Farmer Focus: Induction should make new staff feel valued
Jack Bosworth © Tim Scrivener Harvest is in and dry. Cultivations are progressing well and getting there. We will start drilling from the beginning of October.
We have recently had Gemma join the pigs team. It’s good to say she has started the role just as I would have hoped.
This is her first job in the pig industry, but she has previous experience of various dairy systems, which we both felt contained a lot of transferable skills when discussing at interview stage.
See also: 7 top tips for attracting the right staff to your farm
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The first morning involved a full induction (the first one in the new staff facility), including training on moving and handling pigs, a discussion of health and safety requirements, hazard awareness, a history of the business, an overview of its structure, a look at future plans and a tour of the farm.
This time spent should not be underestimated and it was so pleasing to get feedback from Gemma explaining how positive it made her feel to hear me emphasise the importance of safety, team morale, standards, communication, an open-door policy and actually wanting to come to work.
The team has very much operated as half based on the breeding herd and half based on the feeding herd.
Gemma, however, will be working across the whole unit to get to know the daily operations and demands across the pig enterprise, as well as to set her on the pathway we discussed for future progression within our farming business.
We continue to recruit for other positions on the farm. I’m hoping people get in touch with me, to learn more about the roles we have, if they are interested.
The focus when recruiting is more about the characteristics of the applicants. I have no doubt that everything else can be learned from our terrific team and, obviously, there are training courses that are completed in addition to that.
Patience, calmness and being a team player are all attributes that are required and that is non-negotiable for the sake of our animals and the rest of the team.
Welcome and good luck to Gemma, we are all delighted to have you as part of the team and hope this is the start of a long and successful career with us.