Tips for developing your farm workforce

Most businesses have staff with different levels of competence and skills they excel at or struggle with.

Identifying people’s strengths is the first step to working out whether staff are in the right roles, says AHDB knowledge exchange skills development manager Amie Burke.

Skills gaps can put a business at a competitive disadvantage and, with the challenges of employee recruitment and retention, farmers need to invest time and resources into preparing the right people for a specific job.

“Employers must be able to identify the current and future needs of the business. It isn’t a case of simply managing who will milk or drive the combine the following day, but about setting a long-term and sustainable plan,” says Ms Burke.

“It’s about getting the right number of people with the right skills employed in the right place, at the right time, at the right cost and on the right contract.”

See also: Seven training and development ideas to retain good dairy staff

AgriLeader programme

The AgriLeader programme provides support to farm businesses with a tiered approach to workforce planning, giving tips on how to achieve this.

It provides a platform where like-minded farmers and growers can meet, exchange ideas and learn from consultants.

The programme focuses on leadership, growth and resilience across three key areas:

• developing a growth mindset and becoming more resilient
• inspiring your team to have a shared vision and purpose
• creating opportunities and questioning assumptions.

Create a skills matrix

The skills needed by a youngstock rearer, a machine operator, a herdsperson or a shepherd are evidently different, so create a matrix for every employee.

A matrix is a list of requirements in a given role and is used to identify where a worker shows evidence of a skill, and where development is needed.

An example given by the AHDB, for staff working in a pig farrowing house, incorporates a tick box to assess if employees can carry out a range of tasks, from handling sows safely and correctly, to conducting successful fostering, taking and interpreting animal temperatures and understanding the importance of colostrum.

Tailor a matrix to suit the requirements of each role.

Mark Campbell, AgriLeader knowledge exchange manager, said: “It is important to define criteria for each skill or behaviour so that everyone is clear on expectations.”

That list might include whether an employee communicates clearly, actively listens to others, takes responsibility for mistakes, shares knowledge and expertise, respects the diversity of colleagues, learns from others and acknowledges their skills, experience, knowledge and creativity.

When the staff member shows no evidence of a skill listed, the matrix will flag up where development is needed.

With each job title, consider whether the employee does the role effectively most of the time or even exceeds expectations; this can also identify people for promotion or development.

Analyse skill gaps

Consider the abilities needed to carry out roles on the farm, and whether they already exist in the workforce. By listing all the competencies required to carry out a job role, areas for improvement become clearer.

When gaps are flagged, develop an action plan to address them – the employee needs clarity on what is relevant in their role.

Set flexible goals

Flexibility allows team members to adapt as they develop too. For instance, when a general farmworker has completed a skills analysis and a gap is identified with record-keeping, a training course may be available, but the employer needs to set this training as a goal to bring that learning into the business.

“The action plan should state when the worker can start taking responsibility for some of the record-keeping, how the improvement will be measured and when this training will be signed off as complete,” says Ms Burke.

Flexibility also helps with evolving situations – for example, while the worker is training, they may need to take on a different role or, for other reasons, an extension may need to be added to the deadline.

Be prepared to adapt – for example, if there are changes to the farming system.

Avoid micromanaging

Allow workers to take ownership of a situation, otherwise they won’t know how to react when that situation arises in an emergency.

Micromanaging stifles this, so create an environment where workers feel confident to tackle tasks independently.

Providing a standard operating procedure (SOP) will give workers autonomy over a task.

“They will have the instructions to complete the work and the SOP will detail who to contact if an emergency arises,” says Ms Burke.

“The more they complete tasks, the more confidence is built in the worker and the more trust is built in the employer, leaving them to focus on the strategic thinking.”

SOP templates can be found online. 

Promote people who are comfortable with change

Job rotation and staff-to-staff training are good ways to facilitate opportunities for promotion.

There may be resistance from staff with concerns that their own role could be at risk if they teach someone else to do it, so encourage them to appreciate that team working is good for their own development, as well as for others.

Engage with staff

Listening to staff and taking on board their views is important – never underestimate the power of asking someone their point of view.

Give praise when it is deserved but, more importantly, ask how members of the team want to receive praise, Ms Burke suggests. Some prefer a quiet thank you, while others like greater recognition.

Respecting and responding to individual personality styles will improve engagement, she says.