DWN workshops to focus on staff

The ‘autumn dairy days’ train participants in ideas and methods to help them orientate new staff or contractors and to refocus existing staff from ‘day one’ of the dairy season. They are running at 10 locations, timed to help farm owners and managers prepare for the start of the dairy season.  

The trainers are expert in leadership, people and performance and business strategy. 

Justine Dalton is presenting in the North Island; Justine Dalton, Sarah Watson, Gillian Searle and Lee Astridge are leading in the South Island.

A finalist in this year’s Dairy Woman of the Year award, Dalton knows about the complexity of staffing a dairy farm. She has worked in the dairy industry since graduating BAgSc in 1993. 

She and colleagues at BEL Group Dairy, where she is business manager, last year won the Human Resources Institute of NZ 2011 HR Initiative of the Year, which recognises HR work benefiting the total performance of a business. 

Dalton says she is looking forward to presenting on a topic she is passionate about. “We only have one chance to get our new and existing staff oriented correctly for the new season.

“June 1 is a busy time; we need to plan for staff changes before they happen and get things right the first time, right away.”

She says the most common mistake farm managers make is leaving a new employee to figure things out on their own.

 “It is a common assumption that people learn best by just picking things up as they go along. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The first two days an employee is new on a job is when their perception of the work environment is set. That’s the time to focus on the environment you want to have on your farm.”

The workshops include small group exercises to allow participants to share good and bad experiences, Dalton says.  And she hopes to see all participants leave with a plan for employees’ first two days on the job, and for the first week and first month. 

“We will offer real strategies to help set up a farm culture and environment correctly from day one. Whenever we don’t manage, management happens by default.”

Dairy Women’s Network chief executive Sarah Speight says getting orientation right in June will pay off in the long-term with reduced staff turnover and employees ready to tackle the season.

Workshop topics are: the critical people-success factors; why good orientation is important; steps in putting together orientation plans that work; setting up an orientation plan for the first month; identifying what industry tools are available; and where to go for further help.

Tel. 07 838 5238 

www.dwn.co.nz.