Put people first

The ‘Make time for your People’ is being run by Dairy Women’s Network.

DWN chief executive Jules Benton says putting people first drives a healthy business.

She says farmers must attract and retain talent, and continue to grow the people in the industry.

The free workshops are funded by New Zealand dairy farmers through the DairyNZ levy and align with Dairy Tomorrow Strategy commitment on “building great workplaces for New Zealand’s most talented workforce”.

“It does not always require big changes to build a great workplace, but small changes that make a difference,” says Benton.

The workshops will provide an overview of how to be a good employee or employer and the steps each can take. Representatives from No8HR and PaySauce will discuss the legalities of contracts, rosters and farm accommodation, while Rebecca Miller, MilkIQ, will provide insight into the concept of Farmily and what both employers and employees can do in order to achieve increased staff engagement and retention.

“In our own experience we wanted to provide an environment where we were consciously protecting each team member’s physical self, and emotional or psychological self,” says Miller about how the concept was developed. Providing a safe environment for employees and strengthening those relationships has seen multiple benefits for the Millers and their farm outputs. “Farmily is truly life changing as we have a stable environment where we have built trust, low or no turnover of staff, low farm working expenses and highly performing farms.”

A series of webinars will follow each workshop and provide attendees with detailed resources for each topic. Attendees can pick and choose what webinars to watch according to their interest or level of need.

The aim is that the full series will provide employers and employees with the knowledge to achieve their business, team and farm goals.

DWN says connection, communication and engagement of people are three vital aspects for the growth of any business.

“Building trust with your team is important not only for the people but also for the future and longevity of the industry,” says Benton.

“People are at the epicentre of any business, and communication remains an essential tool to develop strong working relations. We would love to see farm managers and owners attending the events with their teams, or utilising the flexibility of the webinars and watching them together.”

The first workshop will be held in Matamata on 8th March followed by events in Ashburton, Winton, Whangarei, Dannevirke and Stratford.