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Farm Worker Appreciation Day is a great reminder to show the team how much their hard work is valued, DairyNZ Bay of Plenty regional leader, Mark Williams says.
Calving meant it was a busy time for dairy farms right now and teams were under the pump and facing long days.
That's why it was perfect timing that Farm Worker Appreciation Day was coming up on August 6 this year, Williams told The Country Sport Breakfast's Brian Kelly.
Everybody had "very individual" ideas about what being appreciated meant, Williams said.
"Farm staff have told us there are a few things that make them feel valued and it's quite varied between people."
Luckily DairyNZ had researched what farm workers needed to feel happy in their roles and to achieve a great working environment.
• Regular one-on-one catch-ups and team meetings
• Being able to share their views and ideas and have them considered
• Making health, safety and wellbeing a priority
• Being told they are doing a good job regularly
• Having warm and comfortable accommodation
• Having a clear set of expectations
• Competitive pay
• Opportunities for up-skilling or training
• Ensuring rosters provide enough time off to avoid burnout, especially at busy times.
As a farm owner, Williams walked the talk and had some great tips to keep his team of five workers happy.
"We like to take them out for a dinner or a lunch at least three times a year - get them off-farm and have a meal or do something fun - quite often we've gone 10 pin bowling."
He also checked in with his farm manager every day.
"I make sure everything's going well with her and the team and just make sure she's doing the same, checking in with everybody on-farm."
Communication was important, so Williams had set up a Messenger group so everyone could keep in touch.
"We can just share little bits of encouragement and pictures of what's going on on-farm."
Making sure everyone had time off was imperative, Williams said.
"The usual roster is six [days] on and two [days] off, with the staff encouraged to have an extra day off and have a three-day break between calving and mating to get away off-farm and do something fun."
Appreciating staff at calving didn't have to be "too complicated," Williams said.
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"Putting on a morning tea, or maybe a cake in the staff meeting room or a team text [to say] thank you."
Williams said he'd seen many farmers going the extra mile to help out their teams during calving, such as providing meals, snacks and vouchers.
"We're also organising on-farm meals for the staff, just frozen, pre-prepared lasagne, macaroni cheese, or a roast dinner."
Williams reckoned it should be Farm Appreciation Day every day and encouraged farmers to connect with staff on a regular basis.
"Talk with your team, make them feel valued and make sure you understand their career goals and help them identify what makes them feel valued and satisfied with their job."
Find more information on how to support staff at dairynz.co.nz/people