will only let him have holidays for the days he’s worked in case he retires

 

[Skintagain]

Mate of mine has clocked up over forty years he’s now past retirement age and the twits he works for will only let him have holidays for the days he’s worked in case he retires

I’d be hacked off giving 40 years to them arseholes

 

[kiwi pom]

Everyone is All year round calving round here so not seasonal. Makes it far easier to keep staff as you can afford them AYR!

Dairy staff work year-round here they just don't milk for a couple of months (obviously there's winter milk contracts).
Contract milkers, managers and share milkers tend to run yearly contracts from June 1 (known as gypsy day) so if they go their staff tend to move too.

I don't think you can get too obsessed about keeping staff for ever, just be a good boss and get a good reputation so when one leaves another can easily be found.

 

[Baker9]

Mate of mine has clocked up over forty years he’s now past retirement age and the twits he works for will only let him have holidays for the days he’s worked in case he retires

so he's working for miserable twunts.

 

[Blue.]

Local contractors can’t get staff to drive brand new fendts so getting anyone to milk cows is near impossible.

 

[mezz]

I would say it's not just about being "nice", but consistency. Nothing worse than having to deal with a moody boss. Also competency: in my opinion worth taking less money to work for someone who is top 10% performance wise, particularly at start of your career.

 

[B'o'B]

The Beano has more content than the farmers weekly all old news in the weekly just seem to copy stuff from here. Sad really as the industry could do with a really good weekly mag not just a toilet read .

I think this was true until recently, but things are definitely changing for the better now. So much so that I have just taken out a years subscription today.