Employee engagement is the level of commitment, passion and loyalty that an employee shows toward their employer and their work. Higher employee engagement will deliver:
- Reduced staff turnover
- Improved productivity and efficiency
- Higher profitability for the business they work for
‘What is the wonder drug and where can I get some?’ I hear you cry. Well, hopefully, this article will provide you with some practical ways you can get more out of your team.
Many would have heard the business fable about the chicken and the pig, in a meal of bacon and eggs – the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed! This analogy highlights that the pig makes the ultimate commitment (a sacrificial offering, for which the pig must die) versus a chicken which provides eggs (non-sacrificial).
Similarly, there are two types of employees: those who are committed to your business and accountable for its outcomes, and the other kind, more like the chickens in the business fable – they are involved for a time but remain somewhat removed from the business’s objectives.
Some ways to increase engagement or ensure that your workforce has committed team members in the positions where it counts the most:
- Labour planning
- Quality team meetings
- Seamless performance management
Other deeper considerations we as farm business consultants regularly unpack with our clients include:
- How many employees do I need for my farm?
- When should I add additional labour units?
- How do I manage workplace agreements, single touch payroll and Fair Work compliance?
- My son/daughter has just arrived home – now what?
At ORM we are fortunate to have people within our team with significant leadership and HR experience – one such resource is Aleisha Dalmayer. In recent months I have seen Aleisha navigate the challenging world of employee relations by:
- Identifying that a client’s employee was classified under the wrong Award, due to outdated workplace flexibility agreements.
- Assisting a client with an under-performing employee by taking them through the performance review process, resulting in a win for both the client and the employee.
- Identifying and rectifying an underpayment issue that would have seen the client’s business exposed to a potential fair work investigation.
Moreover, that’s just the tip of the iceberg! The cost of mismanaging employees is something none of us can afford.
If you have a leadership or HR challenge in your farm business contact us for a review and recommended tailor-made solutions.