Newsletter #15

Its been a while…

I have not prioritised these newsletters - this is me being honest. I should of done but I haven’t, life has been hectic to say the least. Building a business is haaaard work!

I am sure many of you can relate to this and have got through the other side (hit reply and tell me your story if that is you) and I now feel like that is me. I have rode the waves this spring, BLOODY big waves and now I am into calmer waters.

Well, I am stoked you guys have stayed with me (welcome new subscribers too 😊😊), thank you for opening this email and reading this far. My plan is to keep building this newsletter and keep providing value.

I have been helping several farms out with harvest staff recruitment this spring / summer and the common theme has been - the more we can put in place before these summer students start, the smoother it is for everyone once they arrived and get stuck into the harvest work load.

With that in mind, I wanted to share 5 actions I would look to implement before you harvest staff start the season with you.

Contracts / T&Cs

• Get contracts sent out, agreed, signed and sent back before people start if possible. It proves commitment from both sides and keeps thing professional.

• Pay rates / possible pension contributions / holiday allowance (seasonal staff get this too) etc need to be clear and understood before work commences.

• My HR Partner Lilac HR can provide contract templates and other HR support when on boarding new staff.

Accommodation

• If you provide accommodation, is it up to standards? Be honest here, ask a 3rd party to have a look and give you an honest opinion.

• Even during long days working, summer staff will still likely spend 1/3 of their day in the accommodation. It needs to be comfortable, clean and a place they can rest properly in. A well rested staff member will perform so much better at work - investing in good quality mattresses, a really good hot shower and decent cooking facilities will provide a solid ROI.

• Ask yourself this question - would I be happy for my children to live in this accommodation for 3 months? If the answer is no, be honest and get the work done to put things right.

Pre-start questionnaire

• The more information we get about summer staff and the more effort we get to know them, the easier it will be to form bonds and relationships.

• It is straight forward to make a simple questionnaire with Google Forms, this can be emailed out and once the answer come back, they could be shared with the rest of the family etc.

• Ask simple things like - What is your favourite meal / foods? Where would you like to visit / explore when we have days off (there will be wet days!)? Do you have any friends nearby? What job would you like to gain experience in whilst working here?

Tools

• Has the farm got sufficient tools in stock so each harvest worker can have a set, so they can get out of a muddle if need be?

• I have put a fairly comprehensive harvest tool kit together here on amazon.

• Don’t assume people will turn up with all the tools they need, especially if students are coming from another county etc. Get these kits in place before people arrive, so they can crack on when they start straight away.

Apps to download

• We can avoid apps right now and the good ones with help management no end and streamline previous paper based tasks.

• If you use apps for timesheets, field / job records, H&S and machinery checks etc, then get the details out to harvest staff before they start so they have the apps on their phones and ready to go from day 1.

• Field Area Measure and What 3 Words are 2 apps I use all the time and would suggest all harvest staff have on their phones.

So that is my little summery of actions I try to take before harvest staff turn up for their first day on the farm. I will be sending out a couple more guides this week on other areas to consider for the harvest period.

Here is a PDF of the 5 ACTION POINTS , save it, print it out, stick it on the office wall or / and give it to key team members to implement.

Any questions drop me a line and I will come straight back to you.

Thanks again for reading, take care.

Ben

Fancy working together?

- I offer a strategic Farm Manager service. 
 
- Mentoring and coaching individuals and employees.

- Creating sociable events for physical and mental wellbeing.

I would love to hear from anyone who would like to start a conversation. Just reply to this email. 

Find me over on X and IG - for all things Farming, Family & Ipswich Town Football Club!

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