Looking after your staff

The agricultural sector is facing a labour shortage as the border remains shut and struggles to attract Kiwis to take on the jobs. Sarah O’Connell seizes this opportunity to look into what it takes to be a good boss and reflects on her personal experiences with the employers she’s had over the years.

Staff - most businesses employ staff, or you are an employee yourself. We are all aware of the challenges that both employers and employees can have when it comes to relationships, job satisfaction and expectations; the 2020 year has been a testament to that.

Earlier this year at the New Zealand Institute for Primary Industries Canterbury Conference (as a part of the national conference series), I heard John Greer from Dairy NZ present some statistics and information about employment in the dairy industry in Southland. He talked about what makes a good employer and a good employee. This was right on the coattails of Covid 19 job losses across the country, a chance for everyone to value their contribution to the business they worked in.

In my working career, I have always had good employers, right from my early days relief milking as a teenager to my more recent roles in the industry. One still stands out from the list for me though and for a number of reasons, which I will get to shortly.

I took a gamble on a job, and in the end, it paid off. I was taking a break from uni, had not long had shoulder surgery and was ready to get back in the job market, a position was advertised for a shepherd on a sheep, beef and deer property in Springfield. I grew up on a dairy farm. My sheep, beef and deer knowledge skills and experience were limited to one summer working at both Rainbow Station in Nelson and Flock Hill in Canterbury plus a summer on a sheep and crop farm locally, so I didn’t have much to my name, let alone a dog or the ability to hold a handpiece! I applied, got an interview and was successful in being offered the position. Maybe I was the only one who applied, who knows!

My new bosses, Warrick (Waka) and CeCe James also took a gamble! They had never employed a female before, nor one with next to no experience, and I was the sole shepherd on the property. But this is where they stand out as one of the best bosses I have ever had and what I think makes the overall employment culture a good or a bad experience.

Waka was willing and happy to teach me, and I was willing and happy to learn. This sheep and beef farming business was old hat to him, but to me it was new. I had to learn how to work a dog, work sheep and deal with deer. He was happy to answer the silly questions without a smart remark or a ‘why don’t you know that’ kind of comment.

They welcomed me into their family and their environment. We took the time to get to know one another on more than just a work level. I have always been into sport and being able to take the time out to play hockey over winter and do athletics over summer was never an issue. If I needed to leave early for training that was ok, we planned around it. I made them aware of it from the beginning, something that I said was important to me to still have in my life. They introduced me to the world of stud cattle breeding and showing, something I have continued within my own right.

While I was shepherding, I continued to study in the evening, taking papers of the Diploma in Agriculture course at Lincoln University. This kept my mind active and meant I was able to put into practice what I was learning in class. The day after class Waka always took an interest in what we had discussed the previous evening, and I was able to pick his brain about how this new knowledge applied in a farm systems day to day management. I think we both learned a lot through this process!

When I compare the employment relationship I had with that of John Greer’s from Dairy NZ I can see why Waka was a good boss even though he probably didn’t realise it at the time. He ticked each of the items on the list with ease.

We worked together, so we were catching up all the time.
Most jobs were done together and we always worked out a way to get things done safely if it was just me, being smaller and not as strong as a young lad it made for some different ways to do things, but hey I got the job done.
I had my own house, nothing flash but it was warm and dry and a space I could have to myself at the end of every day.
When a muster went well, or I fixed something before he even knew it was broken, Waka was always grateful.
For my level of experience, my remuneration was fantastic.
Being comfortable to ask questions in a small team environment made systems and procedures easy. I learned Waka’s way.
We would always start Monday morning with a weekly plan.
I had the chance to keep studying and it was encouraged.
I was able to continue my own sports outside of work.

There are many more things that made my experience with Warrick and CeCe one to remember. To this day we remain good friends. My time with them has left a significant mark on my career, one that became a turning point for my future, that I wanted to continue to work in the sheep and beef sector.

Being a valued employee helps make your job more enjoyable and rewarding. Having the opportunity to upskill and improve your knowledge to become a better employee is an asset to both the employer and the employee – this isn’t rocket science. Still, we know that there are challenges in our agricultural industry for staff retention and workplace satisfaction.

The study that John Greer did in Southland showed that 58% of people who enter the dairy industry leave within the first year. Yes, some are short term calf rearers or backpackers, but there is still a large proportion who are leaving for career change reasons. The workplace environment, hours and type of work are all factors in the reasons for leaving the industry. With the low numbers of migrant workers now being a bigger challenge, attracting and retaining New Zealand based staff to the industry is critical.

I am very thankful to all the bosses I have had in my career. Everyone one of them has led differently, all have been supportive and encouraging, and they have all been flexible and adaptive to what I want to do and achieve with my career.

So what kind of boss or employee are you?

The workplace environment is not just created by the boss; it's created by the entire team!

Author: Sarah O’Connell