Management teams on successful farms excel at many human resource management skills. Staffing (including recruiting, selecting, hiring and training of employees) is among the skills that become more important as the complexity and overall level of performance of a farm business increases. With increasing size and improving performance comes people complexity: more things accomplished through employees, more delegation to key employees and more reliance on employees to maintain a routine that assures superiority. Any cynical attitudes managers have about employees need to be replaced with positive attitudes.
The organizing function of management defines each position or category of positions on the farm. Staffing follows with the filling and keeping filled all positions on the farm. Recruiting a pool of applicants for a position, selecting new employees from among the pool of applicants, training new employees and retraining experienced employees are the key elements of the staffing function. Managing resignations and discharges is also part of staffing. Staffing may be mistakenly limited to regular employees. Instead, staffing includes all personnel categories: managers, working managers and laborers; family and non-family; paid and unpaid; and full-time and part-time.
Practically all farms function without a personnel department. This means that management generalists rather than personnel specialists handle staffing. The farm human resource managers must deal with factors external to the farm such as labor laws and regulations, labor markets, practices of other employers and stereotypes of farm employment. Internal factors such as policies regarding family members entry into the business, conflict between family and business goals and limited opportunities for promotion because of flat organization charts must be dealt with. Staffing has both short-run and long-run ramifications. In the short-run, positions must be kept filled with qualified people who can get the work done. In the long run, development of top and middle level management personnel for business continuity into the next generation tops the list of staffing challenges.
Staffing success depends heavily on the planning and organizing functions of management. In planning, both farm goals and employees' goals are considered. A business functions best when business and employee goals are compatible. Job analysis leads to job specifications and job descriptions. In developing job specifications, the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities for each position are determined. Job descriptions identify specific tasks for each position. Full success in staffing rarely comes without analyzing the jobs on the farm, determining what is needed for success in each job and writing a description of the job.
Regardless of size, each farm has an organizational structure. The structure may be the result of careful planning. It may be highly formal with an organization chart well known and understood. On the other hand, structure may be the result of tradition and happenstance. In may be so informal that employees and family members are unsure of their roles, to whom they report and how they are to relate to other people on the farm. Ideally, the organizational structure provides a guide to the roles that people perform to help the farm business achieve its goals. An effective organizational structure results in everyone on the farm working together as a team.
Work is directed to accomplishing both the farm's goals and the personal goals of employees. Organizing must result in tasks being done as a means to an end rather than an end. Structuring the business to create a positive environment for people and ultimately a high quality of work life is equally important to getting the tasks done. Staffing is best done with attention to recruiting, selecting and training employees to help them satisfy their goals and the goals of the business.
The following assumptions provide the context for our discussion of staffing:
1. The mission for the farm has been given careful attention by top management and distributed to the management team and all employees, i.e., the reasons the farm is in business are known.
2. A management team is in place and able to divide up responsibilities. Top management is willing and able as needed to delegate responsibilities and authority.
3. Key positions, e.g., a herdsperson, head milker, full-time crops and machinery person, or a full-time office person are being filled. The process for filling key positions can be modified for part-time and temporary positions.
4. The person hired will be trained to carry out the responsibilities of the position, i.e., it is not necessary to hire a person who already knows how to do the job.
5. No selection process can guarantee selection success. Even if the "right" person was hired
based on all the information available to the employer at the time the decision was made, six
months, a year or three years later, it may seem that the "wrong" person was hired.
Staffing Success -- More Than Luck
Staffing success is having the "right person" in a position, rather than simply filling a position. Too often there is an assumption that luck is a key element in staffing. Consequently, a labor manager may place too little emphasis on what can be accomplished through improved recruitment, interviewing, selection and training. The following comment by an agricultural employer illustrates this point:
"We spent more than one week selecting a truck and body. We spent almost no time at all selecting or training a driver for this truck even though the driver's wages are the largest single cost of operating the truck. In addition, the driver could cause an accident resulting in a financial loss many times greater than the cost of the truck."
Hiring a full-time farm employee or a key part-time employee should be considered a major decision, ranking in importance with decisions on purchase of machinery and land, and construction of facilities. This suggests that a farm manager should carefully plan a staffing strategy following some specific guidelines rather than simply "hoping for the best."
Starting With A Self-Assessment
The following guidelines can help a farm manager evaluate his or her recent staffing efforts and improve in the future: (1) Know yourself, (2) Know your business, and (3) Know the strengths and weaknesses of farm employment.
Know Yourself
Knowing oneself can be an important self-improvement aid. Self-analysis is difficult and fraught with error. No simple written tests exist to provide easy improvement in staffing effectiveness. Nevertheless, an honest agree or disagree reaction to each of the following ten statements should provide some assistance in self-analysis:
The first three statements are concerned with self-image. Statements four through seven focus on communication. The last three statements are concerned with a labor manager's attitude toward employees. Statements with which a labor manager disagrees may suggest areas for improvement. Analyzing and altering the personal characteristics associated with each of the statements could be helpful. Understanding his or her strengths and weaknesses can change what the labor manager considers desirable and undesirable characteristics of employees.
Total success in staffing escapes even those labor managers who can "agree" with all ten statements. The best "people" persons, best communicators, and those with the most positive attitudes toward their employees still have disappointments in getting and keeping their farms staffed with the "right people". Working to know oneself better simply provides part of the foundation for improvement in staffing.
Comparison to other managers also helps a manager better understand himself or herself. Two hypothetical employers, Mizer and Max, provide a standard for employer self-evaluation.
Mizer - Farmer Mizer wants to minimize the time spent in filling a position. The position is vacant because an employee resigned unexpectedly and left the next day. Mizer heard that Joe, a person reputed to be an outstanding employee, is unhappy with his job on a neighboring farm. Mizer called Joe and asked if there was anything to the rumor that he is unhappy. Joe said he was unhappy but the problem has been resolved. Mizer replied that that was too bad because he would have offered him a good job. The same day, one of Mizer's employees told him that his brother-in-law needs a job. Mizer responded with enthusiasm, "Bring him by tonight so I can talk to him." Before Mizer finished eating lunch that same day, the phone rang. The person introduced himself as Kevin, a friend of Joe from the neighboring farm. Kevin asked if Mizer's position was still open. Mizer replied that it was. Kevin asked if he could come by for an interview that afternoon. Mizer smiled as he suggested 2:00 p.m. By 3:00 p.m. that day, Mizer was thinking that this was one of his truly lucky days. Kevin was hired and started working the following day.
Max - Farmer Max wants to maximize the chances of filling each position with the "right person." He will have a position open in 30 days. The position will be vacant because one of the current employees has an opportunity to become "orchard manager" on a nearby farm. Max has placed a help wanted ad in two newspapers. He has heard that Joe, an outstanding employee working on a neighboring farm is unhappy. He called Joe and asked if he was interested in submitting an application for the position. Max also talked to his four employees about the upcoming opening and encouraged them to think about people who might be interested in applying. Within three weeks, Max had 12 applicants. Based on applications and references, he selected seven to be invited for interviews. Four were no longer interested in the position. Three were interviewed. The two most promising were invited back for a second interview that included the other four employees. After extensive discussion with the people who had done the interviewing, Max selected a person who is working in a small factory nearby. The new employee will not start for two weeks. He wants to be fair to his current employer by giving her two weeks notice of his leaving. Max and his four employees look forward to having an outstanding person join them to learn the new job.
Know Your Business
An understanding of the goals for the farm business and its current and long run constraints to progress will help in identifying desirable characteristics for employees. Goals and performance standards for the enterprises with which the employee will have direct contact should be specifically addressed before the search for a new employee is started or a training program implemented. This helps identify those specific things expected to be accomplished through hired farm employees in general and new employees in particular. For example, if an objective is to decrease machinery repair costs, one alternative is to look for a person who has excellent mechanical skills from a previous position. An alternative is to hire an inexperienced person who has a willingness and desire to master the needed mechanical skills. A follow up training program for such a person can result in a high quality employee.
Clearly, the farm management team has the responsibility for addressing the farm's key problems. These responsibilities cannot be delegated to labor. However, a farm can benefit a great deal from emphasizing complementarity of knowledge, skills and abilities in the labor force rather than settling for duplication and competition.
Know the Advantages and Disadvantages of Farm Employment
Farm employment has advantages and disadvantages. No one position has all the advantages or disadvantages. Positions on some farms may have few of the typical disadvantages. Nevertheless, the farm manager is likely to encounter the following kinds of preconceived notions about the disadvantages of farm employees as positions are discussed with potential and current employees.
Typical advantages of farm employment are:
Typical disadvantages are:
Good labor management involves trying to overcome as many of the disadvantages of farm employment as is feasible while capitalizing on the advantages. For example, one may be able to rotate work schedules so that all employees have at least one day off each week. One may also be able to offer an employee the choice of higher cash wages and the opportunity to rent a house from the employer rather than making the house and lower cash wages a required part of the compensation package. Job titles, trips out of the county for production and seminars, and employee's names printed on their work shirts increase the prestige of farm employment.
Steps for Filling a Position
Following some proven guidelines increases the chances of finding and keeping desirable employees. However, no process can guarantee selection success. Even if the seemingly "right" person was hired six months, a year or three years ago, now it may seem that the "wrong" person was hired. The following eight-step process increases the chances of hiring success:
Preliminaries to Implementing the Eight Steps
The process for filling a position varies from farm to farm. Previous experiences, nature of the positions being filled, expertise of the selection team, budget for the selection process and time made available for selection are examples of the kinds of factors that affect the design of the selection process. Top management answering the following questions should result in a workable process:
1. To whom, if anyone, is responsibility and authority for filling positions being delegated?
Top management, e.g., the owner/operator of the farm, may retain responsibility and authority for filling positions. On the other hand, it can be delegated to a herdsperson, an assistant farm manager or some other key management person. Someone must have the explicit responsibility and authority. Everyone being responsible often means the task is treated as if not one were responsible.
2. When and how are the persons responsible for selection and hiring to be trained?
One can not expect to do well in selection and hiring of employees without training in how to do it. "Learning by doing" can result in many potentially valuable employees being lost to other employers who do selection and hiring in a more professional manner. "Learning by doing" can also result in being fooled by unqualified applicants who are expert in talking about their many farm skills and experiences.
Step 1: Determine the Business' Labor and Management Needs
The labor and management needs of the business should guide its hiring decisions. An understanding of the goals for the farm business and its current and long run constraints to progress helps identify desirable employee characteristics. Goals and performance standards should be specifically addressed before the search for a new employee begins. This helps identify those specific things expected to be accomplished through hired farm workers in general and new employees in particular.
Clearly, the management team has the responsibility for addressing the farm's key problems. These responsibilities cannot be delegated to labor. However, a farm can benefit a great deal from emphasizing complementarity of knowledge, skills and abilities in the labor force. It makes little sense to hire new people with unneeded strengths and interests that will cause unproductive competition for favored tasks.
Step 2: Develop a Current Job Description
Job descriptions help both the employer and employees by answering three questions: What does the jobholder do? How is it done? Under what conditions is it done? The job description has at least four parts:
Job descriptions are typically one page long. The brevity requires a terse, direct writing style. Simple words with single meanings should be used. Action verbs in the present tense should be used in defining the job duties, e.g., milks twice per day five days per week, completes a performance evaluation at least annually for each employee supervised. The specifics of the job should be clear from the job description. The job title, job summary and description of duties should be completely consistent. To illustrate, the job title of herd manager is inconsistent with a list of job duties that includes only labor tasks such as milking, cleaning, feeding, moving, loading, and repairing.
Managers working closely with employees should update job descriptions at least annually. The important tie between job descriptions, performance evaluation and merit pay increases is lost when job descriptions are hid away in a forgotten file.
Step 3: Build a Pool of Applicants
Although there are many methods of getting job applicants, word of mouth and help wanted ads are likely to generate the most applicants. Word of mouth involves current employees, neighbors, agribusiness contacts, veterinarians and others who come in contact with potential employees. Word of mouth is fast and low cost. However, it limits the scope of the job search because qualified applicants may not hear about the position. Current employees enthusiastic about their jobs can become highly effective recruiters.
Help wanted ads can be placed in newspapers and magazines known to be read by potential employees. Help wanted ads have the potential of expanding the applicant pool beyond the local community. The ads may increase the pool of applicants to the point that screening based on their application forms will be necessary. Only well prepared help wanted ads are likely to be effective. Following a seven-step process should result in an effective want ad:
Traditional help wanted ads like the following prepared without the seven-step process are unlikely to expand the pool of qualified applicants for the farm:
The following creative ads are much more likely to catch the attention of qualified applicants:
Each applicant should fill out an application form. Taking time to develop an application form or modify one used previously forces identification of important characteristics to look for in applicants. An application form provides a common base of information about all employees being considered. It also provides an important source of questions to be followed up on during the interview.
Step 4: Review Applications and Select those to Be Interviewed
Some applicants will be excluded from further consideration based on the application form. A pre-interview can also be used to help identify applicants to be invited for a formal interview. Having interested people visit the farm to fill out an application form can provide opportunity for a few general questions about experience and interest in the job. Promising candidates can be given a mini-tour of the farm providing opportunity for general conversation about the dairy industry, livestock, farm work and machinery. The objective of the pre-selection step is to reduce the applicant pool to the most promising candidates. However, the applicant pool should not be reduced to fewer than three people. You may not be successful in hiring the best person in the pool of applicants. Interviewing may dramatically change the pre-ranking of applicants you have made. Also, some applicants will withdraw. Most important, the person hired should know that he or she is a winner having been selected over other qualified people.
Step 5: Interview
Farm employers use applicant interviews more than any other selection tool in deciding whom to hire. Employers can lose outstanding applicants through poor interviewing. On the other hand, they can use excellent interviewing skills to help sell a job opportunity to applicants.
Use these questions to guide preparation for interviewing:
Avoid questions that can be answered yes or no. Some examples are:
Instead of these yes/no type questions, use open-ended questions that encourage applicants to explain experiences, characteristics and ideas in their own words. The open-ended questions should be geared toward the following general areas: previous job accomplishments and achievement; non-job accomplishments and achievements; motivation and ambition; hobbies and use of leisure time; and "what if" Some examples are:
"What if" questions should also be included. They present the applicant a practical problem situation for solution. An applicant for a herd manager position might be given a "sick cow" situation, an applicant for a machinery operator position might be given a "tractor won't start" situation, and an applicant for a position with supervisory responsibilities might be given an "employee not cleaning the equipment" situation.
Do not ask questions about: race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, number and care of dependents, height, weight, education unrelated to the job, friends or relatives who have previously worked on your farm, age, arrest or conviction records, U.S. citizenship, credit ratings, handicaps or disabilities, person to notify in case of emergency, sexual orientation, nonbusiness-related references, social clubs and organizations, and military experience in the armed forces of another country. A general guideline is to ask only about those things that are unquestionably related to the job and any applicant's ability to do the job.
It is possible to get necessary information without asking improper questions. It is legitimate to ask about availability for work on weekends and staying late during planting and harvest seasons. However, these questions should not be asked in terms of family responsibilities, children or religious practice. It is important to know if an applicant is a U.S. citizen or whether the applicant meets immigration law requirements. These questions can be asked without reference to national origin.
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