Human resources is about “building systems and processes that keep the operation running, fostering a positive work environment and preparing for the unexpected,” says Viktoria Schuler, a project manager with the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council. Schuler was speaking at a virtual Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Connecting Women in Agriculture session on human resource management on the farm.

The textbook definition of HR management is having the right people with the right skills at the right time to create the right environment that enables and motivates people to do the right thing. Like an iceberg, there is a small amount above the surface in HR that people see, with a much larger section below that people do not see. “Those hidden aspects can take a great deal of resources, time and energy,” she stresses. “The benefits of effective HR are improved productivity, strengthened family relationships through building trust and lower employee turnover.”

An area she sees that requires attention, particularly for farming and ranching families, is that of work-life balance. Or is there such a thing? Kailin Kitzan with Do More Ag suggests we should think of it as “work-life sway.” There are times on the farm when it is going to be difficult to achieve balance.

• More ‘Depth of Field’: Strategic planning, ‘natural laws’ of mindset and decision-making
• More ‘Depth of Field’: Looking at change and authenticity on the ranch

This may be an area that is viewed differently between the generations. Schuler recommends strategies to improve it such as flexible work schedules, breaks, time-off policies, creating “no-work zones” and valuing personal time.

The workload distribution and differing perspectives on this should be addressed. A regular communication approach with feedback is helpful to incorporate, as well as role descriptions.

“Clarity is power and can foster respect, understanding and teamwork.” Another aspect to consider is conflict management. “Addressing issues head on is critical and may require training and mediation,” says Schuler.

HR practices need to align with the long-term vision of the operation and family. Formal feedback mechanisms can include regular performance reviews. Schuler recommends the sandwich approach with positive feedback first, then constructive and finishing with positive.

Another tool is the 360-degree review, which includes insights from all directions and can help identify blind spots. It does take work to become comfortable sharing constructive feedback. Remember, it takes practice to strengthen muscles and improve skills.

Schuler suggests creating basic work agreements specifically for your operation. Treat them as “living” documents that will be continuously updated and revised.

And of course, this links to the succession plan. “Farms without a succession plan are 50 per cent more likely to dissolve with the next generation. It is vital to preserving the farm’s legacy and relationships,” she says. From many sources, the importance of an aligned vision comes up repeatedly.

In a subsequent session of the FCC series, Annessa Good-Hassard with Peak Heritage Consulting Ltd. focused on succession/transition planning.

“So much of the succession planning process seems to rest on the shoulders of the women. Or at least, they feel like it does,” says Good-Hassard.

She compares farm family business transition planning to riding a roller coaster.

“Unspoken expectations are silent killers,” she adds. “It is important that we are proactive rather than reactive. Remember, the business and estate plan are dependent on one another.”

Good-Hassard recommends having an “emergency will” as part of a contingency plan. What if someone is gone tomorrow? This also links with asking your accountant what exactly your current tax situation is if a crisis happened. That can be one way to kick-start the process. A fear tactic, but if it works…

“Perception is reality, facts are negotiable,” is an oft-used phrase of hers. Sometimes she suggests leaning on the math to help alleviate some of the emotions. Of course, that cannot replace them.

Land and its value set ag transition apart from that of other family businesses. Good-Hassard finds the compensation piece important to address. She considers compensation to include wages/salary, management fees, ROI, redemption of equity and rent on personally owned land. This needs to be looked at for both generations and in considering possibilities down the road.

The business plan and estate plan are linked. We need to determine “how to be efficient and effective with the same base, keeping operations viable and sustainable,” she says.

In the estate planning, consider the 6 Ds: divorce, death, departure, disease, debt and disagreement.

She stresses the importance of granting ourselves and each other grace. The process is complex, and it does take time. She reminds women that you can have it all, but you cannot do it all.

“One of our superpowers is connection,” she says. “Embrace that strength.”

Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council and FCC have several tools and templates on their websites.

– Kelly Sidoryk ranches with her family just west of Lloydminster, Alta. She consults in several areas including succession planning and holistic management.

The post VIDEO: Tools for human resources and succession planning on the farm appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Listen to the Depth of Field podcast on YouTube or Apple.

February 2025: ‘Natural laws’ of mindset and decision-making (read column)

January 2025: Strategic planning in the new year (read column)

December 2024: Leadership in non-profits or community-based organizations (read column)

November 2024: Looking at change and authenticity on the ranch (read column)

October 2024: Nothing new here with transition planning, or is there? (read column)

September 2024

A new approach to rural revitalization (read column)

Giving and receiving feedback on the farm (read column)

August 2024: Understanding change during farm and ranch transitions (read column)

June 2024: Teamwork makes the dream work

May 2024: The agripreneur mindset (read column)

Apr. 2024: Vance Crowe on the urban/rural divide (read column)

Mar. 2024: Re-thinking mid-life transitions (read column)

Feb. 2024: Seven habits of highly effective ranch families (read column)

Jan. 2024: A different approach to meetings on the ranch (read column)

Dec. 2023: Never split the difference when negotiating (read column)

Nov. 2023: Failing well on the farm (read column)

Oct. 2023: Entrepreneurial myths revisited (read column)

Sept. 26, 2023: The foreign perspective (read column)

Sept 5, 2023: The conscious and subconscious brain (read column)

August 2023: Positive psychology (read column)

June 2023: Feedback and the Johari window (read column)

Giving and receiving feedback

May 2023: Understanding our own paradigms (read column)

Understanding our own paradigms: Part 1

Understanding our own paradigms: Part 2

April 2023: David Irvine on clarity, character and connection (read column)

Part 1: David Irvine on clarity, character and connection

Part 2: David Irvine on clarity, character and connection

March 2023: It’s all about the people (read column)

Part 1: It’s all about the people

Part 2: It’s all about the people

February 2023: Systems learning (read column)

Part 1: Systems learning

Part 2: Systems learning

January 2023: On memory and the art of remembering (read column)

Part 1: Memory

Part 2: Memory

December 2022: Letting go and shifting gears (read column)

Part 1: Letting go and shifting gears

Part 2: Letting go and shifting gears

November 2022: Finding the weak links in your farm operation (read column)

Clearing logjams in strategic planning

Strengthening the weakest link

SWOT analysis

October 2022: Kaizen and continuous improvement (read column)

The principles of Kaizen

Kaizen on the ranch

Sept 6, 2022: Getting to yes (read column)

August 2022: What’s your true colour? (read column)

The post VIDEO: Depth of Field Extras appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

If we are trying to follow a path of continuous improvement, be it for ourselves or our teams, there will be times when feedback is necessary, and it is not always going to be rosy. 

For those regularly following along, a few months ago I wrote about the former FBI hostage negotiator, Chris Voss, and some of his communication strategies. In a recent newsletter, he shared a template to follow when being the bearer of bad news: 

• C – Curiosity. What can I learn?
• A – Accept the other person may be upset.
• V – Vent. Talk through the situation with a trusted advisor ahead of time.
• I – Identify the issue.
• A A– Accusation audit (see next paragraph).
• R – Remember the counterpart is not the adversary, the situation is.

The accusation audit is an important piece of Voss’s strategy. And it requires empathy and a shifting of perspective. It is not the accusations you are making but taking time to consider it from the other person’s point of view. Consider what they may be accusing you of and what they are likely feeling. 

Voss recommends producing five to 10 points and then actually beginning the discussion with that. For example, “I know you may be feeling angry with the situation. I suspect you think I was too quick to go to the next step without consulting you.” Voss says this is a simple but potentially highly effective approach. You can then ask follow-up questions, such as “What do you think the next steps should be?” Or, “How do you envision we move forward?” 

In a Forbes magazine article, Robert Logemann says, “Few people want to give feedback, but everyone craves it.” He recommends being direct and authentic. Also to be specific and timely. “Focus on actions, not the people, and be sure and provide solutions, as feedback without direction is just a complaint.” 

He also says that not giving feedback is conflict avoidance. “You should be open to criticism yourself and model good behaviour. Leaders should support their criticism with positivity, empathy and solutions.” 

In a Worklife article, Trish Sammer writes constructive criticism “acknowledges both positive and negative aspects along with appropriate steps to improve.” She adds that the benefits of constructive criticism are that it supports employee growth and development, boosts employee morale and improves organizational performance. These are all good things. 

She also suggests considering the timing and frequency of criticism, staying objective, focusing on solutions, opening a conversation and following up on the feedback. 

In a corporate setting, the 360-degree feedback process is used to manage performance and development. It is a development tool for individuals and organizations to shed light on gaps in skills and knowledge but also to highlight strengths. Feedback is gathered from several sources including subordinates, peers, managers, supervisors and senior leaders. 

An exercise that I have used in the past is the fishbowl or hot seat. The person receiving the feedback is put in the centre of a circle and everyone in the outer circle expresses something they appreciate about the person. Again, this is not something many of us have experience with and it can be challenging and emotional. Another approach was for everyone in the group to have a card with their name on it and the cards get passed around for each person to again express appreciation with the written word on the cards. David Irvine has an exercise called the “influencer wall” which involves compiling pictures of those who have had a deep influence on you. He then suggests reaching out to let the individuals know they are on your wall and why. 

And what about being on the receiving end of feedback? Take a breath or a pause. Ask clarifying questions, practice active listening and say thank you. With sincerity. 

Ellen Hendricksen, in Psychology Today, has some suggestions for receiving feedback. If it is angry feedback, take some time to try and discover the softer emotion. Also, try to take the high road and be noble. Remember, if you are just the messenger, you can agree with the critic. Importantly, she suggests, “Don’t get defensive or blame others.” 

If the feedback is not coming from a place of anger, it is not always what is said but what you hear. Interpretation is everything. Consider that the critic might be wrong. For any who have participated in some type of stock show with a judge, we have often been reminded that it is one person’s opinion on that day. “Feedback is an opinion shaped by the giver’s context, values and place in life,” Hendricksen reminds us. 

In some cases, criticism means you are a misunderstood innovator. If you are the type of person who likes to push the edge of the envelope and experiment or try things no one else is doing you may receive negative feedback. It brings to mind alternative winter- feeding practices. 

On the other hand, your critic may have a point. Did you really prepare well and put in your best effort? It’s a good question to reflect on. Try to find an opportunity in it and consider asking for even more advice. 

For those who are people pleasers, try to see yourself as a “gritty survivor,” Hendricksen suggests, with less concern about the information. 

Currently, a great deal of feedback is taking place on the internet. Be sure and consider the context with this information. It is easier to hide behind the keyboard than have the face-to-face conversation. Hendricksen’s final reminder is “Remember that the criticism says more about the critic than it says about you.” 

Keep in mind that if you get so focused on what is not working, you will not see what is. 

The post VIDEO: Giving and receiving feedback on the ranch appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Ensure your workers have access to information about proper protocol, such as hand washing to limit transmission. Fact sheets to post in the work environment are available here.

Ensure your workers are aware of their responsibility to properly notify you if they are feeling unwell or of any risk of exposure to COVID-19 they may have encountered.

Communicate clearly with your workers about your expectations regarding sick leave.

Remind them of your HR policies during this pandemic, specifically around sick leave. If you do not have formal policies in place, templates are available in the AgriHR Toolkit.

Depending on the existing policy, it may be required to extend sick leave beyond the current policy to ensure workers with symptoms of or exposure to COVID-19 are not stressed by a financial burden when needing to self-isolate. Such an environment where employees have this comfort will encourage self-reporting and reduce potential exposure to other employees.

Ensure that workers with symptoms of or exposure to COVID-19 are supported to self-isolate.

Do not provide information regarding the name, date of birth, or other identifiers of any workers diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus. Your workers are entitled to privacy under Canadian privacy legislation. There are special circumstances when you may have to have to share this information (e.g. life threatening reasons). Consult with legal counsel before sharing any personal medical information of your workers.

Do provide information to your workers if they have been exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace.

If known, provide:

• date(s) of their potential exposure; and
• the extent and circumstances of their potential exposure (i.e., incident indirect contact versus prolonged direct contact).

Information for your employees

Follow the recommended methods of reducing transmission of the virus, including:

• wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the washroom and when preparing food;
• use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available;
• when coughing or sneezing:
• cough or sneeze into a tissue or the bend of your arm, not your hand;
• dispose of any tissues you have used as soon as possible in a lined waste basket;
• wash your hands afterward; and
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• clean the following high-touch surfaces frequently with regular household cleaners or diluted bleach (one part bleach to nine parts water): toilets, phones, electronics, door handles, tables, farm/business equipment and tools.

Managing the risk to the work environment

Limit or restrict visitors to the farm or business operation.

Implement a hand-washing regime for all employees.

Clean frequently-used surfaces with hospital-grade disinfectant.

Ensure employees are informed of the risks, symptoms, steps to self-isolate.

Consider restricting travel (business or leisure) and ask employees to self-isolate upon returning home from international travel.

Businesses that are receiving foreign workers should monitor advisories from the government departments responsible for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

Continue to follow recommendations provided around maintaining biosecurity and food safety standards.

Businesses that provide housing for their workers will need to ensure their risk management plan considers large numbers of employees being quarantined or requiring health care.

Ensure risk management and operational plans include pandemic plans for HR management. Having a risk management plan in place for dealing with events that may cause a crisis to the staff available to work will ensure that when/if that happens there is a structured, controlled response to it.

These type of plans should include identifying decision makers, roles and responsibilities, access to medical care, plans for both quarantine or transportation to medical facilities. They should also include communications planning such as who is the point of contact, medical contacts, internal and external communication plans, contact information for all staff, suppliers, community services.

The risk management plan should also identify what to do if staff are not available to conduct time-sensitive work (e.g. milking, strawberry picking) when not enough employees are available to do the work because of sickness. This may include having agreements with surrounding farmers for back up support.

Has there been animal-to-human infection in Canada?

There is currently no evidence to suggest that this virus is circulating in animals in Canada. It is possible that some types of animals may be able to get infected with COVID-19, but it is not yet clear whether they would show symptoms.

There are still many unknowns about COVID-19 and this is an area that remains to be studied and understood.

Until we know more, if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have contact with animals:

• avoid close contact with them;
• avoid coughing and sneezing on the animals;
• have another member of your staff care for the animals;
• if this is not possible, always wash your hands before touching or feeding them; and
• limit the animal’s contact with other people and animals do not snuggle or kiss them, or let them lick you, sit on your lap, or sleep in your bed.

— Jennifer Wright is a senior HR advisor and stakeholder engagement specialist with the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council in Ottawa. Farm employers with questions about managing workers and business are encouraged to contact CAHRC.

The post COVID-19 and farm workers: How do we manage on the farm? appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The most obvious cost is the time and money spent recruiting replacements. Then there’s the negative effect high turnover has on the morale and productivity of your other employees, not to mention the impression it leaves with your customers.

These hidden costs may linger with your operation for years.

Fortunately many of these hiring errors can be avoided, says Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council (CAHRC) executive director Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst. She was instrumental in developing the council’s online AgriHR Toolkit and offers some proven tips that will help you avoid this costly problem of job mismatches.

“There are five key steps in the hiring process and it’s important to do the whole process well,” she says.

Knowing what you are looking for is the starting point. If the position is fuzzy in your mind, it will come across that way to job seekers. Describe the position clearly so that potential employees reading your job ad will think, “yes, this is a job that makes sense to me and something I’d be interested in doing.”

Next, figure out where job seekers are looking and advertise your job opportunities there. More and more these days people are looking online, but they may not happen across your company website so look for additional places to post your listing, such as an industry job board, online classifieds, Kijiji, Facebook and Twitter.

The CAHRC’s AgriJob Match, a national job board with supporting tools for employers and job seekers, is expected to go live this summer.

Recruitment agencies are another option, but don’t forget to look internally as well, she adds. You or your supervisors may know of someone already on staff who might be interested in applying.

It also never hurts to spread the word around through your networks of professionals, friends and family.

Learn how to advertise effectively. A common shortcoming at this step is not putting much thought into making the position compelling.

“Include clear details on what the position requirements are, but also think about what makes your business unique and interesting and the benefits of working there. At the same time, you need to balance exciting with realistic,” she explains.

Now, you are getting down to the nuts and bolts of deciding who to hire and bringing the successful applicant on board.

Streamlining your screening, interviewing and selection processes is important, not only for efficiency, but to make sure your decision is defensible.

“Decision-making needs to be rooted in the job description — the tasks and responsibilities of the position and the knowledge and skills required — not based on favouritism, for instance, just because the person happens to be a family friend or you have common interests,” she stresses.

Review every application against the job criteria to shortlist candidates most suitable for interviews.

Treat everyone the same during the interview by interviewing them in the same place using the same interview process and the same job-related questions.

“Consistency helps to avoid picking someone because he or she has good skills at being an interviewee,” she says. “Some people are verbally skilled and get you talking about other things. Before you know it, the interview time is up and you won’t have learned much at all about the person’s suitability for the job.”

Most of the interview questions should be behaviour based because it’s a proven fact that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour.

Behavioural-event interviewing is a researched method that goes beyond questioning on training and skills to help select a person with the experience and wherewithal to handle situations that are bound to come up.

Avoid starting your questions with “what would you do if,” because people will likely guess at what they would do or tell you something they think you want to hear.

Instead, start with “tell me about a time when.” Phrased this way, the person will most likely describe the situation, action taken and results.

A scenario might follow along the line of “tell me about a time when you were faced with making a decision because nobody else was around.”

Perhaps he or she recalls dealing with an irate customer and describes how listening to the customer had a calming effect, making it easier to determine what needed to be done to resolve the conflict.

Applying this response to a ranch or feedlot situation would give you a sense of how that person would react in a similar situation.

Take notes during the interview and allow time immediately afterward to go through them, jotting down additional points that could help in your final decision and support a defensible selection.

Rate the candidate on each question before interviewing another candidate.

Your rating system could be a scale from one to five with one being well below expectations, three being meets expectations, and five being clearly above expectations. Think hard about your expectations and how a successful candidate should rate. Were the expected indicators addressed? If not, did the missing points have to do with important job functions? Did the response leave you thinking that the person would be capable of doing the job? From the middle, work up and down the rating scale listing your general expectations for each level and leave room at the bottom to note your rationale.

Each candidate will have stronger and weaker points, so you will really need to consider all of the answers on the whole in making your final decision.

Summing up the selection step, MacDonald-Dewhirst says fairness and consistency in the shortlisting, interviewing and rating process, along with behavioural-event interviewing will lead you to the top candidate for the job.

This is the time to check references, starting with the person at the top of your list, or the top two if they are close on paper and in the interview.

“Checking references is the single thing that’s left off the table most often,” she says. “It doesn’t take much time and you’ll be surprised what you can learn from past employers and with their candidness,” she says.

Your search ends at step four, but be sure to complete the whole hiring process by having a plan for bringing them on board and follow through to make sure your new hire sticks.

Overall, 22 per cent of staff turnovers across all job sectors occur within the first 45 days on the job. On the bright side, 60 per cent of new employees who receive support and orientation are more likely to still be with the organization after three years.

On-boarding doesn’t have to be fancy or costly, but it does need to be timely. It begins the moment your new employee arrives to make sure their first time at your workplace is a positive experience. Little courtesies such as introducing the new person to everyone on the team and making sure he or she has someone to sit with at lunch will go a long way in making the person feel comfortable.

Let your new employee know how to find resources and information needed to do the job and arrange to have a go-to person to help with questions as needed. Make sure the plan around job training is clearly understood, whether it’s as basic as required reading, more structure job shadowing, or formal workshops.

You, your manager or supervisors need to make a point of checking in with the new employee frequently during the first couple of weeks and regularly for the first two or three months. Simply ask if everything is going OK and whether anything else is needed to be sure the new person gets as much help as possible.

Know what you don’t know

“People in agriculture are skilled at many jobs, but we always say it’s important to know what you don’t know, says MacDonald-Dewhirst.

“If human resources is a weakness, don’t be afraid to put your hand up and say you need help. We are here to help. We have deep roots in agriculture, we work with the industry and we have developed meaningful human resource management tools based on what industry said is needed.”

One of the most comprehensive resources for owners and managers in all walks of agriculture and food is the AgriHR Toolkit. It’s an online program that details the recruitment process, how to develop an HR plan, create a policy manual, effectively manage people, succession planning, set compensation and benefits standards, create training and orientation processes, ensure workplace wellness, and improve health and safety. It includes a sample HR policy manual that can be customized for your own business and templates for job descriptions, advertisements, exit interviews, emergency plans and letters for job offers, rejections, suspensions and terminations.

Ninety-nine dollars gets you a full year of access to work through the kit at your own pace. Better yet, encourage your commodity association to bring an HR101 training workshop to your region because all participants receive a complementary link to the kit.

Related to the AgriHR Toolkit and AgriJob Match 20 the CAHRC researched the exact job skills needed to fulfil 20 positions in the beef, pork, sheep, poultry and aquaculture sectors as a guide to employers and job seekers.

For information on these and other programs and services, visit the CAHRC website.

The post We’re hiring… five steps to get it right appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

In my experience, I have found that 80 per cent of what I teach or speak about has to be on production practices as that is what the producers want. When I am asked to speak on grazing or bale grazing, I am bombarded by questions and many producers want to discuss the topic after. However, when I speak about human resources or economics, I only get a few questions and I can become quite lonely afterwards.

I get it. Production practices are sexy. We all love to learn about fencing, grazing, calving or new equipment. But I have also learned that if we want our businesses to be profitable, we should be spending 80 per cent of our time learning about business management and only 20 per cent of the time worrying about production practices, not the other way around. Warning: This is one of my 20 per cent articles.

I enjoy working on human resources. Communication is one of the most important skills you will ever learn in life. It can never hurt to develop your ability to talk to, debate with, and understand others.

I am a custom grazier. The most important part of my business is not grazing. It is human resources. I can be the best grazier in the land, but if I can’t find the land to rent, it does not really matter. I need to be able to talk to landowners to acquire the land at a reasonable rate. One thing that I did bring home from the TEPAP course was the personality-style model. Well, sort of.

• More with Steve Kenyon on the Canadian Cattlemen: The trick with winter water to keep your cattle drinking

The DISC model that they used was fantastic; except for the fact that it was kind of boring. I apologize to anyone who might be offended but I renamed some of the styles to make the test a little more user friendly.

There are four basic types of people; the Dragonfly, the Butterfly, the Ant and the Bumblebee. (DISC)

The Dragonfly — This insect is a predator. Watch out, it eats other insects. This personality style is very dominant and direct. This person takes action and needs to be in charge. They are willing to take risks and can be impatient. They are problem solvers and value their time. In addition, they can be strong willed, demanding, aggressive, blunt and down-right stubborn.

Butterflies — We all know the social butterfly! This personality is social and influencing. They need to interact with others and are friendly, charming, persuasive, talkative, impulsive, and optimistic. They are usually a good leader and can motivate others. On the downside, they can appear emotional, self-promoting but also are very trusting and generous. Think of a Butterfly you know — they may also have poor time management skills.

Ants — Work, work, work. Tirelessly working doing the same things day after day! This personality style has the need for consistency. They are predictable, patient, understanding and are good listeners. They are hard workers and will get the job done. However, they may be resistant to change and may rather do the job themselves. They can appear as inactive, complacent, possessive, mild and passive.

Bumblebees — If you have ever seen “The Bee Movie,” you will know that the hive is run in perfect harmony. This personality style is a perfectionist. They are accurate, systematic, analytical, methodical and good fact-finders. They will examine things in detail and may set very high standards for others to follow. They can appear as evasive, restrained, conventional and quiet. I bet they like numbers.

Who are you? How about your spouse? Or your kids? Or your hired hands? Or your boss? It is important to know what style you are as it affects how others relate to you. It is also just as important to develop a skill to determine the personality style of the people you deal with. If you want people to co-operate with you more, try understanding how they relate to others. How do they learn? What offends them?

Now this is a very simplified version and of course it is not exact. We are not all one type but more of a mixture of all four. Most people have a dominant style with traits from the other styles mixed in. The version from TEPAP was computerized and it spit out a 17-page report that fit my personality to a “T.”

I am a Dragonfly. I can come off a little blunt. OK, sometimes a lot blunt, but once I learned about these different styles I could start to relate better with others. I learned a few things.

If I am dealing with a Butterfly, I need to be less business minded. I have to understand that they want to be friendly and social and not just “get down to business.”

If I am meeting with an Ant, I need to take my time and explain things carefully. I need to emphasize facts and I can’t be critical of their current ways. If a change is in order, it has to be their decision. I can’t push them or they will push back.

The Bumblebee needs all the juicy details. I have to avoid rushing to the point without giving all the little details first. They are the perfectionist. If it’s not perfect, it’s not right. They may have a lot of questions so I need to be patient and be ready with the answers.

But what if I meet up with another Dragonfly? Well, if we don’t kill each other first, we might get along just great. We can relate to each other quite well. If you meet up with one of us, we want the punchline first, and then you can bore us with all the details if you must because we aren’t listening anymore anyways. (Just kidding, I promise I will still be listening.)

We are impatient and we need to get the deal done.

It is amazing the difference it makes in dealing with people if you first try to understand them. What style are they? Find some place that teaches about personality styles and see how much it changes your ability to communicate. Communication is the most important skill we can learn. It might just be the kick your business needs.

The post Which insect best describes you? appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The three critical elements (communication, expectations and consequences) are embedded in PM’s four Fs: frequency, fodder, feedback, and followup.

Frequency: Once is not enough. Take time to communicate with your employee at the start and end of each new task or responsibility. The goal of the first communication is to understand the standard of the task — the expectation. The goal of the communication at the end of the task is to provide feedback — how was the expectation met?

If the task is large, communicate at critical points along the way. Provide detailed expectations, repeat the main expectation and give feedback on what has been completed to that point.

Frequency is dependent on the experience and knowledge of the employee. For a long-term employee, there will be fewer PM discussions. But less discussion does not mean no discussion; communication still needs to happen. New employees, regardless of their experience and knowledge, need frequent PM communication. Remember, there is a lot of new information being thrown at them in a short period of time, and you’re setting the stage for performance management.

• More from the Canadian Cattlemen: Sharpen your human resource skills: Part 1

Fodder: PM communication needs to be meaningful. In a feedlot sense it needs to be nutritious. Nutrition is found in clearly articulating sound expectations.

Use the SMART goal rule to determine if your expectations have nutrition. The expectation should be Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound.

For example, rather than telling someone to clean the barn, consider this expectation using the SMART goal rule: “A clean barn has no debris on the floors, walls and chute. Removing the debris takes about 45 minutes. After the debris is gone, the floor is pressure washed. This takes about 30 minutes.” Does this seem like overkill? Face it — this is really what you want done, so you might as well clearly share your expectation.

Feedback: It is fine to say “good job,” but even better to say specifically what was good about the job. For example, if the hired hand just finished chopping a silage field, rather than telling them they did a good job (not a lot of nutrition), consider these statements: “Good job on chopping the field. You cut at the right height which ensured that no nutritional feed was left behind. You also maximized the full width of the chopper. This saves us money and time. You did plug the chopper once. Next time you get to a spot where it is really thick, slow down. I expect that in the next field you will slow down for those trouble spots and not plug. Plugging slows down operations.”

This nutritious statement clearly confirms what performance achieved the standard and what didn’t. It also communicates what needs to happen next time so that the performance can improve. This nutrition statement also includes consequences of the performance, both positive and negative.

Followup: You have clearly communicated the standard, and you have provided feedback. Now you have to followup, especially on performance that didn’t meet the standard. Followup is a critical part of the consequence element.

If you identify work that is not up to your expectations, let the employee know so they can correct their performance. For example, if you told the employee not to plug the chopper in the next field, followup. The more timely the followup, the more meaning it will have. Followup should include assessing if they got it right, if they understood and if there is some other problem.

Basic PM requires communication, expectations, and consequences. Just remember the four Fs and you will be off to a great start.

As discussed above, frequency, fodder, feedback and followup are what you need to know 90 per cent of the time for performance management. Critical conversations, training, discipline and termination should address the remaining 10 per cent.

Critical conversations: Talking to employees about poor performance can be tough. We’re often afraid that these conversations can upset the apple cart or cause a display of emotion, so we avoid them. Don’t. As the employee’s manager, it’s your job to deal with the performance problems.

These are high-stakes discussions. Employment and people relationships are at stake so these conversations need to be respectful, calm and about the behaviour, not the person. For example, telling an employee he/she has a poor attitude is a bad idea (and they may tell you what they think of your opinion). Attitude is about the person. Discuss the behaviour; state facts, such as: two of five days this week you were late, you overloaded the feed bunk because you were texting, and you never checked the cows when asked.

Once you’ve put the poor performance (the behaviour) on the table, make sure the employee knows the expectation. Expectations should be specific: driving down the lane at 8:00 is not starting work at 8:00; starting work at 8:00 means that you’re ready to work, your gear is ready and your morning smoke finished. Identify what needs to be changed. Then work towards a collaborative solution.

A well-executed critical conversation will strengthen your relationship with your employee. If you’ve been clear about the expectations and provided feedback all along, this should not be a surprise.

It will help determine if the poor performance is a result of non-culpable or culpable behaviour: “I would if I could, I can but I won’t.” Sometimes there is a third category, temporary-culpable: “I can but I didn’t because I didn’t think you noticed or cared.” If the poor performance is a result of non-culpable (I would if I could) behaviour, training may be the solution. If the behaviour is culpable (I can but won’t), then discipline or termination may be required.

Being late and texting while working are examples of culpable behaviour or temporary-culpable behaviour. Now that the employee knows you notice and care, the performance will probably change. Make sure you talk about the consequences if the changes do not happen. For example, will the pay be docked; will there be discipline or termination?

In the case of not checking the cows, you may discover that it is non-culpable behaviour. They didn’t check the cows because they didn’t know what to do. Training might be the consequence.

Training: Training can be the solution to poor performance. First, know what it is you want to improve. Of course you want to change an employee’s behaviour so their performance improves, but tie that changed behaviour to an operational outcome, such as reduced cost of feed errors, improved efficiency in checking cattle, etc.

You will know if the training has been effective when the employee not only has learned something, but also has changed behaviours; behaviours that have a positive impact on the operational outcome you identified. Training not only solved the performance problem but now can be considered an investment with a return.

Termination: Sometimes poor or unacceptable performance needs a strong consequence to drive home the point that the performance must change. When the employee or employee relationship is worth saving, consider discipline. Progressive discipline (discipline that progresses in severity) can be an effective tool to drive home a strong message. It also is a strong consequence. Progressive discipline can be a discipline meeting, short to longer suspension without pay, and termination. There are times when performance is so bad, behaviour so unacceptable, or the employment relationship so unsalvageable that firing is the answer.

Firing an employee is never easy and it shouldn’t be. Make that decision when you’re not emotional (be sure it is a rational decision). Once you’ve made the decision, act on it. Delaying only causes you sleepless nights and delays the inevitable. Termination can be the best answer if the employee is not right for the job or the operation.

When terminating an employee be calm and firm, treat them with respect, follow the labour laws, don’t engage in a debate, and inform them of termination consequences. Some of those consequences are pay in lieu of notice, receiving a record of employment, turning in keys and passwords, etc.

PM has its challenges; but it is your job to deal with poor performance. You can deal with those challenges using critical conversations, training and discipline or termination.

This is the second in a series of three articles on human resource management on cattle operations.

Dawn Hillrud is a partner in Knibbs/associates Sourcing People and an associate of Knibbs/associates HR Consulting that provide HR and employee recruitment services to agricultural organizations. Co-author Leah Knibbs is the owner of Knibbs/associates HR Consulting and a partner in Knibbs/associates Sourcing People. For more information contact Dawn at dawn@sourcingpeople.ca or 306-442-7460.

The post Sharpen your human resource skills appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

And as an HR manager, you have to ask yourself, are you managing this resource by default or design? Here are some questions to help you decide:

What needs to be done? Do you assign and sort tasks on the fly? A job’s design impacts your employees, and influences their success and thus their value to the operation. What if you need someone to operate large machinery, check feedlot pens, and deal with calving while you are away? Is that a full-time job, or one full-time job plus a part-time job? Will one employee who is good at operating large machinery stick around if they have to check pens or work at night during calving? Are those mix of skills even available in your area? These are all things you need to consider when planning your hires.

What does success look like? This question is seldom asked, but it might just be the most critical one to your success as an HR manager. Knowing what makes the job successful will allow you to hire the right person, provide clear expectations to them, and assist in sound performance management practices. Knowing what success looks like provides clarity for both the manager and the employee.

When do you need these people? The job itself will often answer this question. Are they needed for calving, or the fall run? That’s step one. Deciding when to start looking for candidates is not so easy, since it involves your own recruitment and selection strategy and current labour market conditions. For example, it might be wise to start early to look for students to fill seasonal jobs, particularly when the labour market is tight. Your own time is another factor. When do you have time to conduct a search? Remember, as the farm manager, one of your assigned HR tasks is to make sure you have the time to do it right.

What are the external conditions? Planning does not happen in a bubble. You have to consider the local economy. Over the last few years there have been a number of dramatic changes in the labour market. In 2008, unemployment rates were very low across Canada and it was difficult to find workers. In 2010, the unemployment rate increased by two per cent in some areas, which made a difference in the number of people available for hire in those places. Right now, labour markets in Alberta and Saskatchewan are extremely tight, so you might not be able to simply post an ad to receive quality applicants.

Compensation

Compensation is the next major question to be answered in creating your HR plan.

What is a fair wage? That’s the BIG question. However, wages are only one part of the employee’s reward package. Rewards, which include wages and benefits, influence employees and should be developed based on what motivates them. Organizations that have low turnover and contented employees usually have a well-thought-out reward package.

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, you can research the many motivational theories — Maslow, McClelland, Hertzberg, and Expectancy Theory, just to name a few. As interesting as these theories are, the key question to ask is what do you believe motivates people: money, a job well done, recognition, benefits, or something else? Your beliefs will impact the rewards you offer employees.

From the Country Guide website: Times two puts knowledge to work

Employee rewards may include tickets to a coveted game, fuel for their truck, a day off during calving or the fall run, or simply letting them operate the silage chopper instead of the truck. You reward employees with more than money. Being creative with rewards can build loyalty and motivation, and reduce costs. Sometimes a reward that is earned is cheaper and more valued than a wage increase.

When considering what benefits to offer, think about what your employees value and what works operationally as well as the cost. For example, employees generally value training (especially generation Ys), and training generally benefits both you and the employee. So it has value. However, this benefit can create operational issues if it requires time off at a busy time of the year or if it is difficult to find replacement workers to keep the operation running.

You need to work out the cost/benefit ratio to decide if training will pay. Is it a cost, or an investment for you? Employees with specific training related to the operation can be more productive and thus more valuable on any farm, ranch or feedlot.

In setting wages just remember everyone knows someone who earns more doing the same job. People don’t talk about those who get paid less. So wages are a prominent part of your reward package and it pays to know where your wage structure fits in the market. For that you can often turn to your provincial Ministry of Labour. B.C. 2009 wage data are posted at www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/data/lss/labour/wage/; Alberta’s is at — alis.alberta.ca/wageinfo/Content/RequestAction.asp?format=html&aspAction=GetWageHomePage&Page=Home; a federal government salary calculator that can be sorted by region is posted at www.canadavisa.com/canada-salary-wizard.html. Wage data can also be sourced through private companies, some provide it for free, some charge a fee. It’s best to collect data from a few sources to improve the accuracy. Finally, take the time to check your local market by asking other farms, ranches or feedlot operations what they pay.

Large farms, ranches and feedlots with a number of employees need to consider internal fairness when setting wages. Is the pay equitable based on the skills required and the tasks involved? Is everyone expected to do multiple jobs like pen checking and processing or are these specialized skills? Are they paid the same, should they be? Is the spread between the pen checkers and the manager’s job appropriate? Do people perceive the internal wages as fair in relation to each other? These are some of the questions you need to address when setting a wage rate.

In addition to wages, you can offer bonuses and other types of profit-sharing plans. The upside of this payment is it links rewards to profit and outcomes. When the operation does well, you have the capacity to share the wealth. When there is no additional wealth to share, the base rate does not change, so you’re not committed to the higher wage. If you’re considering some type of profit sharing or bonus, consider it carefully.

You want your wages to be fair. Think first of motivation; then think of total rewards. A well-thought-out package will motivate your employees and create greater satisfaction.

This is the first in a series of three articles on human resource management on cattle operations.

Dawn Hillrud is a partner in Knibbs/associates Sourcing People and an associate of Knibbs/associates HR Consulting that provide HR and employee recruitment services to agricultural organizations. Co-author Leah Knibbs is the owner of Knibbs/associates HR Consulting and a partner in Knibbs/associates Sourcing People. For more information contact Dawn at dawn@sourcingpeople.ca or 306-442-7460.

The post Sharpen your human resource skills appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.