By Catalina Mejia-Bonilla, DVM, The Dairy Authority
It doesn’t matter what industry, finding and retaining good employees is difficult, especially when labor is in short supply. As an employer you compete against all other job opportunities in the area, not just other dairies.
That’s why it is important to pay attention to how your employees and potential employees view your dairy. Does your dairy have a reputation of being a “good” place to work, or a “bad” place to work?
As a veterinarian, I work with and have met a lot of dairy employees, managers, and owners over the years. And similar to how an employer might view an employee as either good or bad, dependable or not, employees attach those same types of labels to employers, too. And if your dairy falls into the “bad” category, finding and retaining employees can be even more difficult.
So, in the eyes of an employee, what makes a good employer? When I ask dairy employees that question, the overwhelming response is that a good employer is one who appreciates their employees. I find that’s true in every industry. Feeling appreciated drives an individual’s motivation to care and to want to do a better job. Employees describe appreciation as providing training opportunities, providing the right tools for the job, opportunities for growth, motivating people to be better every day, good two-way communication, valuing workers’ efforts and sharing opinions with their workers.
Employees also shared the signs of a “bad” employer. Lack of communication, never listening to workers’ input or suggestions, takes little interest in the comfort of workers, and doesn’t offer opportunities for growth, usually keeping employees in the same position over the years.
What then do employees look for when considering a potential new dairy employer? The top 5 most common factors employees say they want with a new dairy employer are:
(1) “A good work environment and camaraderie”
(2) “It is essential that the company is recommended by someone I know”
(3) Flexibility in scheduling
(4) The ability to take days off; and
(5) Better pay than their last job.
However, if a potential new employee does not know anyone working at or who has worked at that dairy, then pay and hours become the most important factors that attract them to apply.
While pay is an important part of why people apply and stay at a job, it is not the driving factor. In my experience, what keeps employees at a dairy long term are how they are treated by their immediate supervisor, and the opportunity to grow. Employees want to be treated fairly, to be respected, trusted and to be a part of a team working toward the same goal together. I often find that having a good environment and a sense of belonging or community goes a long way toward keeping employees on your team.
As an industry we have gotten very good at researching and finding ways to keep cows comfortable and improve animal welfare. But, overall, we have failed to study what it takes to improve employee welfare. It is the same for every job position in every industry — feeling appreciated, respected, and heard are critical components to keeping employees content and productive.
In dairy, having a caring team is extremely important since these people care for your animals. Research shows that good employee retention highly depends on coworkers who become friends, which is also true in our industry. As an employer it is crucial to understand your workers’ cultural backgrounds in order to create a more meaningful and genuine connection with them.
