It’s crunch time as the harvest begins and farmers scramble for the help they need.
A lot has changed on farms in the last decade as the baby boomers retire and are replaced by millennials and Gen Z. These generations have nurtured a different set of values and ethics.
There has never been such a great opportunity to work on the farm or to learn about food and agriculture. The day can vary from shovelling bunks to reading computer reports on animal behaviour, feed intake, weight gain and temperature.
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It’s such a fantastic combination of grass roots and science that farming could not be more attractive or hold such promise for advancement.
When I read the help wanted ads though, it seems we have forgotten that the idea is to build teams, encourage knowledge, independence and self-sufficiency. Instead, the ads ask for potential employees to work long hours for less than a living wage. Even at entry level, that simply won’t have sticking power.
Exit interviews and a ton of work-related studies have consistently found today’s workers feel the pay is too low, that there is a lack of opportunity for advancement and that they are disrespected either by the company or the culture within it.
They also look at the company doing the hiring and evaluate their environmental decisions and compensation packages. Prospective employees wish for a balance in their lives and are not willing to forfeit their marriage or time with their kids for your farm.
Nor should they have to.
Creating a culture of care can be challenging if that is not already the culture within our homes or community. The applicant may be of any age and vary from those who identify as men or as women or perhaps those who do not identify at all. They may be of any heritage and speak a variety of languages or may have physical limitations that could vary from disease such as diabetes to missing limbs.
Regardless, a culture of care accepts that a 20-year-old and 60-year-old may have different capabilities, asks the right questions and then designs the workday accordingly. A culture of care provides significant breaks in the day so those who need to eat to keep their energy up can do so, and respects time for those who need to pray.
A culture of care has full facilities on the site for women and men, abled or those with special requirements, and does not make assumptions on the limitations of those individuals. And for everyone there must be a carefully planned on-boarding session that is focused not only on responsibility but safety and communication.
Not important?
It is not only the entry level workforce that has high attrition. Even at the executive level, one third to one half of new appointments fail because there was no clear company purpose, vision, mission, on-boarding process or set protocols. A person cannot, and will not, feel valued in a system that does not have the bones or structure to communicate and foster growth.
The new hires today also have voiced that they want to see inclusion in the workforce that is genuine, as well as clear environmental consciousness. Inclusion is the acceptance of diversity and the willingness to work with the values and cultural needs of the employee toward a shared goal. Environment includes everything from neat and tidy to an active environmental plan.
Without these, nearly 50 per cent of applicants say they have rejected the job offer.
Full stop: It is going to be tough to hire folks when an offer of a living wage is not on the table.
That living wage must include fair compensation packages. We want families to stay in our communities and their children to attend the local school and we want employees to be healthy.
The shift from one-dimensional thinking in terms of employees in agriculture needs to start now because we remain at a crisis level — and more importantly, because it is the right thing to do. The old ways are not working just as the six-day work week is no longer an employment standard.
There is value in looking at models outside of agriculture and overlaying them with our current work needs. A four-day work week is almost unheard of in the industry and yet the studies prove it to be a worthy model. Employers report 70 per cent more efficiency and 55 per cent less absenteeism (with 71 per cent of employees saying they were spending more time with their families).
A resilient rural community starts with resilient families. Resilient families make a living wage, are healthy, feel appreciated in their workplace and community, have time to play together and to contribute to the space in which they live.
That starts with a culture of care from the ground up that recognizes, understands and will adapt to the values and ethics of the workforce.
