Hiring used to be easy, right? There was a time when your best applicants and employees lived in your town. You recruited the farm kids who grew up nearby, who worked on the farm with their parents and planned to stay in the area.
Things have changed. There are fewer farm kids these days, and a higher percentage of them leave the farm and their hometown. Your once well-stocked pool of available and qualified candidates is drying up.
At a recent industry event, a business leader asked how ag companies can find and keep employees in this challenging environment. It led to an interesting conversation, as we shared two similar stories with two very different outcomes.
I talked about one client’s employee who went to the ER unexpectedly on a Friday afternoon. The business owner sent a ready-made meal to his home so no one would have to worry about making dinner. The intent was to reduce the stress on both the employee and his spouse. The employee told his spouse, “This is why I’ll work hard to make this company a success,” and he returned to work on Monday.
The business leader at the conference then told me his story, which was also about an ag employee. This woman’s spouse also had a medical emergency and was rushed to the ER. Naturally, she went to the hospital, too, and waited there as the doctors examined her spouse. During this time, the employee received two calls to return to work. She refused, explaining she was needed at the hospital. The following week, this employee quit and took a new job at a different organization.
In the first situation, the business responded with care and concern — putting the employee’s well-being first. In turn, the employee felt even more dedicated to helping the company reach its goals. The cost of the phone call and ready-made meal? $120.
In the second scenario, the business prioritized the work, not the person. What is the cost of those two phone calls to the business? Probably around $50,000. The employee was an agronomist based in a small town. The average cost to replace an employee is at least 50% of the annual salary. Plus, there’s the loss of sales while the agronomist’s role was vacant AND the time and resources spent finding another qualified agronomist willing to move to this location.
I’m sharing these stories to point out that as the candidate pool changes, management styles may also need to shift. This doesn’t mean saying yes to every request from an employee, but it does mean it’s more important than ever to show care and concern for your teams.
Employees want to feel seen, heard and valued. If you’re dedicated to your employees, they’ll reward you with their dedication to you and your business.
As their friends and family hear about the commitment to your people-first approach to employees, you’ll find you have a bigger, better candidate pool than ever.
