Industry Insight
The trend we have seen in the industry over the last 20 years has brought to us the realisation that we cannot do all the work on our farms without assistance.
My observation is that farms that seem to be successful and that continue to grow their farm business will often have the right people for the right jobs.
I do not believe it is just a matter of good luck that makes this happen. By having a clear understanding of the role and the type of person, it gives employers a much better chance of finding and keeping the right employee.
A bright new recruit, starting work on a farm with a clear understanding of his or her role, who has access to well-documented operating procedures and a sound induction program, has a much brighter future in that job than one who is thrown in the deep end, with little communication about what is expected, and with no guidance.
There are now some good resources available, including this recruitment guide, to help make the recruiting process comprehensive but still pretty straightforward.
Chris Hibburt
Dairy farm management consultant
Timboon
Introduction
This module is about how to approach recruitment, selection and induction of the people in your business. It is designed for people starting to introduce a more formal business approach, perhaps as more staff are taken on and the complexity of the farm business grows, and for those employers wishing to improve their current approaches.
Recruitment is the process of attracting the most suitable people for the position, selection is the process of choosing the best person for the position, and induction is introducing the person to the position. This module describes a series of well-tested steps to help you identify the right person, to ensure he or she will fit well with your farm business, and to meet the various legal obligations of an employer.
If recruitment is done well, the business benefits from happier and more productive people, reduced staff turnover, good working relationships and ultimately a more profitable farm.
This module was reviewed for The People in Dairy by Virginia Boyd.
If you answered ‘no’ or ‘partially/sometimes’ in any area, it is possible that your approach to recruitment is negatively affecting the retention of people on the farm or you are missing opportunities for the farm’s production and profit. This module will provide you with some tools to begin to turn this around.
If you answered ‘yes’ to many areas above, it is likely that your approach to recruitment is having a positive effect on the retention of people on the farm, is attracting people to work on your farm and is contributing to the farm’s production and profit. This module will provide you with extra impetus to keep working on this area.
