​The number of ag workers that suffer serious injuries or die on the job each year is staggering. In 2017 alone, 416 farmers and farm workers died from work-related injuries. In addition, about 100 ag workers lose work time because of a work-related injury every single day.
 
To protect your workers and prevent tragedies from occurring on your farm, here are some tips for preventing farm-related injuries.

​To ensure that you know what to do if an accident happens, you should have a plan in place for how to handle accidents. Think about the accidents and injuries that your workers might be the most susceptible to, and work on your plan from there.  
 
All ag workers should be briefed on how to handle different injuries. Educating all your employees about the statistics of on-farm injuries and the risks associated with certain equipment will go a long way to preventing injuries.

​Part of your emergency protocols should include having current emergency contact information of everyone on the farm. You should know who you should contact if anyone gets injured and how they are related to the employee. You should also have any relevant medical information on your employees that could affect their treatment in the event of an injury. 

​Preparing for accidents also means having the right supplies on hand. All vehicles and machinery should have a safety kit and eye wash rinse bottles that can be used in case of emergencies. The faster that you’re able to react to a serious incident, the less serious the injuries themselves will be.

In addition to all the incidents that result in serious injuries, there will also be incidents that nearly led to injuries but you narrowly avoided the disaster. Don’t just brush these incidents off! Use them as learning opportunities by discussing them and figuring out how you could prevent a similar situation from happening again. The more proactive you are about avoiding farm-related injuries, the safer everyone will be.

​Some of the most high-risk places on the farm are grain bins and breeding pens. Not only are injuries especially likely to happen here, but they are also more likely to be serious. It may not always be convenient, but one of the best ways you can avoid injuries and fatalities in these situations is by implementing the buddy system. Always make sure there’s someone nearby who could get help quickly in the case of an accident. 

One of the simplest ways to avoid accidents is to constantly take inventory of your surroundings. Look for ways people could get hurt so you can remove the risks and keep people safe. If you have a lot of hired help on your farm, this will be especially beneficial. People are constantly moving things around, and mistakes are bound to happen. Take the time to make sure the keys weren’t left in the tractor, the equipment was put back in the correct place, and the tripping hazard has been taken care of.

​Sometimes you’re too used to seeing the same place day after day that you become blind to the risks. In these cases, it might be a good idea to hire an outside consultant to walk through the farm and provide safety suggestions. They may pick up on risks that you didn’t notice.
 
You also should assign someone to focus on safety on the farm either one individual or for a larger farm developing a small committee. The role would be to develop policies and practices aimed at preventing injuries, education to other employees and ensuring OSHA and other state compliance.

Believe it or not, now is a great time to hire. The agricultural supply chain has been experiencing a talent shortage for years. The good news to come out of this pandemic is the pool of available talent has expanded, and we need to capitalize on this opportunity.

Many talented technicians, operators, managers, engineers and more are being furloughed or permanently laid off. Candidates who haven't been furloughed are working from home with lighter schedules. Furloughed or not, candidates can interview in the privacy of their homes and can interview when it may have been previously too challenging. If there is ever a time talent availability is peaking in the market, it is now.

One outcome from the pandemic is candidates are analyzing the industries they work for and are deciding whether to stay or look for a new industry. Ultimately, they are searching for stability. On several occasions this week we've spoken to candidates who are looking to enter the agriculture industry because they view it as offering more long-term job stability. We've seen a trend in recent years of candidates who are looking to transition to companies where they can see the impact of their work along with a desire to work for a family-owned business. The pandemic has taken this trend and pushed it further into our favor.

​If you want to attract top talent, you need to start by developing your job description. One of the biggest mistakes we see in job postings is it becomes a list of tasks for the role, but it doesn't answer the most basic question: Why would someone want to work for your company? A job description should showcase more detail about the company, the culture and what you have to offer. If you are willing to take candidates from a variety of backgrounds, state which backgrounds might fit.

The best job descriptions are transparent and help the candidate decide if the job is a fit for them. A good rule of thumb is to keep your job description from a half-page to a full-page. Any shorter, you probably aren't giving enough detail. Any longer, candidates will not read it.

Wherever your state is on the reopening spectrum, companies are adjusting their hiring practices. For the initial interview, more employers are starting with a video interview. The second interview is typically on-site and can be adjusted to everyone's comfort level for face-to-face interactions. Given that everyone has different comfort levels, it's easy for on-farm interviews to be conducted outside or in an open shop versus the office.

In addition to full-time hires, this is a great time to add to your part-time, seasonal and/or contract employees. You could advertise to attract part-time evening/weekend operators or a great on-the-side mechanic. If you're looking to create a new website or complete a project, now is the time. Ad agencies and marketing firms have been laying off employees. You can hire someone on a project basis to develop your website. Because freelancers are less in demand, you may be able to negotiate on the cost of the project.

Whether you are looking for guidance on a job description, assistance in building your talent pool or want help recruiting, AgHires can help. While this is a very trying time, the silver lining is now more top talent is available to bring into the industry, and we should capitalize on the opportunity.

Farms, like any organization, are not protected against employment lawsuits. With many other focuses to keep a farm running, setting yourself up for success against an employment lawsuit is not at the forefront. According to a study from Hiscox, U.S.-based companies have a 10% chance that an employment liability claim will be filed against them. Cost to the company averages $160,000 in legal fees and settlement charges. In 2018, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) fielded over 200,000 discrimination inquiries and 7,600 sexual harassment charges. Employment lawsuits can take many forms including race or age discrimination, wrongful termination, sexual harassment, hostile work environments, and many more.

The size of your operation, location, or type of employees you hire doesn’t matter; you could be vulnerable to an employment lawsuit. A small ag dealership in Indiana handled an age discrimination claim from an employee who had been there for more than 25 years. A farm operation in Iowa handled a wrongful termination lawsuit from a driver in Iowa. Multiple H2A lawsuits for hostile work environments and harassment have also been filed over the past few years. Any of these examples could be your operation.

​So how can you protect yourself and your business? While you can’t fully prevent a claim from being filed, you can mitigate the risk of having one initiated and improve your chances of winning against a claim. A great investment and your first line of defense are well-written employment policies. A simple employee handbook, 10 pages or less, is a great start. Once in place, have a comprehensive review every 3 to 4 years. Basic policies should include your basic work and attendance policies, wage policies, time-off policies, an at-will statement, and any other protocols such as non-competes or privacy statements.

Your second line of defense is communication and documentation. Consistently communicate with your employees about expectations and whether or not they’re meeting those expectations. Document these discussions with simply the date of conversation and conversation details. Not documenting discussions is one of the biggest mistakes small employers make. Without documentation, details and timing can be hard to recollect and in a court of law will be difficult to prove. Documentation is a critical mitigation tool in any employment lawsuit. For example, an employee informs you of a harassment claim, and you discuss your resolve to the situation which includes a discussion and training for the offender. If you don’t document this conversation and the employee files a lawsuit later on that nothing was done about the complaint it will be tough to defend yourself. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to hold a year-end review. Employees can express their concerns in a structured setting which will allow you to resolve deeper issues you didn’t realize were concerns.

A final layer of protection is Employment Practices Liability Insurance, or EPLI for short. This can be included in an umbrella insurance policy or a separate policy altogether. EPLI is a type of liability insurance that helps cover your business from employment claims like wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Contact your insurance agent to see if and how your business is covered for potential lawsuits.

One area that has received less attention on the farm is sexual harassment, since historically, males have been the majority of employees on small to mid-size farms. With the increase of female employees on farms, it may be time to have in-house employee harassment training or to send your team for off-site training. This will reduce the chances of having a sexual harassment incident from occurring and if a case is brought against your business, you can show the efforts your business has in place to prevent harassment.

​No matter how small or irrelevant an employee’s concern may seem, take every step carefully when they bring issues to your attention. Hear the full concern, document the conversation, and handle the problem correctly. Taking these steps can significantly reduce the chances of it moving to a claim. As always, do so with guidance from legal counsel. Your preventative measures and how the initial complaints are handled matter in the course of a lawsuit.

Written by: Lori Culler, AgHires Founder & Owner
​See more from the AG’s HR Coach here.

​Lori Culler (Lennard), founder and owner of AgHires, grew up in and around the Agricultural Industry on her families 3rd generation potato, tomato and grain operation in Southeast Michigan and Northern Indiana.

Planting season for many is right around the corner, if it hasn't already started. Meanwhile, the country is dealing with unprecedented times where schools, restaurants and businesses are closed to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, and we are encouraged to keep social gatherings to no more than 10 people.

As farms, we simply can't halt upcoming farm production, and yet we also can't simply go about business as usual. We have to look at how to keep our families and employees safe amid these uncertain times.

Our first line of defense is constant communication as we adjust behaviors and expectations with our team. How we interact, how we handle being sick and how we sanitize our farms needs to be a focus, especially as we have multi-generations on the farms working together.

Setting Behavior Expectations

If you haven't already held a meeting with your team, whether that is composed of only family members or includes employees, now is the time to hold a deep discussion. As a team, hold a brainstorming session on ways to prevent the spread of viruses on your farm and outline what expectations you would like to see from one another.
​I have personally eaten pizza sliced with a dirty pocketknife in a field during harvest on more than one occasion. Obviously with what is going on today, that practice would need to go away. As a group, agree on what behaviors would keep the team the safest, including social distancing even on farms. We don't need to stand that close, and we certainly can hold discussions over the phone.

Agree upon sanitation practices for your farm. A few ideas include instructions on how to wipe down the inside of trucks and trackers, especially on door handles, steering wheels and controllers. Assign someone to wash bathrooms, breakrooms and offices daily versus weekly or biweekly. Increase the number of times employees are washing their hands throughout the day.

Discuss whether your visitor policy should change. On family farms, we often allow family to come visit during planting season to help cope with the longer hours. Should the rules change during these times?

When Employees are Sick

We also need to discuss expectations when employees are sick. During our busy season, if someone can still make it through the day, we will take them up on that offer whether they're sick or not. It would be best to discuss how that expectation has changed. If they are not feeling well or have the slightest fever they should be expected to stay home. If you have a large number of employees, consider asking them to take their temperature each morning.

Paid Time Off Policies

If you don't have a paid time off policy for sick time, which most small businesses do not, now would be a good time to outline what that looks like for each employee and how the company will be handling time off for illnesses.

The House passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provides two weeks of paid sick leave up to 100% of an individual's pay with a cap per day. Small employers would be able to submit those expenses for tax credit. Employers with less than 50 employees, could file for exemption. More to come on final details as it heads to the Senate for approval.

Communication on the farm and constant updates to the employees will go a long way to relieving the tension and anxiety your team might have. The CDC has printable one-page information sheets that share information on symptoms to look for and prevention measures (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/graphics.html). Post them in the breakrooms or by the timeclocks at your farm. Updates are changing by the day, and keeping the team informed of recommended practices and any new information on how to prevent should be a constant focus to share.

Click here to watch Farming Through COVID-19: Managing Labor and Employee Issues During the Pandemic Webinar with AgHires Founder and "Ag's HR Coach" columnist Lori Culler and DTN ag policy editor, Chris Clayton. 

​Written by: Lori Culler, AgHires Founder & Owner
​See more from the AG’s HR Coach here.

​An effective recruitment process is quite in-depth and well-thought out. It needs certain preparation, time and money invested. A well-organized recruitment process should be able to find and select the talent the company needs in 4-8 weeks for most positions.

However, recruiters often make mistakes that drive talent away. The mistakes can range from not asking the right questions to merely your attitude towards the candidate. No recruitment plan can be perfect but avoid these 6 mistakes and you’ll be more successful with higher quality candidates.

 1. Ignoring Job Advertising Methods
​
Candidates have lots of choices on where they look for jobs. A recruitment process is greatly supported by job advertising. One of the biggest mistakes recruiters make is to only post their job on their own website or in one place and letting the candidates come to them. Yes, you may get lucky and find a candidate, but don’t count on it. Get your job out there as many ways as your budget allows. Go out and attract those highly qualified candidates that aren't looking for a new job. AgHires specializes in recruiting, job advertising, and designing ways for your job posting to reach the most qualified candidates. By using postings, digital and social media advertising, email marketing, and recruiter reach outs to get clients’ jobs in front of the right audience rather than waiting on candidates to come to them. In this type of job market, you can't sit back and wait.
 
2. Not Pre-screening

Pre-screening candidates can save lots of time. It is better to talk on the phone before inviting them for in-person interviews. All you need is 15 minutes with a candidate on the phone to determine if they meet the basic requirements of the job. Having a candidate come to your location and discovering they don’t have the experience you need could be off-putting, especially if you didn’t specify the requirement in the job description. Plus, you’ll save time where you could have been interviewing someone more talented.

3. Not Preparing for the Interview

It is as much of a duty for the company or interviewer to prepare for the interview as it is for the candidate. In industries as intricate as agriculture, you can’t depend on basic questions. During the planning of the recruitment process, you must list questions that will effectively reveal the right kind of talent. Questions should not just be about evaluating the skills and experience of the candidate. Try to ask a few questions to gauge the personality of the candidate to determine if they will fit within the company’s culture.

4. Not Marketing the Company

Most candidates that will apply only know basic information about your company. During the recruitment process, it is your responsibility to tell them a little more about your company and what you do. Don’t make the candidate search for more information before they apply. Think of your job description as an advertisement. Show off your business and your culture to make them want to work with you.

5. Interviews are All Talk

Contrary to popular belief, a job interview should not just be about talking. Have the candidate walk with you around your operation. In the agriculture and food production industry, you can walk the interviewee through many of the on-going processes of the day. This will give you an opportunity to ask more questions and determine how well the candidate will fit in your day-to-day operation and give the candidate a visual of what’s going on.

6. Creating a Small Candidate Pool

Before you start shortlisting, it is important to create a significant candidate pool. The more options you have, the better chance you have of finding the gems you are seeking. This is also helpful if your first round of recruitment fails to yield results. You can always go back to your pool and reopen the search process. If you close off your options right from the beginning, you are likely to settle for candidates with the minimum amount of requirements you are looking for.

A good recruitment process can take a significant amount of time. It requires patience, organization, and attention to detail. Make sure your representing your operation the right way and you will hire better talent. If you need help with recruiting the best talent in within the agriculture, agribusiness, food production, produce, food processing, and horticulture industries reach out to the team at AgHires at 844-244-4737, see the jobs available at AgHires.com or see more on AgHires recruiting process at AgHiresRecruiting.com 

Written by: Ryan Young, AgHires Vice President Sales & Marketing
ryan@aghires.com ​

Welcome to the biggest hiring month of the year. More jobs get posted in January as companies are working on new budgets, and as candidates start reflecting on their current careers, they may feel it's time to make a change or focus on moving to the next level.

That's why January is the high month for job movement. While this is true for all industries, it is especially true for agriculture. Most candidates, the good ones at least, do not look to make a change during peak seasons. As we have heard time and again, we are in the tightest labor market we have seen in a very long time, but there are steps you can take to stand out as an employer of choice and be competitive in hiring top talent.

Why Choose You?
When putting together a job posting, most employers focus on ensuring every task is listed or laying out working expectations for the role, but will forget to cover why a job seeker would want to work for your organization.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself and to answer in any job posting.
-- What is your operation?
-- What is the history of your farm?
-- How would you describe your work culture?
-- What matters most to your farm?

In a candidate-driven market, potential employees want to get to know who you are as a company before they apply. You won't get a chance to explain those details in an interview if they don't apply in the first place. We need to get them at "hello."

Candidates are looking to see the impact they have on their work and to be a part of something bigger. What better industry to fulfill their wish list than farming? Getting to work outdoors and feeding America? it can't get much bigger than that.

Avoid Background Bias 
We've already talked about being open to hiring outside of agriculture. Most farms I speak with agree that they're open to hiring outside of agriculture, especially for candidates with relatable traits and experiences, such as those from the military, industrial, or construction.

But here lies the challenge: when candidates apply, it's hard to see past the resume. Clients will often dismiss a "maybe" resume without speaking with the individual. A phone conversation can be short if that candidate isn't the right one, but it's worth investing 10 minutes to ensure you aren't missing something. As a recruiter, I often speak to candidates who don't look like a good fit on paper, but after our conversation, we realize they are the exact individual that the farm needs. Remember, a resume can't tell you if the candidate grew up on a farm or if they repair old cars in their spare time and would prefer working in a hands-on role.

Can You be Found?
When a candidate sees a job posting they find interesting, they generally don't apply right away. Instead, they search for more information about the company online.

Job candidates will visit up to five other websites to find information. That's why I highly recommend creating a website for your operation. An even quicker way to create an online presence is a Facebook page, which is easy to do. The more photos and company information listed, the better. If you prioritize posting regularly, you might be surprised by candidates reaching out from your area.

At the DTN Ag Summit we covered an important topic about being more creative during these tight labor times. Job postings by themselves are not enough. We encourage our clients to upgrade to a product that at least adds targeted social media advertisements or has our recruiters reach out to passive candidates.

But on your own, you and your team always need to have your recruitment hat on during conversations with others. Early retirees often make great hires to round out your team. Unfortunately, they aren't searching for part-time jobs online. Get to know your retirees in your community, and be on the lookout for any downsizing companies in your area.

Written by: Lori Culler, AgHires Founder & Owner
​See more from the AG’s HR Coach here.

​Lori Culler (Lennard), founder and owner of AgHires, grew up in and around the Agricultural Industry on her families 3rd generation potato, tomato and grain operation in Southeast Michigan and Northern Indiana.

Growing up on farm, working and being independent is not just something to be proud of – it’s who you are as a person. It’s a trait all farm kids-turned-adults have in common. Since most farm owners grew up on farms, we can’t fathom why anyone would spout about the need for work-life balance. But there is quite a disconnect between the farmer’s view of work-life balance and what the workforce is telling us today. We might think it’s just a fad – as some of us thought when organics started. But I’m here to tell you work-life balance isn’t just a buzz word to ignore.

According to the 2017 Randstad Employer Brand Research Report, 45% of surveyed employees noted that good work-life balance is an important attribute when gauging the attractiveness of an organization. Work-life balance came after an attractive salary (58%) and long-term job security (46%).

As a recruiter in agriculture, I constantly hear from jobs seekers that would love to work on a farm but don’t think the work-life balance will work for their family. It’s not that they won’t put in some extra hours when needed, but they also know most often on farms the balance is well, not balanced.

I can hear your sighs as you read this – including my own family – and there may be an occasional eye-roll too. My concern is that we are losing too many great hires in an already tight labor market because they believe a farm can’t offer a career with a decent work-life balance.

While the seasonality of our business can’t be changed, we can change our approach to labor. Agriculture is not alone; plenty of other industries have peaks in their cycles. Think about retail and food manufacturers around the holidays. Think about the construction industry in northern states; they can’t work on projects year-round. The busy time for accounting firms are four months of the year. The labor shortage is not fixing itself anytime soon, and we can’t keep losing great candidates. We need to rethink the labor on our farms.

There are two basic problems to solve. One, how do we attract the best of the best for our full-time year-round positions? Two, how can we add supplement labor during the peak season to ensure our full-time team does not get burned out? Here are a few creative ideas from other industries and farmers to help solve these problems.

Retirees
Retirees are a great resource for additional staff during the peak season. They care about the equipment, are punctual, and don’t want to be year-round employees. The only challenge is how to find retirees. They aren’t looking on job boards. To be successful, you need to focus on word-of-mouth. Talk with anyone and everyone in the community about your opportunity.

Students
If there’s a college or university near you, students are typically looking for evening job opportunities. This allows your full-time team to leave work and not work into the late hours of the night. Most students look for jobs on a website called Handshake. It would be beneficial to post your job there to attract more college students. Since students also use various forms of social media, social media advertisements are another good way to target these candidates.

Partner with Another Industry
Partnering with another company can be a hidden opportunity. For example, a company in Nebraska hires seasonal soil samplers from another company that lays off their employees at the same time of the year. These companies encourage employees to work for each other during the opposite season. Look at your individual market to see which companies are nearby and learn about their typical seasons and work schedules. If a local company has structured hours from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., you can target employees who want extra hours from 4:00 p.m. or later.

From general labor to operators, H2A employees are another great resource. Though there are some setbacks. It can be difficult to predict and commit to how long the season will be. You’ll also need to stay in compliance with housing and pay rules. Your local staffing firm, which comes with a higher price tag, takes away the burden of finding employees and keeps the employees on their payroll. When you want to let someone go, the staffing firms takes care of everything.

Remember, work-life balance is different for everyone. Not all employees need or want the same hours. For example, we work with one agricultural equipment dealership that develops custom plans by employee. If an employee wants to work between 40 to 45 hours per week, they will honor their schedule. If a technician wants to work extra hours, then they can do so. Talk to your employees to understand their desired schedules. The most important part of the work-life balance is creating a schedule that fits their needs.

Written by: Lori Culler, AgHires Founder & Owner
​See more from the AG’s HR Coach here.

Family-run farms offer a great way of life, where both relatives and employees alike are treated as family. A smaller, close-knit team does have its downfalls. It often creates an environment where it's difficult to hold tougher conversations and address problems. That's why many farmers love working with equipment and the crops: Simply put, there is no human factor to deal with.

Communication is one of the factors that will make or break the performance of the team. Just because communication is a natural human behavior, that doesn't mean it comes easily. For many, it's a skill honed over time.

Communication, or lack thereof, has its pitfalls. Whether it's the negative attitude of your best mechanic or a constant lack of awareness from your operator in managing the details, clear communication is the only answer that will result in improvement.

As humans, we typically avoid conflict, and our natural tendencies to deal with the issue only end up making it worse. Sometimes we avoid the situation altogether, which causes tension to build. Other times, we end up talking to someone else about the problem, which is never just one conversation. It ends up being a daily or weekly complaint about the same issues. I've also seen the occasional joking jab at addressing the issue. This leads to more confusion by the employee on whether it is or isn't an issue. Not only do these common reactions to avoiding the conversation not solve the problem, but it also takes time, energy and focus away from the farm.

With all these pitfalls, combating and preventing communication issues can seem like a daunting task. But it can really be quite simple: Set expectations, communicate in-the-moment and schedule ongoing meetings.

Set expectations early to ideally prevent issues from arising. Guidelines can detail employees' responsibilities, how specific situations are handled and when a lighthearted situation becomes more serious.

If all employees know how to handle communication on the farm, it prevents confusion and conflict. For new hires, a dairy farm in Michigan reviews their management style and what they should expect from employees in terms of communication. Each owner talks about their own tendencies; one shared that they are more direct and prefer to know the details throughout the day. This allows the employees to flex with that style.

However, difficult discussions will inevitably arise despite your precautions, and how you approach the conversation is a key element in successfully navigating the discussion with an employee. It's better to handle it sooner rather than later. If left alone, the tension on your end builds, and the employee is frustrated that you didn't say something earlier.

It's also helpful to prepare for the conversation beforehand. Write down some of the points you would like to make, and be prepared for the various responses you might receive. Try to see the situation from the other person's point of view and listen. You may need to adjust your strategy or message during the conversation. I've had plenty of discussions where I was transparent; I saw some setbacks and discussed what I was looking for going forward. Not only did the employee acknowledge it, but they came up with their own solution, which was better than mine.

Constructive feedback needs to be articulate and clear about future expectations. Be positive that they have the capability to make the necessary changes, but be careful not to sugarcoat the message too much. Too many compliments can lead to confusion about the message you are trying to relay.

To take your communication a step further, invite your employees for a set one-on-one meeting on a quarterly basis. Whether you meet in your office or over lunch, face-to-face meetings are the best way to engage with your employee. Nearly 90% of communication is expressed through nonverbal behaviors, such as body language and facial expressions. The rest is communicated verbally. Not only is a one-on-one meeting beneficial, it can show you where the faulty spots are in your farm's approach to communication.

The foundation for healthy conversations starts with listening and creating an environment where employees can openly share ideas and concerns. They can offer vital feedback on your communication skills as well as the operation's communication. They will also be more open to receiving feedback from you as well.

Effective communication is the key to a smooth-running operation, and lack of it can spell disaster. Take a moment to think about it: What conversations have you been avoiding? If you are spending too much time frustrated with an ongoing issue, it's time to talk about it. It's never too late to address an issue even if it's been swept under the rug for a long time.

Written by: Lori Culler, AgHires Founder & Owner
See more from the AG’s HR Coach here.

It’s the end of June, and there are still too many acres without crops in the ground. Our farm started in 1941, and according to my father’s impeccable record keeping, this is the latest time of year we have planted and the worst spring conditions we have seen on the farm.

The unpredictable weather and temperatures have created a variety of problems for farmers. Not all of us have our crops in, nor will all of us get everything planted this season.

While it depends on the situation, temporary layoffs should be avoided as best you can. With the low unemployment rate and difficulty in hiring talent, it is more costly to lay off employees for one to two months than it is to search, hire and train new employees when you do need them.

Whether you have downtime this summer from lack of planting or you are battling the usual labor surplus between planting and harvest, there are a few ideas to maximize your human capital and accomplish much-needed tasks on the farm to keep everything progressing in a positive direction.

Low-Cost Improvement Projects
It might be time to reorganize the farm shop. As time goes on, materials and tools can get misplaced and used parts stacked up. Before long, nothing is in its proper place, and it can be difficult to find the right parts. The disorganization of the shop costs both time in inefficiency and money when you can’t locate a part you know you have on hand. Before you even begin moving pieces and parts, establish a plan for what you want the shop to look like. Research ideas online for organization.

Although it isn’t practiced as much in agriculture, 5S shadow boards and organization techniques they use in large maintenance organizations could easily be implemented on the farm. If you have metal shelving, consider using magnetic labels so everyone knows where you would like things to go. Low-cost items such as commercial bin racks only cost $150-$300. Including your entire team on the project will help to get their buy-in and support to keep it more orderly going forward.

Education & Training
Extra downtime is the perfect time for employees to learn new skills. Whether you send your employees to classes, workshops or seminars, they will appreciate the ability to expand their knowledge, and your farm will benefit from what they bring back to apply to the farm. Consider classes in supervising employees, lean agricultural practices or on-farm safety. Perhaps it’s time to send them to more agronomy and crop-science classes. If you are simply looking to add knowledge depth to your team, cross training on the farm also has its benefits. It’s low cost and the training is on-site.

Landlord Relations
If you rent the land you farm, it’s critical to continually build upon your relationship with your landlord. Get in touch with your landlord to see what else they are looking for in the partnership. They might ask for simple improvements or changes such as getting ditches cleaned out or stone added to an entrance that your team could work on.

You could also utilize your team to host the landlords on-site. Take them on a tour of the farm, meet the team, go over where your farm is heading and answer any questions. The more interaction your landlords have with you, your team and your farm, the more likely they are to feel connected to your operation, come to you with problems and remain loyal when a neighboring farmer knocks on their door.

Connect with the Community
Volunteering in the community is a great way to connect and increase visibility. Hosting a community day shows what your farm has to offer. Also, consider having your team volunteer at a local event or partner with another agribusiness to host a dual event. An added bonus: Events are a great way to meet more people in your community who could be potential future on-farm employees.

The most important idea to maximize your team’s talents during downtime is actually very simple: Ask! Ask your employees about what they’d like to do. More often than not, they’re more willing to work if they get to choose their work. For example, if you have an employee with technology experience, they may be willing to help with the website and social media.
​
Keep the farm progressing, keep the morale up and get the team involved on low-cost initiatives that will benefit the farm years to come.

Written by: Lori Culler, AgHires Founder/Owner
See more from the AG’s HR Coach here.

Just when it feels as if we have millennials figured out, or somewhat figured out, Generation Z enters the workforce. Generation Z are those born in 1997 or later. By 2021, they will make up more than 20% of the workforce. There’s a tendency to label all younger employees as millennials, but you may be surprised to know that Gen Z’s tendencies, motivations and operational styles are quite different, and, in some cases, completely opposite.

Let’s take a step back to consider what Gen Z has been exposed to and how it influences their tendencies. They grew up in the digital age, so Gen Z is more tech savvy than their predecessors and have been exposed to social media at a younger age. Whether it’s a quick text or emojis in a social media post, Gen Z lives in a time of instant answers and instant feedback.

This generation has also watched millennials amass large debt loads from college, and they’re less willing to take on that debt themselves. Statistically, more students are graduating from high school but fewer are enrolling in college. Roughly 75% of Gen Z doesn’t consider college as the only path to a strong education. If they aren’t going to college, where are they going? Many are going to trade schools or are entering the workforce directly — a sign of a booming economy.

Gen Z is highly success-oriented and is mainly focused on personal financial success. Millennials tend to be focused on owning their own business and being their own boss, whereas Generation Z is looking for career advancement, enjoyment and stability.

When it comes to marketing jobs to this new generation, we need to showcase what agriculture can offer. Gen Z is looking for a great workplace and will be highly focused on the culture of the organization. They will research the company, read reviews and gain as much information as they can before they apply or respond to a reach-out. Sixty four percent of candidates look for more information about the company before applying. If they can’t find information about the company, they will move on.

Make sure you have a basic website and social media presence, or you might lose them at hello. About 70% of Gen Z job candidates have said they would apply for a job if the company’s brand is managed well. At AgHires, we know how important it is to get the attention of the target audience. It’s the reason we create video job posting advertisements to go with a written job posting.

When you first speak with a Gen Z job candidate, don’t jump into their background. First, take the time to walk through your operation, highlighting the family-like atmosphere and explaining the direction you want to go. Gen Z is looking for opportunities to grow and learn. Help them visualize that path at your operation whether it’s through mentorship on the farm, outside classes or learning conferences.

Gen Z has grown up with YouTube as their go-to resource to quickly learn different topics. To manage and train them, consider creating short videos on everything from precision ag technology and how-to videos on the steps to complete a pre-trip inspection report. You can upload your videos for free on easy-to-use sites such as YouTube or Vimeo.

Finally, just when you thought you were getting better at giving feedback, you’ll have to crank it up a notch for this next group of employees. Given the digital world in which they grew up, Gen Z needs more feedback than previous generations, even millennials. While they may need a quick status check on a nearly constant basis, it can be as simple as a quick phone call or text. If you aren’t sharing any feedback, they will most likely believe that you have negative thoughts about their work.

Due to a large amount of digital communication, Gen Z will be more reserved in person. You will want to set them up for success if they have a role where direct interaction with customers is needed. The same goes for formal emails. Gen Z is used to short communication with incomplete sentences. If formal emails are needed in your operation, they may need more guidance.
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This next generation is smart, ready to work and ready to learn. They will be great additions to the team. But as with any new generation, it takes targeted focus from managers to help them succeed.

​When it comes to improving performance and retaining top talent in our competitive landscape, employee engagement needs to be one of your farm’s top initiatives.

An engaged employee is 21% more productive than a less-engaged employee and a highly engaged employee is 87% less likely to leave the organization. High levels of energy, commitment and performance from our employees lead to an increased bottom line.

The return on investment (ROI) on improving employee engagement is higher profitability, fewer errors on the farm and more creative problem solving. It’s not about ensuring they are happy every day and enjoy every minute of their job; rather, it’s about having employees that are deeply committed to the success of your operation.

In March, our Ag’s HR Coach column looked at how to manage a team to higher production by asking employees questions to see how engaged they are in the business.

In this second part of the two-part package, we look at five practices you can implement with relatively low cost and investment of time to help keep employees engaged.

Employee-Led Projects
Give your employees autonomy to lead projects that will affect the business. This allows employees to grow their knowledge and experience while adding variety in their work from their day-to-day responsibilities. Align an employee’s natural talents to useful projects. If you have someone who is very detailed and organized, designate that person to reorganize the shop, adding labeling and shelving as the person sees fit. Or create employee-led safety committees to implement internal training or improvements to comply with safety standards. Have someone create a landlord newsletter or maintain the company Facebook page. There are endless amounts of apps to assist with communication and tracking progress; consider having a team of employees research apps that might be useful for the farm. The extra bonus of employee-led projects is the team is more apt to support what ideas they have developed.

Continuous Learning
Employees are looking to continuously learn and gain knowledge. It benefits the farm when employees have more perspective on what’s going on in the industry and what other progressive farms are implementing. Consider sending them to industry seminars, tradeshows and workshops. The value comes when you hold a discussion when they return to find out what they learned, found interesting and what ideas could be applied to the farm. Also consider outside-the-industry training, such as management training, lean manufacturing/continuous improvement, or the 5S technique (refers to five steps: sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain). This helps employees bring in ideas from other industries that can be applied to the farm.

Management Coaching
A big part of whether employees are engaged or not largely depends on the interaction they have with their direct manager. To retain top talent, managers must be strong leaders and great coaches to drive the best performance. Those skills don’t always come naturally to everyone. Get training for your managers, or perhaps even yourself, on how to improve your leadership skills. I’ve been contacted by farms who want us to hire a manager because, although they have an individual that is great on the farm and execution of work, that person lacks leadership ability. Build your bench strength by training your next level employees below the management level.

Build Comradery
When a team is connected, the employees’ performance can thrive together. Foster good working relationships amongst the team and build an environment where it’s okay not to be perfect. Build a culture where everyone’s strengths are recognized and flaws are enjoyed. Besides building a cohesive team through day-to-day interactions, treat employees to fun events outside of work, whether you take the team to a ballgame or host a picnic for the families. Celebrate wins and successes along the way, whether it’s a new yield record or simply harvest is complete for the year. Celebrate the hard work everyone has put in. Another great way to connect is to have a service project the team could work on together, such as volunteering or perhaps even host for a charity.

Tools and Resources
High performing employees want to have the tools and resources to succeed. Let’s say you have implemented a new tracking system in the field, and it has some glitches that continually arise. If we don’t work to try to fix the issue for the operator, it ends up being a daily point of frustration. Same thing with having the right equipment to perform employees’ jobs and conduct in-the-moment repairs. Ask your employees, after planting season, what tools and resources did they need that would have made their jobs more effective during planting.

Focusing on your employee engagement is an ongoing effort. Continuously check-in with staff and conduct self-evaluations. Answer these questions as a management team to see how you are doing:

Does everyone know where we are heading as a company and what matters most to helping us get there?
Does everyone know their role; do they have the tools/resources to do their best in that role?
What activities have we done to increase the knowledge base of the team?
Do employees have a voice and are those voices heard by the management team?
Are we maximizing the unique talents of our team members?
What’s the trust level between management and team?
Have I spent time individually with each employee the past four to five months to discuss these things?
When we are talking with candidates about potential jobs, they constantly ask us questions about our client’s culture and what is it like to work there. We need top talent for our operations to stay competitive and we can only attract and retain top talent if we have built a culture focused on employee engagement.

Written by: Lori Culler, AgHires Founder/Owner
See more from the AG’s HR Coach here.

​Business owners, both on farms and across all industries, want to capture higher profit margins. They want teams to produce at a higher level, with less turnover and more individuals thinking versus just doing their work. The secret recipe to achieve these results comes from two words, employee engagement. It's not just a fluff phrase someone in human resources made up, there are staggering statistics on the benefits of engaged versus disengaged employees.
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Your employees can basically be put into one of three buckets: engaged, not engaged and actively disengaged. Engaged employees are emotionally committed to the organization and its goals. In short, they care about their work and they want to do well and help the organization succeed. These individuals go the extra mile, share the passion of the company and look for more ways to contribute than just performing their assigned roles. Engaged employees ensure they are focused on your landlords and how they would want things handled in the field. They will offer up new ideas, stay the extra time to do the job right, help in other areas, etc. According to Gallup, one of the leading trackers of employee engagement, roughly a third of employees, are actively engaged (32%).

Employees that are not engaged are not emotionally connected, they are simply putting in the time, for example, running through their tasks, but not go the extra mile. An unengaged employee notices a flat tire on the tractor, but then proceeds to head to the next field as if it were fine. Or, the employee has been hearing a funny noise in the truck, but since it was still running the employee never bothers to tell the mechanic, then in the heat of harvest the truck breaks down.

They are not as energetic, not willing to put in the extra effort, and certainly not adding any additional value to the team. Interestingly, half of employees fall in this sleep-walking mode of production (51%).

The last category is the most disturbing, it's the actively disengaged employees who are not focused on doing a good job, but also act out on their lack of satisfaction and disappointment in the company. These are your gossipers, your naysayers, the one who has the rebuttal and brings the rest of the team down. We've all had some employees on the farm who could do the job, but their attitude damages their production and the production of others around them. This group represents about one of five employees (17%) in a company.

Many people confuse employee engagement and employee satisfaction, assuming we need to aim to make everyone happy in their roles and everyone gets along outside of work. That couldn't be more of the contrary. Engagement comes from building a culture of success, where employees can bring up ideas, be part of solutions and share pride along with the owners on the accomplishments of the team.

We first need to identify where our current employees fall. Your goal is to get the disengaged employees moved up to the engaged status where their productivity increases. At the same time, identifying the actively disengaged individuals and placing them on a performance improvement plan with clear expectations and if that doesn't work, recruit new individuals to take their place. We often spend too much time on the bottom performers who are not going to be a long-term fit versus spending time on our top, engaged performers most likely to influence the bottom line the most.

If you are looking to take a deep dive into this area, there are companies that will provide you engagement survey questions to ask employees and will even take it a step further with management training. If you have a smaller group of employees and are looking to gain insight from your current staff, holding one-on-one conversations with each employee is a great way to get feedback and to gain a sense of each one's engagement to the business. Here are six suggested questions to ask each employee individually. This could be done over lunch or simply in your office.

1. Could you see yourself working here in five years? If no, or unsure, what would affect your decision for staying longer?
2. Do you have a clear understanding of what affects the business the most and do you know where we are heading as an organization?
3. Do you know what is expected of you when it comes to goals and focus areas?
4. Do you feel we (management) recognize your full potential and capitalize on your strengths? If not, how could we improve?
5. Are you proud of the company and being an employee of this farm?
6. If you could change one thing about the company, what would that be?
7. If you could grow/learn more in one area, what would that be?

With engaged employees producing over 20% more than less engaged employees and companies receiving revenues 2.5 times more than those that have poor engagement cultures, it comes as a surprise that less than one in four companies have an engagement strategy.

As we've discussed in previous articles, the unemployment rate is the lowest it's been, and the fight to retain good talent is harder than ever. Focusing on your culture and your current team is critical to the success of your farm. In our next column, we'll discuss how to increase employee engagement to boost productivity.

Written by: Lori Culler, AgHires Founder/Owner
See more from the AG’s HR Coach here.

Farmers are known for being innovative, working with what they have to get the job done. Whether it's finding the extra expertise on crop nutrition or specialty equipment fabricated to fit your farm, farmers tend to know who to call. But as your operation works to improve efficiency and maximize resources, specialty talent is often needed to accomplish specific projects. Where do you go to create specialty technology equipment or to develop a custom app that tracks critical data for your farm?

Freelancers are here to the rescue. A freelancer is simply an individual who offers his or her services on a project and/or hourly basis with no expectation of long-term work. Within 10 years, experts predict, the number of freelancers will encompass more than 50% of the workforce. That doesn't necessarily mean that everyone will be freelancing full time, but over half the workforce will be freelancing in some capacity. You will find experts in most areas of business, including bookkeeping, technology, app development, website development, social media, safety compliance and more. There has even been a more recent movement on senior-level and C-suite freelancers. Think part-time CFO!

One way our farm clients have used freelancers in the past is hiring someone to establish and improve Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance. The individual worked with the owners to identify areas for improvement and developed safety protocols and procedures.

Other farms have had contractors develop custom apps that are specific to their farm's needs. Plenty of farms have utilized freelancers for website development and social media management. You could take the idea a step further and have someone help you with your marketing plan or to connect with more landlords to rent ground.

The attraction of a freelancer is on-demand labor with specialty talent that can be hired on an interim basis, typically at a much lower cost than using a larger firm. The success of the project relies on two main factors: your farm's ability to clearly identify what outcome or deliverable you are looking for and your selection of the right freelancer for the project. The first step is to clearly identify and detail the project, including an expected time table and what deliverables you expect at the end of the project.

There are several places to search and select individuals by areas of expertise. Freelancer.com and Upwork are two sites where you can enter what you are looking for, and they will showcase different freelancers, their backgrounds, ratings and projects. LinkedIn, which has historically been known as a place to keep and maintain your professional network, now has LinkedIn ProFinder that also serves as a source to find talent on a per-project basis.

You will need to look carefully at the freelancer's background, including ratings, feedback from other clients, and their portfolio to see their prior success. You will also want to screen your freelancer, similar to conducting a phone interview, to learn more about them, preferably via video conference. Ideally, you would review their past projects, your current project and vet out how they could go about completing the project.

If you are looking to develop any type of technology app or have an overall business strategy or other intellectual property you are looking to protect, have them sign a non-disclosure agreement. If you are looking to "test" an individual before you have them work on a larger project, ask them to work on a smaller project with a lot fewer hours to see how they perform and if they are the right fit for the larger project.

Freelancers are a great resource to utilize for small and large projects and can add talent and expertise on your team. However, just as it is with your full-time labor, you get what you pay for. Do your research to ensure you are hiring at the right level of expertise for the goals and deliverables you are looking to accomplish, and invest in the time to ensure you're working with the right one.

Written by: Lori Culler, AgHires Founder/Owner
See more from the AG’s HR Coach here.

How do I get my employees to listen? It's an interesting request I hear often at farm shows and conferences. Many are fed up with employees not listening to their clearly stated steps. I even had one participant say, "I literally give each step a number, and they still miss steps."

What drives an employee's behavior at work, including their ability to listen, stems from how well you perform as a leader. There are extreme cases where employees just can't be saved, but more often it's good employees behaving unfavorably because we've created an environment that encourages the exact behavior we don't want to happen.

There are ways to improve employees' listening and understanding of the tasks they are given. Explaining the "why" behind your requests and sharing knowledge behind decisions will help improve listening. You can also maximize the use of technology to ensure everyone is on the same page, such as sending out instructions in writing, to help keep things in check.

But even if you get really good at having employees listen to every step, is that really what you want?

If you are the only "thinker" on the team, and all direction, decisions and tasks come from you, eventually you will get what you created: a team of employees that simply have stopped thinking. Employees will react to the environment you create as an owner. If you are a "just do it how I say" manager, you will get a team that only does what you say. The challenge in farming is there are so many factors that can change in a moment and that should trigger a change in direction. But if you create the wrong environment, employees will keep charging ahead to get A, B, C done as you said, sometimes to the detriment of the farm.

These are competitive times in agriculture, and if you are the only leader on the team, you'll limit how far you can take your business. One person can only be in one place, only do so much, only think of so much. To expand your limits, you need to build a team of leaders.

The phrase "building leaders" is often interpreted as "growing managers," and many farmers are concerned they don't have a lot of spots for managers on their farm. But developing leaders on your team simply means developing individuals who take ownership of their tasks and are an impactful contributor to the company. They give that extra step. I have leaders on my team that don't manage anyone. They manage their department, think outside the box and are passionate. Their leadership over their responsibilities is not only an infectious attitude for other employees, but also pushes our company to new heights.

On the farm, when you build a team of leaders, it's a ripple effect that bleeds through the whole farm. Fewer mistakes are made because employees are taking more care and stopping to think before they act. Employee longevity increases because they are engaged at work and enjoy showing up each day and they will be less likely to look at or take another job. You will have employees helping you solve problems to daily challenges and suggesting new approaches.

The first step to developing a team of leaders is to listen. Ask employees what hinders them in their role. Ask their opinion on how to approach a problem. Ask them for ways to improve communication during planting. You will need to be the one leading the charge to get them engaged. It doesn't mean you need to take every idea, but go with one or two ideas, and you will start to see more come your way without having to tug them out.

Give a little power to your employees by creating self-driven teams in areas you would like to see improved, whether it's a group of employees that focus of safety on the farm, or you want them to rearrange the shop. Giving your team authority in certain areas will have them fully buy-in to seeing it through.

How do we get them to start listening? We start listening and engaging with employees in different ways than we have been in the past. The real question isn't how do we fix them, but how do we fix us, the employers, that drives better results.

Written by: Lori Culler, AgHires Founder/Owner
See more from the AG’s HR Coach here.