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THERE are many business sectors in need of talent this year and the red meat and livestock industry is no different.

Labour retention and relevant skills continue to be a concern for the industry, so how can agri-business owners and managers engage their current workers to ensure they have the human capital necessary to deliver on each business’s potential?

Employee engagement refers to a workplace in which workers are committed to and care about a business’s success. In other words, an engaged employee genuinely wants the business for which he or she works to reach its objectives.

How can managers develop this level of enthusiasm among their employees?

Here’s four handy tips for improving employee engagement:

Be straight up when assigning undesirable tasks

Workers know when they’re being given an assignment that isn’t particularly enjoyable or pleasant.

Instead of trying to dress it up as something more appealing, managers should be honest.

Sugar-coating ‘un-loved’ responsibilities can be a turn-off for some employees.

This isn’t surprising, considering that such an approach to assigning such tasks can cause workers to lose trust in their superiors.

Identify and utilise your job resources

A study published in the Human Resource Management Review scrutinised employee engagement improvement strategies.

One option discussed involves implementing a Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model.

Job demands are defined as organisational characteristics that require consistent mental and physical investment from employees. Job resources are physical, social, structural or psychological features that enable people to perform the tasks for which they’re responsible.

Based on these definitions, it’s clear that job demands can lead to exhaustion, if employees do not have the resources at their disposal to satisfy those obligations.

So, managers need to figure out which resources they have at their disposal and augment them to support employees, where necessary. Lending support can be as simple as, “You’re going to need a hand with that for a few minutes.”

Support training and professional development

People want to work for companies that invest in staff skill-sets.

Training programs are especially important for providing newcomers with the resources they need to feel ready to take on their role.

Sending staff to training sessions may not always be feasible, especially from remote locations.

However, when faced with financial constraints, businesses that want to retain employees need to consider implementing processes with built-in training features.

Many studies have shown that allowing employees to learn and develop throughout their careers is key to keeping them engaged.

Ask for employee input

A part of engaging employees involves making them feel as if their perspectives and viewpoints are valued.

On-the-ground workers could have insights that management-level personnel may not fully appreciate. When implementing an open-door strategy, create an environment in which employees, even those who are disgruntled, can express their opinions.

There’s a reason why a dissatisfied employee is feeling the way he or she is. If he or she feels as if there will be repercussions for being honest, managers won’t be able to get to the root of the problem.

 

Source: Meat Processors Pty Ltd