‘Loss of valued staff can cost tens of thousands’
The loss of a valued member of staff can lead to costs running into tens of thousands of pounds, an agricultural consultant has said.
Farmers can avoid incurring such costs by investing time and effort in ensuring their employees are motivated and happy, Heather Wildman of Saviour Associates said.
She was speaking at one of a series of meetings held jointly by Farming Connect and AHDB Dairy across Wales and organised by Jamie McCoy, dairy technical officer at Farming Connect.
It has been calculated that the cost of replacing a staff member in a £30,000-a-year role can be up to £60,000.
This figure accounts for loss of knowledge, existing employee time to cover work and recruiting and training a replacement.
As farm businesses in Wales grow in scale, more responsibility is delegated to staff, but attracting and retaining good employees is a major challenge.
Mrs Wildman advised farmers to share their business vision, goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) and to give staff clear roles and responsibilities.
She suggested a three-tier employee structure, although this is influenced by the scale of the business.
The initial tier is for staff involved in day-to-day activities, and the second for those with tasks and responsibilities that require longer term planning, such as pasture rotation.
Mrs Wildman recommended a top tier for staff engaged in strategy planning, genetics protocols, crop management and other over-arching duties.
“A tiered system allows everyone to know what is expected of them and, if people in that team are ambitious, they know what is required to get to the next level,” she said.
Appropriate training is beneficial to the employer and employee, Mrs Wildman said. Farm workers are often highly skilled and experienced but continual work-related training and development opportunities can be highly motivational.
With appropriate training, employees can be empowered to do a better job. “If an employer is willing to invest in training it makes staff feel valued, it is telling them you want them to be part of the business long term and you want them to take on more ownership, feel pride and do a top job,” said Mrs Wildman.
“Employees value the consideration that is given to improving their skillset and farmers get better equipped employees. .”
There is often funding available for courses. In Wales, courses run through the Farming Connect Skills Development Programme, which include AI and chainsaw handling, are subsidised by up to 80%.
Every farm should have clear business goals that are shared with staff, Mrs Wildman said, adding: “Increase the involvement of staff in decision making and show trust by delegating responsibility.
“When and where applicable do everything you can to make sure staff have the information, tools and experience that they need to run the business without you physically being there.”
A willingness to be flexible is also important, she said. “Some farmers can be control freaks but if an employee does something in a different way to the one you have suggested, if the results are the same it should not matter.
“Give staff opportunities to succeed and give credit and praise – we don’t praise enough.”
The dynamics can change when a new employee joins the business but ensuring that they spend time working with all staff members makes integration easier and quicker.
Finally, Mrs Wildman said that regular meetings are important, formal or informal: “There must be clear, continuous communication, either one to one or in groups... whatever works for the business.”