Actions louder than words

01-05-2007 | Not Specified

All farmers say they value their staff, but actions speak louder than words, says Mike O’Connor.

The Waikato dairy farm owner and equity partner in the Rubus Group of farms in the South Island had employed staff for many years but wanted to identify any areas where improvements could be made.

Through word of mouth he heard about Quality Farm Employers of New Zealand (QFENZ).

O’Connor’s farm was assessed for the first time this year and required no preparation other than informing employees about the QFENZ process.

He received a clear and detailed report after the assessment, advising that he had achieved QFENZ membership.

“The QFENZ assessment was able to quantify all those grey areas around employment of staff,” O’Connor says.

He was given practical recommendations about how to address identified issues, and on how to progress to the next level of membership in the annual reassessment next year.

O’Connor says that one of the biggest benefits was having an independent person doing the assessment.

“Even though there are some useful tools available to farmers, such as the HR Toolkit, self-assessment really depends on how honest you are, and it can be difficult to get truthful feedback from employees without a third party”.

O’Connor believes that being assessed by QFENZ would benefit “employers who are open-minded and who want to make a difference. Farmers can’t afford not to be good employers”.

Keeping staff safe, happy and learning on the farm is a key factor in retaining good staff and improving farm performance, according to O’Connor.

He has no staff turnover on his farm this season. When he does, he plans to advertise his QFENZ membership in order to attract high quality employees.

  Printable View