A farm is only as successful as its team of doers. The owner, their family, employed workers — whomever resides at the center of an operation directly influences production. It carries, then, that these critical roles should be occupied by individuals best suited to meet your farm’s singular needs. But how might an employer find such employees, and how can they go about retaining them?
In a two-part webinar series called “Hiring and Retaining Farm Employees — What you need to know and do,” University of Delaware Farm Business Management Specialist Nate Bruce and University of Maryland Extension Legal Specialist Paul Goeringer shared their expertise on how to know when to hire and how to navigate successful employee retention.
When to hire
It can be hard to know when to bring on a new employee. Small businesses and farms in particular have to be careful not to take on more than the operation can financially sustain. Hidden costs that accompany a new hire, such as health benefits, trainings, and retirement savings, can take a toll on revenue and cash flow. Still, if an employer is aware of signs that indicate it may be a good time to expand their team, hiring can serve to contribute to, rather than inhibit, a farm’s overall success.
Indicators that an operation may be suffering from insufficient labor include:
- Inadequate or incomplete production tasks
- Current employees’ added stress or illness
- Time spent on tasks not generating revenue
“If sales are not materializing where they should be, that’s the biggest sign you may have a labor problem,” said Bruce.
If any of these sound familiar, it may be time to grow your workforce. If things are running smoothly, odds are you can hold out on hiring.
Also, it’s important to keep in mind that hiring needs can look different from month to month, especially if your farm has any seasonal enterprises.
Once you’ve determined a new hire is needed, both Goeringer and Bruce noted the importance of composing a detailed job description.
The description should outline desired qualifications and skills; relay job responsibilities and expectations, including non-essential duties; and communicate hours and starting pay.
An example of a job description outline according to Bruce’s presentation is as follows:
- Job title
- Job summary (clear and concise)
- Work relationships (within the position you’re hiring for)
- Job qualifications
- Job duties or tasks
- Hours required
- Résumé and reference request
Be detailed but straightforward. Employment incentives come later, usually in a separate document either at the interview or upon hiring.
Conducting the interview
As an interviewer, you should have a list of information you want to share with the candidate as well as a list of questions to ask them. Since you are going to invest resources into this new hire, you want to make sure both parties are clear about job expectations — both for your sake and for theirs.
Some sample interview questions as outlined in the “Finding and Keeping Farm Employees” handbook, written by Nate Bruce and Maria Pippidis as an accompaniment to Bruce’s and Goeringer’s presentations, include:
- Tell me about a job you didn’t like and why. How did you deal with the aspects you didn’t enjoy?
- Is there a supervisor you’ve had in the past that you enjoyed working for? Why?
- Tell me about a time you had to work with a coworker you did not get along with. How did you deal with this situation?
- How do you go about learning a new skill? Are you able to follow directions while learning? Are you adept at helping others learn new things, too?
Additionally, an interview should include discussion about working hours, conditions, and responsibilities. Even though these are already outlined in the job description, it’s important to reiterate expectations and, in this way, gauge a candidate’s ability to meet your needs based off their past experiences and current abilities.
Most importantly, Bruce and Pippidis wrote, “Don’t do all the talking at the interview.” Let the candidate interview you, too.
Training and motivation
So, you’ve checked references, evaluated applicants for traits and qualifications, ranked top candidates, and, at last, selected one for hire. What next?
Bruce said providing thorough orientation and training is critical to ensure they enter the business understanding and appreciating their role. Employees are more motivated to work and to work well when they know their position is valued and that it fits into a broader purpose.
One way to decide what to include in a training is to ask current employees what they found helpful in their own onboarding or what they wished had been included. Consider an overview of the farm, employee policies, job duty information, and coworker and superior introductions.
Once the precedent has been set regarding the job itself, keep an open line of communication between you and your employees. An employer who gives and receives feedback freely is almost guaranteed to retain more employees than one who is overly critical and avoidant.
Further, promote a motivating work environment by offering personalized recognition, providing learning opportunities, getting to know your employees, and ensuring their skills match their duties.
By actively tracking an employee’s performance and engaging in consistent communication, you will make a periodic or annual review more manageable for you and less stressful for the employee — even more reason for them to want to stay on board.
Provide some benefits
Training, recognition, and communication are all fantastic ways to retain employees, but a flexible benefit package that lets an employee choose what is best for them can go a long way, too.
Benefits can include healthcare, retirement savings, life insurance, paid time off (PTO), mileage reimbursements, disability accommodations, dental, vision, and more. Each employer’s benefits offerings are going to look a bit different, as is each employee’s chosen package, but the same benefits must be offered to every employee. All full-time employees must receive the same full-time offers, and all part-time employees must receive the same part-time offers.
It might be helpful to have a broker assist with health insurance decisions. Size of operation and state of residence impact what options are available, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with the requirements where you live.
Retention starts with a diligent hiring process and ends with employee satisfaction. A thorough interview, comprehensive training, consistent communication, and benefits all contribute to a positive workplace environment. The more intention that is behind building a team, the more successful that team will be.
