D A I R Y I n i t i a t i v e s N E W S L E T T E R
V o l u m e 9 I s s u e 2 S u m m e r 2 0 0 0

Beyond the Bottom Line

Promoting Yourself as an Employer

ROBERT A. MILLIGAN
Agricultural, Resource and Managerial Economics, Cornell University

SHARON M. DANES
Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota

The image of a business is critical to its success. Many dairy producers have always been concerned about how other farmers perceive the quality of their animals and how their farmstead and crops look to those who drive by. This is a concern for physical assets. A part of image that is becoming even more important to business success is concern for human assets -- your image as an employer. Dairy producers today have to be concerned not just with what the business looks like, but also how it feels to work there. Your image as an employer is just as important as, if not more important than, concerns about the cows, crops, and buildings.

You can establish a good employer image during recruiting and hiring. You can build it by leading and managing a business for which people want to work, and by improving your human resource practices and skills.

Why Employer Image Matters

Building an image as a good employer is important for several reasons.

First, because the labor market is tight and the dairy business is increasingly complex and competitive, there is no pool of unemployed workers, so chances are you will be hiring someone who currently has a job. Candidates will only be interested in moving to a job if they believe it will be a better situation. The compensation package, of course, is a major part of that. Increasingly, however, employees are seeking jobs with greater job satisfaction. Consider the descriptions of employees' experiences in the box below. Employees are looking for jobs like the one held by Maritza! Their perception of "better" is based on the image of the business and on the image of the industry of which that business is a part.

Which Employer Image Would You Rather Have?

Here are descriptions of the experiences of two real-life employees (names changed, of course) who attended workshops on human resources. While reading their stories, try to put yourself in their shoes.

MARITZA
Maritza began working with the farm business as a teenager when her parents came to the farm seeking employment. She had few skills and little education. The owner recognized Maritza's interest in her work and potential to develop. He coached her and gave her increasing responsibility and authority. Maritza now manages an important component of that business, including supervising employees. She also has earned her high school equivalency diploma. Maritza is now an optimistic, confident, self-assured young lady and an excellent employee.

GEORGE
Much to his surprise, George's new employer sent him to the workshop on human resources. George had previously worked for a farm business for 23 years until that business was dissolved. George stated that he was not a good employee for those 23 years. He never knew the importance of what he was doing; he was never provided encouragement or positive feedback; he was never asked for his input or given opportunities to develop. His response was to just do his job, which he now realizes meant doing the minimum. George is now an older man with renewed energy but with great regret for his job performance in his previous job.

ASK YOURSELF the following questions about Maritza and George:

If you were an employee, would you rather work on the farm business owned by Maritza's employer or by George's former employer?

What do you think Maritza and George tell their family and friends about their jobs and their employers?

George's former farm no longer exists, while Maritza's farm business is thriving. Do you think the different outcomes are related to the attitudes and people skills of the managers?

Second, when you interview candidates, the perceptions they have when the interview begins will be based primarily on image. We all know that first impressions are important! Ultimately, however, your image will be based on your attitudes toward employees and your human resource practices and skills. That image is a "total picture," not just the first impression.

Improving Your Employer Image

There are ways to enhance your image as an employer. Some suggestions are provided here that have been used by farmers in hiring, recruiting, and managing their businesses.

Employer image when hiring. The tightness of the job market means that the hiring process will be more difficult and will take longer. You are not likely to successfully hire outstanding employees if you rely on impromptu tactics planned when the previous employee leaves.

Start by developing strategies for hiring quality employees that are consistent with your vision, mission, core values, and human resource attitudes and practices. These could include:

Focus on developing current employees to fill positions from within and hire only entry-level employees.
Develop a very positive relationship with a particular labor pool, such as young people or the retired. One successful farm works with school counselors and recruits members of the high school honor society.
Recruit employees from the entire work force, including ethnic groups. This requires being open to cultural differences.
Employ part-time employees from pools of workers who only want to work part time, such as parents with children in school.
Employ part-time skilled workers looking for income from second jobs. These can be especially attractive for the cropping operation, in which you need employees at critical times and often at atypical times during the day.

Consider a strategy called Planned Alternative to Hiring (PAH) to fill key positions such as herd manager, crop manager, mechanic, financial manager, and personnel manager. With this strategy you develop plans and procedures to continue the critical components of the position after the individual leaves until a replacement can be hired. Examples include cross-training, use of temporary service firms, and cooperation with similar farm businesses. A PAH strategy provides the necessary time to fill a critical position with a great employee or to develop a current employee to advance to the position.

In developing these hiring strategies, always remember that employees will be unhappy if they do not believe they are fairly compensated, but factors of involvement, responsibility, importance, and achievement have a greater positive impact on employee motivation and retention.

Employer image when recruiting. Recruiting is really marketing your business and the position available in that business. Think about how products are marketed on television. The focus is on the positive attributes of the product. Similarly, you are marketing the positive attributes of your position and your business.

What parts of your mission, vision, and core values would be attractive to potential employees? Job attributes with marketing potential include the opportunity to work in a family-owned business, the opportunity to work outdoors, job variety, opportunities for training, ease of advancement, modern facilities, and team atmosphere.

Compare the two want ads below. Which position would you apply for?

TIP:
When recruiting, view everyone who reads or sees your recruitment material as part of your audience. Those who do not apply will more likely remember your business positively. Further, many candidates apply for a position at the urging of a friend, family member, or fellow employee.

TEAM MEMBER WANTED. Maple View Dairy Farm, a thriving third-generation family business, is seeking a high school graduate to join a progressive dairy farm business. We strive to market only high-quality, nutritious food produced with environmentally friendly practices. We offer competitive compensation. Outstanding job satisfaction is maintained by continuous training, increased job responsibility, flexible work schedules, clear performance expectations and friendly supervisors. Dairy farm experience is not necessary but a commitment to succeed is. Call Jim today at 555-5555 for more information or to apply.		Employee wanted for large dairy farm. Must have experience and be willing to work hard. Call 555-5555.

Employer image when managing the business. Marketing the attributes of a product is important to the success of the product. However, ultimately the product's image will be determined by its quality. Similarly, the image of your business as an employer will ultimately depend upon your attitudes toward employees and your human resource practices and skills. You must lead and manage a business for which people want to work.

Below are some suggestions that should increase the job satisfaction of your employees while also increasing the success of your business:

Articulate and communicate your business mission, vision, and core values. A compelling vision and shared core values are critical to motivated, committed employees. Note the statement from the ad mentioned earlier, "We strive to market only high-quality, nutritious food produced with environmentally friendly practices." Also note the ad's reference to outstanding job satisfaction.
Develop a positive business culture. Set an example by being friendly, optimistic, and fair with everyone in your business. Whether in sports or in business, each of us wants to be a part of a winning team.
Provide feedback. Research shows that almost all people crave feedback. They especially desire positive feedback.
Train and develop your employees. All employees want to develop and succeed, if you give them an opportunity. Remember the attitude change in George when given the opportunity to attend the human resources workshop.
Establish a relationship based on trust and respect with each person in your business. Trust is the key to all interpersonal relationships, including employee-employer relationships. Great trust is only established with employees when the employer is unquestionably and consistently trustworthy.

In summary, in this tight labor market, and as the dairy business becomes more complex and competitive, business image can't just be about physical assets anymore. It must also be about developing and maintaining your image as an employer. You create that image through your attitudes toward employees, your human resource practices and skills during hiring and recruiting, and how you lead and manage your business.

D A I R Y I n i t i a t i v e s N E W S L E T T E R
Volume 9 Issue 2 Summer 2000