Family culture, thoughtful benefits create low team turnover
At Frahm Farmland, employee turnover is virtually zero. How can an operation covering 33,000 acres with a team of 11 full-time and four part-time employees achieve this feat?
For CEO Lon Frahm, the recipe for success is quite simple: “We don’t hire. We select.”
Team culture must be set and fertilized. Frahm Farmland, based in Colby, Kan., features a culture that attracts and retains employees.
“Every morning the team eats breakfast together,” explains Robert Bell, electrical operations and safety director for the farm. “We have executive chairs around a big conference table, and we talk about everything from silly stuff to daily news to inputs. It’s a family culture.”
Also, Bell says, the farm offers a professional work environment that makes it a fun place to work.
Usual to Unusual to Unheard-of Benefits
At Frahm Farmland, benefits span anywhere from usual to unusual to unheard-of, says Baker Bugbee, the farm’s irrigation manager.
For instance, employees enjoy insurance, access to company vehicles, meals, paid time off and other normal perks, but they also have self-adjusted hours, generous raises, team trips and a focus on workplace wellness.
To take it a step higher, Frahm has helped finance education and training for employees. He also created an employee-advised donation fund where the team can designate a certain amount of dollars to charities of their choice.
For those employees who farm on their own, Frahm shares buying power through bulk discounts on inputs and has helped employees acquire land.
“We have eight guys managing their own ground,” Frahm adds.
“Lon listens to employees to identify their priorities,” Bugbee says. “Our team’s low turnover is a byproduct, not the goal. Anyone can have zero turnover — just overpay bad employees, and they’ll stick around. Lon has managed to find the right people and treat them the right ways, so they stay.”
Little Actions = Big Results
For your farm to be a magnet for talent, you need to have an attractive culture for high-performing employees, says Kathy Peterson, a human founder of PeopleWorks. She provides these tips.
Make expectations clear. Common sense isn’t always common. Provide job descriptions and have defined expectations.
You will have employee issues, big and small. Address and solve them, as not doing so demotivates high performers.
Be flexible when possible. Encourage your employees to have fulfilling lives beyond the hours spent on your farm.
Do little, unexpected things. For example, Peterson says, an employee was taking his children to the amusement park. As a thank you for his hard work, they put a $100 bill in his truck and told them to have fun.
