Chris Lewis: Take care of your greatest asset

FILE

Happy staff means a happy business, so go out of your way to ensure working conditions are better than minimum requirements - even during peak times

The buzz about town is the revised payouts announced by Fonterra and Westland, which have both dropped significantly. So the pressure will be mounting this spring as farmers try to keep their heads above water. In times like these it is important to run a tight ship, not only financially but with your staff too.

Stress has a way of brushing off on to those near you, so look after yourself and bear a thought for your staff and your family who will not be immune to the pressure. A farm has many different aspects to it and a well-cared-for and oiled machine will ride out the tough times a lot smoother than one that has been roughing it or has been neglected.

Health and safety is fast becoming a huge part of operating a farm business. The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment is conducting checks on farms looking at farmers' employment contracts, health and safety standards, staff time sheets and time off -- it is important to keep on top of this even in times of high pressure. We must not just aspire to be compliant but to be better than the minimum standards. I, employing five full-time staff, find it hard, but know it is essential to my success and the strength of my business.

Some of the things I have introduced on-farm, which I have observed from other farmers, have been instrumental in keeping my staff and myself smiling even in times where the belt has needed to be tightened.

• Employing casual staff during peak work times to take up the slack so staff never max their hours and can finish on time.

• Having a rule that milking must finish by 5.30pm, which forces staff and the employer to get their jobs done on time and start milking on time.

• In peak times, have scheduled time off for staff, with casuals employed so this can happen without adding pressure to the farming operation. This is essential to avoid health and safety breaches through tiredness causing accidents, resulting in prosecution.

• If you have a large farm, it is helpful to employ calf rearers so your staff can get on with their usual workload.

• It is also important to invest in staff relations, such as weekly catch-ups with staff after work. On our farm we meet at the shed for beers and pizzas -- it is so popular we have named it and it gives everyone something to look forward to.

• When it's busy, everyone needs a day off to get them through and keep them sane.

• During August I make sure staff get a day off a week, returning to the normal roster during September.

The Council of Trade Unions is keen to sign up your staff as members and they are actively campaigning on this, so it pays to be ahead of the game when it comes to managing staff. With happy staff, you will have a happy business. It is important to remember this when you are advertising jobs as well. Ads have been posted that are a bad look for the industry and they are being copied and used to promote harder employment laws. By now all should know what you are now legally required to do, so make sure you are meeting that, or you could be getting a visit from MBIE.

I know that the practices I have introduced have been a huge success and now they have been introduced I would not do it any differently.

Your staff are your most important asset, and with such a staff shortage investing in them is the wisest business move you could make.

- Chris Lewis is Federated Farmers Waikato provincial president.