Benefits of a Human Resource Management strategy

Are you wondering if you have enough staff to get through the current growing season? Having trouble recruiting and retaining qualified employees? Taking the time to develop a human resource management strategy will help manage these issues.

A human resource management strategy should outline the farm business’s needs, skills and experience needed to operate the business.

A human resource strategy will determine the proper staffing requirements to prevent being over or under staffed at any time throughout the year. Part of the human re- source strategy will be to develop a recruitment and retention plan. This plan will identify a strategy to attract skilled and motivated employees and how to retain them. It should also outline training and development.

Inadequate hiring decisions reduce productivity, motivation and morale while increasing costly turnover. In addition, poor hiring practices can put you at risk for expensive discrimination and human rights claims.

A human resource management strategy will ensure that regulations such as labor standards, occupational health and safety and payroll are being followed.

Human resource policies need to be developed and communicated to all employees. Policies will communicate business goals and values, as well as expectations to employees. Human resource policies will provide a guide for management on fair management practices.

The policy should cover areas such as monitoring and evaluating job performance, when and how to deliver discipline and when and how to terminate or promote an employee.

A compensation and benefits plan is part of the human resource management strategy.

The compensation plan needs to outline the mini- mum legal requirements. A benefits plan is optional but is a great tool to have to recruit, retain and motivate employees.

A human resource management strategy benefits both the employer and the employee.

The employer is able to recruit and retain qualified employees. Through the human resource management strategy employers can communicate their expectations to their employees.

Employees are aware of the expectations and can identify what training will be made available to them. Employees will also be aware of fair management practices.

The Farm Business Development Initiative provides financial support to eligible farmers for training or consulting related to human resource man- agement. For more information stop by the Kindersley Regional Office, contact Amanda Richmond at 306-463-5446 or by email at amanda.richmond@gov.sk.ca, or contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1866-457-2377.