NZ Dairy Winter 2021

94 | nz dairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Jacqui Hahn Reputational damage red flag for dairy industry Richard Loader Waikato Federated Farmers President Jacqui Hahn says while reputation is all- important for any industry, it is more easily damaged for the primary sector. S tepping into her second season as Presi- dent of Waikato Federated Farmers, dairy farmer Jacqui Hahn says while reputation is all-important for any industry, it is more easily dam- aged for the primary sector. She says so much about the primary industry’s reputation and that of individual farmers comes down to people, how people are treated and how they are developed. “The best sellers of your reputation are the people, so that is what you should always be think- ing about. Yes, it’s about having your own farm and operation in good order but it’s very much about how you treat people, including your staff. “Some of our reputation is hard earned by taking on and developing staff that other’s might have given up on. It’s about persevering and trying, especially now when we are in a time of employee shortage. It’s also around aptitude. Some people are a lot slower to learn and it is a matter of being patient.” Jacqui says you have to keep in mind the environmental and animal welfare spotlight and the reputational risk associated with finding you have employed the wrong person. “It is easy to hang on to someone who might cause damage to your reputation. So there is a fine balancing act between trying to improve people and finding solutions or reaching a point where you have to let them go.” While some farm owners and managers have earned a great reputation for training young people within in the industry and giving people the oppor- tunity to learn, Jacqui suggests many others need to develop those skills. “There is work going on behind the scenes to fix that but there has always been a problem of having appropriate staff training services and employer training as well. “If you employ a lot of people you have to be good at training and coaching. It’s not easy and you’re learning all the time. Many people go farming because they wanted to be their own boss and didn’t want to listen to others. But if you are going to employ people you have to flip that on the other side and you have to listen.” For those supplying Fonterra, some milk pay- ments will be based on people and part of that will be a 360-appraisal system where staff and farmer provide feedback on each other, enlightening both about strengths and development opportunities. Understanding the level of responsibility an employee feels comfortable with is also key staff retention. That might mean the employee remains in a lower level position throughout their career but Jacqui says those people are still valuable to the farm and there is an incumbent responsibility to ensure they are valued and cared for throughout their career. While there are challenges in attracting staff, the issue is much wider than just the farming sector. As generations have gone on, physical work has become less attractive and so the trades have also really struggled to get people. “The schools don’t encourage farming as a top career and they tend to push kids in that direction who may well be reputational risks to the industry. It is about reminding people that you can make a suc- cess doing these jobs that don’t appear to be fun or attractive. We all do well, we have good homes and a good lifestyle. There are great benefits including the ability to be connected to your family like no other industry. That needs to be put out there so that we can attract the right people.” While the Government was quick to sing the praises of essential services like farming during the worst of New Zealand’s battle with Covid, “The schools don’t encourage farming as a top career and they tend to push kids in that direction who may well be reputational risks to the industry. It is about reminding people that you can make a success doing these jobs that don’t appear to be fun or attractive ... There are great benefits including the ability to be connected to your family like no other industry. That needs to be put out there so that we can attract the right people.” • to page 95 DOMESTIC · COMMERCIAL · INDUSTRIAL Action Electrical are proud to support Sofus & Jacqui Hahn 24 HOURS, 7 DAYS A WEEK SERVICE Taupo: 07 378 8545 Otorohanga: 07 873 6385 Te Kuiti: Ph 07 878 5169 ∙ Over 100 years experience ∙ Specialising in Dairy Shed Installation and maintenance ∙ Metalwork Processing Plants ∙ Timber Processing Plants ∙ Agricultural Plants & Quarries ∙ New Houses/Renovations ∙ Plus Much more CALL US TODAY! 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