Dairy staff workshops

The series of workshops will be at 10 locations nationwide and is timed to help farm owners and managers prepare for the start of the new dairy season.

The workshops feature expert trainers on leadership, people and performance and business strategy. The lead North Island presenter is Justine Dalton, while Sarah Watson, Gillian Searle and Lee Astridge will lead Dairy Days in the South Island.

A finalist in this year's Dairy Woman of the Year award, North Island presenter Justine Dalton is no stranger to the complexity involved in staffing a dairy farm. She has been involved in many aspects of the dairy industry since graduating with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (hons) in 1993.

Last year brought national recognition to Dalton and her colleagues at the BEL Group Dairy where she is the business manager. The group won the coveted HRINZ 2011 HR Initiative of the Year – an award recognising human resource initiatives making a positive impact on total business performance.

Dalton says she is looking forward to being a part of Dairy Women's Network Dairy Days because it is on a topic she is passionate about.

"We really only have one chance to get our new and existing staff oriented correctly for the new season," Dalton says. "June first 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 at a new 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."

According to Dalton, the Dairy Days workshops will include many small group exercises to allow participants to share their experiences – good and bad – with everyone in the group. At the end of the workshop, she says she hopes everyone will have a plan for the first couple of days a new employee is on the job as well as a plan for the first week and the first month. "We will offer real strategies to help you set up your farm culture and environment correctly from day one."

"Whenever we don't manage," Dalton added, "management happens by default."

Sarah Speight, chief executive of the Dairy Women's Network says of the workshops: "Putting the effort into getting orientation right in June will pay off in the long-term with reduced staff turnover and a team of new and existing employees who are ready to tackle the season ahead."

Topics covered during the Dairy Days workshops are: the critical people success factors to a successful season; why a good orientation process is important; the steps in putting together orientation plans that work; setting up an orientation plan for the first month; Identifying what industry tools are available to use as a resource and where to go for further help and assistance.

For more information or to register call 07 838 5238 or visit www.dwn.co.nz.