Operating a highly competitive farm requires the talents of many people. As we juggle many hats, it is imperative that personnel management not be shelved. Competitive operations understand that personnel management is a major key to profitability. Personnel managers should take time to examine the five functions of management:

1. planning

2. organizing

3. staffing

4. directing

5. controlling

They also need to develop a human resource plan that is consistent with the farm’s mission and goals. This plan will serve as a guide as employees are hired, trained and managed.

It is no secret that motivated employees are often more productive. Dr. Bernie Erven, Ohio State University Professor Emeritus, has often cited an employee paradigm that states: “You can buy people’s time, you can buy their physical presence at a given place, you can even buy a measured number of their skilled muscular motions per hour. But you cannot buy the devotion of their hearts, minds or souls. You must earn these.”

How are you doing in keeping your dairy employees motivated? Have you taken time to ask your employees what motivates them? Many employers would be shocked to learn that good wages and job security are not necessarily the ultimate motivators. A study conducted by George Mason University showed the top three motivators for employees were:

1. interesting work

2. appreciation

3. feeling “in” on things

Surprisingly, good wages only ranked fifth. Bottom line, you won’t know what motivates your employees until you ask!

Take some time to think about the ways you can enhance the motivation and productivity of your employees. Are job duties and expectations clearly defined? Do I need to develop an employee handbook? Is coaching and instruction given at opportune times? Do we hold employee meetings? How can I increase the skills of my employees? Do you personally thank staff for a job well done? In what ways can I improve the working environment for my employees? In what areas would I like my employees to improve, and how can I help them improve? How can I remove employee dis-satisfiers such as unsafe equipment, unreasonable rules and policies and conflict with co-workers? How can I encourage and reward initiative and new ideas?

Some employees are internally motivated, while others are motivated by external rewards. By listening to employees, you can develop strategies to reward and motivate them. Some of these strategies could include: verbal praise, free meals, work uniforms, annual salary increase, free gas, tickets to a ball game, unexpected paid time off, bonuses, flexible work schedules, special gifts for special occasions and extra vacation days. And never forget how far a sincere thank-you or compliment can go for any employee (including family members).  PD

—Excerpts from Ohio State University Ag Manager, May 2008

David Marrison
Extension Educator
Ohio State University
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