Staff shortage.

[Oldmacdonald]

You are assuming he is a bad boss who pays peanuts!
Same old thing on here if an employer makes a comment about shortage of GOOD staff people say pay more and be nicer!
That's not going turn Shiite employees into good ones. I agree when you get a good one make sure you keep them, but please don't assume that because someone is struggling to find a good employee they must be paying a pittance and be terrible boss!

I'm talking about the industry as a whole.

 

[JCMaloney]

For £700 quid a week I would be like a limpet....stuck to whatever job I was given. Same money as I was earning in the meat trade for 60-70 hours a week on shifts.
However part of the problem is that youngsters don`t seem to think they need to start on the lower rungs & work up these days, many seem to think a bit of paper bypasses "life experience".

 

[Nell]

Different industry but caring has the same problem - we can't feasibly pay people more an hour, as we only get a certain amount per hour from the council, on which you need to pay staff, fuel costs, business overheads -all on 13 quid per hour.

You have try and sort out the genuine people from those being nagged by the job centre to go, and then scratch your head how you're going to get clients visited when x and y want to be out getting pee'd at the weekend and playing up when they find they're rota'd on a saturday night.

 

[Gatehouse Farm]

Bad job when you can't get up for £700 a week.

Christ I'm lucky to earn that a fortnight and I bet I do more hours than them.

 

[ARW]

Christ I'm lucky to earn that a fortnight and I bet I do more hours than them.

This is what gets to me, we pay a decent wage for a decent service which is fair. It just seems some people just don't want the work, we had a lad lined up about a year ago to start in March, he was helping us on a weekend so was getting to know the job, but he turned us down in the end to go work on a farm "because they have better tractors" turns out he is now on a crap wage and is going to leave. Some lads just want the novelty of big machines but it soon wears thin, making money is much more fun.

 

[Brisel]

I'm afraid you'll have to pay more, and treat them better.

When staff are so hard to come by, the ball is their court. The lad mentioned could probably easily find a combine driving job elsewhere.

I pay above the market rate, they sit in modern air conditioned tractors all day yet still both my harvest casuals can't drag their sorry backsides out of bed to get to work on time & show no remorse about being late. When they are grain carting they are either asleep or on their ****ing smart phones. What do I do? Fire them & keep trying until I find better ones? I can't legally deduct pay unless it's hour for hour. Neither would be let near a combine, other than to clean the windows or fuel it up.

 

[miniconnect]

700 a week?! When can i start? Lol. I know its different on family farm for 8 years and not nearly even half that! Some youngflas really need a reality check!

 

[John]

What's the hourly rate? £700 a week sounds nice for a 40hr not to good for a 100

 

[ARW]

What's the hourly rate? £700 a week sounds nice for a 40hr not to good for a 100

Anywhere from £8-£12 depending on your age an experience. 60 hours a week fencing 6 days a week from match till August apart from silage time then harvest work and harvest hours till November then back to 60 hours a week hedgecutting and fencing. Time off when you want it as we are flexible.
The last man was on £9 at the age of 17, good hand, good with customers but would rather work at home with his dad an brother on £150 a month, 80 acre of cereals and 20 sheep. Hardly gonna make a living.

 

[slaney]

Anywhere from £8-£12 depending on your age an experience. 60 hours a week fencing 6 days a week from match till August apart from silage time then harvest work and harvest hours till November then back to 60 hours a week hedgecutting and fencing. Time off when you want it as we are flexible.
The last man was on £9 at the age of 17, good hand, good with customers but would rather work at home with his dad an brother on £150 a month, 80 acre of cereals and 20 sheep. Hardly gonna make a living.

Good money for farm hands.

But I wouldn't begrudge a young fella for wanting to work on his own farm. Especially if he's a good worker.

Some very large successful farmers started with less than 100 acres but succeeded because they were good workers.

 

[multi power]

@ARW from reading your posts it clear you are a very hard worker, 60 hours a week fencing in winter doesnt sound like a lot of fun, anybody with enough drive to do that will already be running their own buisness

 

[Clive]

its simple, we don't pay enough and as a result there are more attractive options out there

why should someone work for you when he can earn more doing less hours elsewhere ?

if the job isn't attractive no wonder its hard to get good staff and keep them

buy the best kit you can afford
pay as much as you can afford
don't ask anyone to do a job you wouldn't do yourself
involve staff in decisions and empower them to make them
don't be greedy

Make your business more profitable (yes it is possible if your prepared to change) and you can afford more, good staff will make you more profitable so its worth the "investment"

 

[ARW]

its simple, we don't pay enough and as a result there are more attractive options out there

why should someone work for you when he can earn more doing less hours elsewhere ?

if the job isn't attractive no wonder its hard to get good staff and keep them

buy the best kit you can afford
pay as much as you can afford
don't ask anyone to do a job you wouldn't do yourself
involve staff in decisions and empower them to make them
don't be greedy

Make your business more profitable (yes it is possible if your prepared to change) and you can afford more, good staff will make you more profitable so its worth the "investment"

I think your being rather harsh there Clive, we pay the going rate in the area and run decent tackle that's well looked after.
I'm mearly pointing out there isn't many available men round here

 

[Daniel]

Does a decent man want 60 hours a week of hedging and fencing? If they're decent they'll find an easier way to make a living.

 

[ARW]

@ARW from reading your posts it clear you are a very hard worker, 60 hours a week fencing in winter doesnt sound like a lot of fun, anybody with enough drive to do that will already be running their own buisness

We just do 7.30 - 5.30 we will do less in winter. We normally have a good laugh.

 

[holywell farmer]

We just do 7.30 - 5.30 we will do less in winter. We normally have a good laugh.

you sound good to work for, shame your in Yorkshire and not north wales !

 

[H.M.]

We just do 7.30 - 5.30 we will do less in winter. We normally have a good laugh.

£700 a week and good hours, where do I sign! surely there are lots of people who would love to have that job

 

[Clever Dic]

Got to be honest and say I use a lot of Czech staff for my summer period and virtually without exception they have been great. This year I had 6 living on site,1 came back for his 11th season and 3 of the others have done 5+ years. Before the season starts I talk to the regular blokes that come back and they just bring any extras I need. They are always loyal,polite and now very skilled at their particular jobs. The trick is look after them how you would like to be treated and decent guys respond . I always try to inject a little humour into the days briefing and if we can help them with paperwork or jobs after we are finished then really go the extra mile. Can't beat having back staff you trust.

 

[holywell farmer]

£700 a week and good hours, where do I sign! surely there are lots of people who would love to have that job

my site work doesn't pay that sort of money !

 

[ridger]

I have a chance of a fella on work experience 3 days a week for 2 years, college said to pay him nothing but I couldn't do that. Only problem is I have work from now til Christmas and not much January and February. How much is reasonable to give him?