Tips for better human resources on the farm
Robust business plans and effective human resources strategies can help address on-farm stressors like employee management succession planning and work-life balance.
Speakers at the Ottawa Valley Farm Show explained how to plan for your own operation during a presentation, with a focus on creating and updating important documents.
Why it matters: Chronic stress is high among farmers and can stem from issues like succession planning and family dynamics.
Farm Management Canada (FMC) Project Manager Denise Robertson began the presentation by explaining some of the results from on-farm mental health research done in 2020.
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“Seventy-five per cent of farmers are experiencing chronic stress and feel overwhelmed,” she said. “Seventy-seven per cent feel uncertainty and a loss of control. 73 per cent financial pressures and 72 per cent workload pressures and lack of time.” For women and young farmers, the stress levels are even higher.
Robertson said there is a clear correlation between stress levels and management.
“Our research has proven that the success of any farm enterprise, regardless of demographics, is directly related to your farm business management skills and practices.”
Robertson broke down the five key management practices that can drive farm success:
1. A lifelong commitment to learning and developing skills,
2. Making sure you have accurate, timely data,
3. Written business plan that is followed, reviewed and revised,
4. Assessing risk and having a plan to manage and mitigate risk,
5. Seeking external help of external advisors and consultants.
She said following this advice and sticking to a business plan has shown benefits, including increased profitability, increased confidence and better communications about the future of the farm.
“Farm business management helps support positive farm mental health,” Robertson said. “Your plan is your road map to success and trusty sidekick when stress (is) high or times get tough and decision making becomes collaborative.”
She said the post-harvest months can be a good time to approach planning, broken down into “bite-sized pieces.”
Rebecca Baldson, stakeholder engagement specialist at the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) explained the characteristics of a good on-farm HR policy:
“It’s clear, it’s consistent, it’s transparent, you have all the legal compliance included, as well as it’s goal-oriented,” she said. “Just knowing that it’s clear language, that there’s no way that somebody will just misinterpret it is the main thing.”
This can include clearly labelling a policy’s purpose, owner and to whom it applies. Also use plain English and use job titles rather than proper names, to avoid confusion if staff change.
Another aspect of this is workload allocation, which Baldson said can boost productivity by up to 15 per cent. This involves clearly establishing employees’ hours, something especially important when working with family.
Also important when family members are involved is conflict resolution; according to Baldson, over 45 per cent of farmers reported conflicts with family members as a primary stressor.
Planning can also help with work-life balance on farms, something Baldson said 55 per cent of farm families struggle with.
“Some of the ways that you can do that is flexible work schedules, breaks and time off policies as well as value your personal time,” she said. “You can be more productive if you take time off.”
The most daunting part of the HR process, Baldson said, is staying on top of legal compliance, including payroll, working rights and the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program.
Finally, Baldson said proper HR and written planning would help with succession planning, a major concern for Canadian farmers.
“Farms without a succession plan are 50 per cent more likely to dissolve within the next generation,” Baldson said. “So if that doesn’t make you want to do a succession plan, I don’t know what else will.”
She said some of the important factors for succession planning are “starting early, having communication. coming to the table, treating your business like it’s a business.”
It can also be important to continuously revise and revisit succession plans, especially as generations age and family members move or change roles.
Source: Farmtario.com