General News
24 July, 2023
Learn how to find good staff – and then keep them
“Adding to your team is no longer simply deciding you need more labour on farm and advertising,” Denise McLellan says. Ms McLellan will explain how to attract good staff and then keep them when she speaks at Birchip Cropping Group’s (BCG) Farm...
“Adding to your team is no longer simply deciding you need more labour on farm and advertising,” Denise McLellan says.
Ms McLellan will explain how to attract good staff and then keep them when she speaks at Birchip Cropping Group’s (BCG) Farm Expansion Day on Tuesday July 25.
“When thinking about adding labour units to a farm business, farmers need to first define roles across the farm so they know where the gaps are,” she said.
“They also need to be aware of the culture of their farm business as well as have a clear picture of what the business has to offer prospective employees.
“Adverts that only describe what the farm looks like – for example, size or enterprises – and outline what you need aren’t going to cut it.
“They need to include what you can offer.
“Can you provide a good work/life balance? Are you flexible? What services are nearby?
“Looking at the job from the employee’s point of view can make a real difference to whether you have any applicants and, importantly, who you attract.”
Ms McLellan will explain in detail how to determine roles and culture, how to advertise and how to induct employees, as well as how to keep them.
She will also discuss the importance of communication and how to do it well.
“Communication is key to any good working relationship,” Ms McLellan said.
“I’ll outline the best ways to communicate with staff so that you are attracting the right people and looking after them so they stay.”
BCG’s Farm Expansion Day will also cover land investment principles: buying versus leasing versus share farming, with ORM’s Ben Hogan; machinery investment decisions and benchmarking with Kondinin Group’s Ben White; and managing growth within the business with Carmen Quade.
The event will conclude with a panel of farmers and advisers sharing their farm expansion experiences, including how advisory boards can aid such decisions – in particular, how they can build resilience in times of drought.
Event organiser and BCG North West Broadacre Node lead Grace Hosking said: “As part of the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub North West Node, BCG is hosting this event to help farmers considering expansion to determine if their business will benefit and, if so, how to ensure it doesn’t come undone in times of drought.
“By enabling them to gain information regarding labour units, machinery and land purchases, and how to communicate effectively, and hearing other growers’ experiences, this event aims to provide attendees with the tools needed to guide objective expansion decisions to capitalise in good years and weather the bad.”
The event will run from 9.30am to 3pm at the Birchip Leisure Centre.
To register visit bcg.org.au/event/farm-expansion-day/
More information: 5492 2787