Staff using phones while milking.

Dead Rabbits

Member
Location
'Merica
I expect a lot out of people at work and like to keep a good pace, but I do carefully choose my battles. I don’t mind if they are on their phone a bit through out the day but would rather not see it while milking. There are too many things that you should be watching for and observing. Most will voluntarily put their phone in the office to keep dry.

As for myself, if you have me on Snapchat I am definitely on my phone at work. Also usually have close to 15 calls a day plus email to respond to.

Luckily we have a parlor that can keep you busy. I grew up on a dairy doing six hour milkings and it was painfully boring.

I guess if the phone use bothers you, you should talk about it with them. Don’t let it buildup then suddenly you lose your patience. People are like most animals, they do not like being yelled at.
 
That's utter bullshìt. Who elses herd is it if it's not the owners. To the OP , dont let them get away with it . Tell them it's not on. Occasionally checking will lead to constant checking. The flogs are addicted to the damn things as it is. Put signs up in dairy "no mobiles during work hours" What's more important to them? Coin in their pocket or stupid snap chat. As has been said, try it In many other industries and see how long you have a job.

Simply this, agriculture in the U.K. has a big problem, average ages are getting older, new entrants can’t afford to enter and there is a massive shortage of staff.
If you get people who do the job that want to do the job and are good at it leave them some slack, if it affects their work then it’s different.
Dairy has to have the most antisocial working environment so unless you can afford robots chill a little, and remember engaged staff are much happier to go that bit further if there is a problem.

I remember being given an earful for sitting in the combine cab on my phone, the grainstore had an issue I’d loaded all my trailers, had the grain tank full and was waiting. I’d cleaned my windows, gone round with the leaf blower and was ready to turn the key when I got my grain cart back. Yet apparently I wasn’t paid to sit on my f#£&@%g arse.
I’m simply saying there has to be give and take, and when you’re working 80+ hours per week there must be common sense.
 
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puppet

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
sw scotland
No worker should be expected to do those hours, 12 hours every day? An employee may help you greatly but they do not have the same loyalty to the business as there is no long-term security in a downturn.
The owner may work all hours but they do that in expectation that there is a worthwhile return down the line.
Bigger dairies here are moving to 8 hour shifts and workers seem happier instead of the previous 4am to 7pm day with a sleep at lunchtime which gave no family time.
 
Location
southwest
Farming has a staffing/recruitment issue because so many farmers are bad employers!

On hear the accepted norm seems to be:

Herdsman: Unsocial hours, 14hr spreadover of working day, work 12 days (inc weekends) on two off. Do everything from milking to AI to foot trimming. And usually lone working.

Everyone else is expected to do unlimited overtime at the drop of a hat.

The daft thing is, if everyone worked out their annual overtime bill (or what salary is needed to get someone) they'd probably be better off employing an extra person and paying less O/T

Live to work guys, not work to live.
 

Cowlife

Member
Having been employed and employing there's more to it than just looking at a phone. I used to relief milk at a place where milking lasted 4 hours on my own. Quite often walked outside for ten minutes in the middle of milking to get some fresh air and phone someone or just have a look round and a drink or snack. It was never mentioned but I heard a few times that I was much better at picking out mastitis etc than the other milkers. But to milk straight through would have been torture.
We now have young ones coming to cart slurry etc and the first thing they do is get beacons on and send a few snapchats. I don't mind if phone a mate while tanker is filling. People are hard to get and I tell myself that noone myself included can be scurrying about second of the day.
If they are no use in general then the phone is not the real issue.
 
If you’re working 80+ hours per week, you have no common sense. Reckless, dangerous and stupid to do it unless very exceptional and extremely occasional circumstances, followed by a proper rest period.

I don’t do that anymore, got out of driving and moved into the machinery trade, still work plenty hard but have 2 kids and a family and that’s more important
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
Do you "need" to look at your phone when milking , no ,should be too much going on to have time,
Maybe they are just cup applicators ,not a true herdsperson
What if they miss a lame ,or mastitis , or an antibiotic ,
What would you say if some one wrapped drill or sprayer round a pylon , when looking at phone , or lokingbat phone while on combine , ,😡
Wife has one at moment ,always on phone ,when shoild be packing ,biscuit bags ,
She flatly denied she was on phone ,when asked , but the big boss had been looking on face book monitering her ,


I say phone ban when milking ,3 hours ,work ,if you cannot live with out looking at the addiction , Bad craic

a good employer considers and accommodates what staff “want”. not just what they “need”

you will simply not attract good staff if you do not
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
You don’t see people on the till at tesco scrolling through their phone or taking pictures because they are bored. You wouldn’t be allowed to do it working on a production line. It wouldn’t be Acceptable for a judge to be doing it because the case was dragging on a bit.

why do people think the rules are different on a farm? If you are in the milking parlour it’s to milk 100% concentration on the job it’s the most important thing going on!

i suspect such other industries offer far better working conditions, staff welfare facilities, hours, wage and more frequent breaks ?

milking cows isn’t the most attractive occupation so if you want to avoid staff shortage in the furture and attract good people you need to find ways to make it more attractive and not less so ?
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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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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