Labor Matters

Do You Need a Timeout?

May 19, 2012

Declining milk prices and rising stress levels may trigger emotional outbursts toward employees when they don’t perform as required. Learn to control anger before it controls you.

By Gerald Higginbotham, Ph.D. Dairy Advisor, Fresno/Madera Counties, University of California Cooperative Extension

Anybody who has raised children or experienced some form of discipline by their own parents may have experience with the term “timeout.” When given a timeout, the child is given a chance to cool down to control their emotions.

Those who manage dairy employees may need a “timeout” to control their emotions if situations arise where verbal abuse of an employee may happen. I had an experience when I was visiting with a dairy owner inside his milking parlor about a particular milk quality problem. While we were visiting, I noticed that a milker was not teat-dipping cows as required by the dairy owner. Upon my mentioning this to the owner, he became quite angry toward the milker and proceeded to give him quite a tongue lashing. Of course, the milker was not following the prescribed milking procedures protocol, but could his reprimand have been handled differently? Could the dairy owner have controlled his temper?

Dairy farmers have seen their monthly income drop significantly due to low milk prices and high feed costs. This stressful atmosphere may result in emotional outbursts toward employees when they don’t perform as required. It is at this time that a “timeout” may be needed for the dairy owner/manager to collect his emotions before a verbal assault is launched towards one of his or her employees.

According to the American Psychological Association, the instinctive, natural way to express anger is to respond aggressively. People use a variety of processes to deal with their angry feelings. The three main approaches are expressing, suppressing and calming. Anger can be suppressed and then converted or redirected. This happens when you hold in your anger, stop thinking about it and focus on something positive. The aim is to inhibit or suppress your anger and convert it into more constructive behavior. You need, though, to realize that the danger in this type of response is that your anger may turn inward on yourself. Anger turned inward may cause hypertension, high blood pressure or depression.

Counting to 10 isn’t just for kids. Before reacting to a tense situation, take a few moments to breathe deeply and count to 10. Slowing down can help defuse your temper. Take a “timeout” from the person or situation until your frustration subsides a bit. As soon as you’re thinking clearly, express your frustration in an assertive but non-confrontational way. State your concerns and needs clearly and directly, without hurting others or trying to control them. Also, in the heat of the moment, it’s easy to say something you’ll later regret. Take a few moments to collect your thoughts before saying anything.

Learning to control anger is a challenge for everyone. You may want to consider seeking help for anger or stress related issues if you feel it might be problem. Anger management classes are sometimes held by health-related agencies. Life will be filled with frustration, pain, loss and the unpredictable actions of others. You can’t change that; but you can change the way you let such events affect you.

References:

American Psychological Association. Controlling anger before it controls you. http://www.apa.org.

Dr. Gerald Higginbotham is a Dairy Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension Service for Fresno and Madera Counties. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah and Ph.D degree from the University of Arizona. Dr. Higginbotham is a member of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists and is a diplomat of the American College of Animal Sciences. Contact him at 559-675-7879, Ext 209 or gehigginbotham@ucdavis.edu.

Comments (0)

DREAM Act Provides Insight for Agriculture’s Immigration Reform Efforts

May 14, 2012

If Congress can enact the DREAM Act, it would demonstrate that reforming immigration is not impossible, only impossibly slow. It should also put agriculture next in line.

By Ryan Miltner, attorney

Cinco de Mayo was nearly two weeks ago. President Obama used the occasion to encourage Congress to pass the DREAM Act. In short, the DREAM Act would provide students who have been brought into the country illegally an opportunity to obtain legal status if they serve two years in the military or four years in college. The minors would have to have been in the United States for at least five years before the passage of the Act.

The group that would benefit from the proposed new law is quite possibly the most sympathetic group in the entire debate over immigration reform. For that reason, it is generally thought that the DREAM Act is the most likely piece of targeted immigration reform to have a chance at passage.

The consensus is that if Congress would not act to provide residency to children who broke no laws of their own volition, have a background without significant blemish, and agree to serve this nation or obtain a higher education, then the chances of a broader bill are miniscule.

In the last Congress, while the House of Representatives passed a version of the bill, the Democrat-controlled Senate was unable to even bring the measure to a vote. Instead, it was filibustered.

On several occasions, the President has called on Congress to take action on the bill, citing moral and humanitarian obligations to passing the bill. Thus far, Congress has declined the opportunity.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Marco Rubio is working on alternative DREAM Act. The key difference between the existing bill and the one forthcoming from Senator Rubio is the “pathway to citizenship” provisions. While the original DREAM Act would allow for those who complete military service or their education to become citizens, Rubio’s alternative will purportedly allow application for citizenship but with no guarantee. The National Journal reports that in a survey, 49% of voters prefer the guaranteed citizenship option, while 35% prefer Rubio’s alternative.

Now, as I interpret those survey numbers, that means that a full 84% of those surveyed believe that some kind of DREAM Act is desired. If that is the case, then we should see something passed, right? Well, it is an election year, and the Congress has not exactly been keen on compromise for the sake of public majority desires lately.

If there can be a DREAM Act enacted, however, then it would at least demonstrate that reforming immigration is not impossible, only impossibly slow. It should also put agriculture next in line as the group to be addressed. Since comprehensive immigration legislation is certainly not going to happen, those in agriculture needing workers should be hoping for this dream to come true.

Ryan Miltner is an agricultural and estate planning lawyer in private practice. His agricultural practice is focused on dairy policy and the economic regulation of the dairy industry. The opinions in this article are his own observations prepared for Dairy Today and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any of his clients. Contact him at ryan@miltnerlawfirm.com.

Comments (0)

Are You Positive?

May 07, 2012

Are you the manager who only sees what’s wrong at your dairy? Here’s how to turn that around for big results.

By Shaun Duvall, Puentes/Bridges

“Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don’t count on harvesting golden delicious.” – Bill Meyer

I am not sure who Bill Meyer is, but his words are right on. Today I am talking about fostering an attitude of positivity. I’d like to suggest that a stubborn commitment to finding and focusing on the positives on your farm will bring big results.

We have all had papers graded by our teachers. I don’t know about you, but I always relished the positive comments, and pretty much didn’t read the red-lined ones. In my career as a teacher, I used to red-line a lot. Then one day, I decided that I would highlight in yellow the things that were accurate or good. I found that over time, the students’ quality of written work went way up.

First, I think that we all need to acknowledge that there are many more good things happening on our farms than there are negative. Not to be “Pollyanna-ish,” but I believe it’s better to build the confidence and trust of our employees first, so that when something does need correction, it can be accomplished easily. Your employees are much like my students. They want to do well. How many employees have you had come to work each day saying, “I am really going to screw up badly today”?

With each positive observation, you are building your employees’ confidence in their ability to do a good job, that they are doing many things well, and that you believe in them. Adopt that as your primary mindset. People are really interested in doing well. And recognition from you means a lot, often more than a big salary. Rather than saying what went wrong today, say, what really went well with the employees, the cows, with me? I would bet that you’ll feel better as well.

I work with a farm in Minnesota where the producer took a punishing negative attitude. At farm meetings, he would only focus on what was wrong. The employees were understandably passive, and it seemed that there never was progress. (As a Spanish translator, I would interpret these meetings, so I was an observer). They would discuss the same issues each month, down to deducting from paychecks for damage, etc., (which may not be legal).

Then, one day, the producer focused the entire meeting on the good things. This is a very good farm in terms of milk quality and production. It was like he planted golden delicious and was beginning to harvest them! Remember also that your stresses and problems are very evident to your employees. Try not to let them affect the way you deal with them.

Subsequent meetings have all been very productive, and there is genuine enjoyment of the meetings. The employees believe that their “patrón” is interested in them, and they want to do their best.

Now that the employer has earned the commitment of the employees, he/she can focus on the major areas of improvement on his farm. And he can lead his employees willingly, rather than drag them kicking and screaming. Remember, it is all about leadership by example.

Next time, I’ll talk about the benefits to you of adopting a positive focus.

Puentes/Bridges is a nonprofit organization that, under Shaun Duvall’s direction, promotes cultural understanding, particularly in the dairy industry. Duvall also operates SJD Language & Culture Services, LLC, a translation and interpretation business. For more information, contact Shaun Duvall at shaunjd@tds.net or (608) 685-4705.

Comments (0)

What Is Important to Your Employees?

Apr 30, 2012

It may be quite different than you think.

By Chuck Schwartau, University of Minnesota Extension

How well do you know your employees? Do you know what is important to them? Do you know what they value and like about their work?

While most employers would like to think they can answer those questions in an affirmative manner, they might be surprised if they surveyed the employees. How you view the importance of issues related to the work may be significantly different from how the employees view those same factors.

Vicki Niebrugge, NOVA Group, conducted a survey of employees and employers to see how well the two groups were agreed on factors that affect employee morale.

Employers’ Ranking	Item	Employees’ Ranking
1	Good wages	5
2	Job security	4
3	Promotion/growth	6
4	Good working conditions	7
5	Interesting work	1
6	Personal loyalty	8
7	Tactful discipline	9
8	Appreciation and recognition	2
9	Sympathetic help with problems	10
10	Feeling “in on things”	3

Niebrugge, Vicki, Declining Employee Morale: Defining the Causes and Finding the Cure, NOVA Group

Especially noteworthy is the item of “Wages.” It is pretty natural that employers would expect wages to be the No. 1 issue with employees. Surprise – it was No. 5 on the employees’ list. Look at what ranked higher with employees: interesting work, appreciation and recognition, a feeling of knowing what is happening in the business and job security were more important. Take note, also, of the fact the top four employee issues aren’t economic.

Employees like to know how their jobs fit into the business as a whole and that their job contributes to the success of the business. Those two items are feeling “in on things” and can be related to “interesting work” and “recognition” for value of their work. How often have you taken time to really explain to your employees how their work affects the work of others on the farm and affects the financial bottom line on your farm? Without good, productive employees, your financial picture would probably look a lot different.

The items in the table above may not be as closely related to your farm employees as you would like, so why not take time at an upcoming employee meeting to conduct a short survey of your own. The following survey might stir productive discussion and help you determine what is important to your employees and worth consideration to increase employee satisfaction. If you identify other relevant questions, feel free to add them.

Item	Score 1-5 5=very important 3 = average importance 1 = not important	How well is this being met today? Score 1 - 5 5 = very well 3 = being met somewhat 1 = not being met at all	Comments
Flexibility of scheduling
Time off in blocks for holidays
The opportunity to plan your own workload
Working with others
Good housing (provided or available for rent)
Feeling like they ‘belong’ in the community
Personal development
Money
Education, training, and other professional development
Stable employment
Other items (please list)

Having employees give you feedback on a questionnaire like this can help you look at ways to make your farm a place they and others will want to work in the future. Do not put a place on the form for their names, and specifically tell them you do not want to know who is making the comments. That should increase the comfort level with the survey. At the same time, though, let them know if they do want to talk with you personally, you are available to them.

If you are dealing with a workforce that speaks little or no English, this is simple enough to get translated in another language. If the workforce happens to have limited reading skills, what you can learn would be worth paying to have someone translate and work with the employees for oral responses to be recorded.

Finally, when you learn what is important to your employees, work toward positive changes where possible. For items that are impossible to change, or at least difficult in the short term, explain to your employees that you understand their concerns but they may or may not be changeable on your farm, and explain why. That offers recognition for their input and understanding of the difficulties the farm may have implementing some of their ideas and concerns.

Some time spent on these issues can lead to greater employee satisfaction and lower employee turnover. Those two items can make life on the farm easier and usually more profitable.

Finally, remember, many of these factors of satisfaction are not financial, but they revolve around personal relationships. Managing employees on a farm is extremely difficult without regularly interacting with those same employees. Take time to know them and recognize them for their contributions. It should pay in the end.

Chuck Schwartau has been with the University of Minnesota Extension Service for 31 years. As part of the Extension Dairy Team, he focuses on workforce development and management, dairy business organization and risk management. Contact him at cschwart@umn.edu or (507) 536-6301.

Comments (0)

Dairy Farmer: Worst Job in America?

Apr 23, 2012

Given this attitude regarding farming, it should not be surprising that our children are told to study computer science instead of agriculture. It also gives tremendous insight into the rural labor crisis and immigration.

By Erich Straub, attorney

So what do you want to be when you grow up? This is an age-old question for children, and according CareerCast, a child would be wise to choose Software Engineer. CareerCast is an Internet-based job search company, and each year they rank 200 jobs according to categories such as income, work environment, stress, physical demands and hiring outlook.

The top-10 vocations are crowned the “Best Jobs in America.” This year Software Engineer beat competitors such as Actuary, Human Resources Manager, Dental Hygienist and Financial Planner for the top spot.

Of course, CareerCast also ranks the “Worst Jobs in America,” and coming in at 199 out of 200 is Dairy Farmer. At the risk of rubbing salt in the wound, the following jobs ranked well above Dairy Farmer in the survey: Tax Collector (107); Sewage Plant Operator (114); Corrections Officer (129); Janitor (151); and Garbage Collector (160).

So how is it that the person who takes away the trash has a more valued job in our society than the person who puts milk and cheese on the table? One answer may be the radical change in our nation’s attitudes about agriculture over the past century. Most Americans now are born, live and die with no real connection to a farm. For most, food simply comes from a grocery store.

Given this attitude regarding farming, it should not be surprising that our children are told to go to college to study computer science instead of agriculture. It also gives tremendous insight into the present rural labor crisis and immigration. As farmers in Georgia and Alabama have discovered, restricting agricultural immigrant labor did not result in a flood of citizen applicants for farm work, even in an economy with high unemployment. The reason is simple: we have been teaching our children for decades that agricultural work is a vocation to be avoided. This is a cultural shift that is well rooted and will not be instantly reversed by laws that tout “self-deportation” as the answer.

Attitudes can change over time, and CareerCast’s survey may hold out some hope. Coming in at 198 in the survey is Enlisted Military Soldier. It seems that for all the flag waving and pious pronouncements of politicians, serving your country by putting your life on the line is not considered a good career move either. At least Dairy Farmers are in good and noble company.

When faced with sobering news about the vocation pecking order, it is tempting to look at those beneath you. In this case, the lonely Lumberjack comes in at 200. Interestingly enough, another immigration attorney at my law firm had a recent meeting with a famous Lumberjack who also happens to be a Congressman from my state. A Dairy Farmer was also at the meeting, and the purpose was to impress upon the Congressman how critical immigration reform is to the economic health of the dairy industry, which is connected to one in every 10 jobs in my state. The response from the Congressman was straight out of his party’s political talking points: “Well, I would like to help you, but we need to secure the border first.”

How long will it take to “secure the border?” The phrase has eluded consensus on Capitol Hill for years and is now virtually meaningless. How many decades will it take for us to reverse a decades-long trend and convince our children that farm work is a valued and noble profession? Can dairy afford to wait?

I wonder where Congressional Representative would rank on CareerCast’s survey if it were included?

Erich C. Straub is an immigration lawyer who practices in Wisconsin and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, SuperLawyers, and U.S. News and World Report’s Best Law Firms. Mr. Straub has spoken to audiences throughout the U.S. on immigration, and frequently advises Wisconsin Dairy Farmers on the topic. He has traveled Washington, D.C., to meet with elected officials regarding immigration reform. In 2008, the Milwaukee Business Journal described him as a “national leader on the federal immigration issue.” Contact him at (414) 224-8472 or erich@straubimmigration.com.

Comments (3)

Do You Need a Timeout?

Declining milk prices and rising stress levels may trigger emotional outbursts toward employees when they don’t perform as required. Learn to control anger before it controls you.

DREAM Act Provides Insight for Agriculture’s Immigration Reform Efforts

If Congress can enact the DREAM Act, it would demonstrate that reforming immigration is not impossible, only impossibly slow. It should also put agriculture next in line.

Are You Positive?

Are you the manager who only sees what’s wrong at your dairy? Here’s how to turn that around for big results.

What Is Important to Your Employees?

It may be quite different than you think.

Dairy Farmer: Worst Job in America?

Given this attitude regarding farming, it should not be surprising that our children are told to study computer science instead of agriculture. It also gives tremendous insight into the rural labor crisis and immigration.

COMMENTS

Report inappropriate comment

Archives

Hot Links & Cool Tools

ALSO RECOMMENDED

Type of Abuse:
Comments: