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Workshops help dairy farmers with staff orientation skills

26 April 2012

Workshops help dairy farmers with staff orientation skills ahead of next season

The Dairy Women’s Network Autumn Dairy Days begin on 4 May and will introduce participants to ideas and tools to help them get orientation of new staff or contractors and refocusing of existing staff correct from ‘day one.’

The series of workshops is being held at 10 locations nationwide and is timed to help farm owners and managers prepare for the start of the new dairy season.

The workshops feature expert trainers on leadership, people and performance and business strategy. The lead North Island presenter is Justine Dalton, while Sarah Watson, Gillian Searle and Lee Astridge will lead Dairy Days in the South Island.

A finalist in this year’s Dairy Woman of the Year award, North Island presenter Justine Dalton is no stranger to the complexity involved in staffing a dairy farm. She has been involved in many aspects of the dairy industry since graduating with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (hons) in 1993.

Last year brought national recognition to Justine and her colleagues at the BEL Group Dairy where she is the Business Manager. The Group won the coveted HRINZ 2011 HR Initiative of the Year – an award recognising human resource initiatives making a positive impact on total business performance.

Justine says she is looking forward to being a part of Dairy Women’s Network Dairy Days because it is on a topic she is passionate about. “We really only have one chance to get our new and existing staff oriented correctly for the new season,” Justine said. “June first is a busy time; we need to plan for staff changes before they happen and get things right the first time, right away.”

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She said the most common mistake farm managers make is leaving a new employee to figure things out on their own. “It is a common assumption that people learn best by just picking things up as they go along. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The first two days an employee is at a new job is when their perception of the work environment is set. That’s the time to focus on the environment you want to have on your farm.”

According to Justine, the Dairy Days workshops will include many small group exercises to allow participants to share their experiences – good and bad – with everyone in the group. At the end of the workshop, she says she hopes everyone will have a plan for the first couple of days a new employee is on the job as well as a plan for the first week and the first month. “We will offer real strategies to help you set up your farm culture and environment correctly from day one.”

“Whenever we don’t manage,” Justine added, “management happens by default.”

Sarah Speight, Chief Executive of the Dairy Women’s Network said of the workshops: “Putting the effort into getting orientation right in June will pay off in the long-term with reduced staff turnover and a team of new and existing employees who are ready to tackle the season ahead.”

Topics covered during the Dairy Days workshops are: the critical people success factors to a successful season; why a good orientation process is important; the steps in putting together orientation plans that work; setting up an orientation plan for the first month; Identifying what industry tools are available to use as a resource and where to go for further help and assistance.

For more information or to register call 07 838 5238 or visit www.dwn.co.nz.

Dairy Women’s Network Dairy Days Schedule
9:30 registration; event is 10am-2pm

NORTH ISLAND

DATE LOCATION VENUE
Tues 15 MayPukekoheCounties Inn
17 Paerata Road
Wed 16 MayTe AwamutuTe Awamutu Club
542 Alexander Street
Thurs 17 MayWhakataneREAP House
21 Pyne Street
Tues 22 MayOpunakeSandfords Event Centre
Tasman Street
(opposite Opunake High School)
Wed 23 MayDannevirkeThe Hub
Allardice Street

SOUTH ISLAND

DATE LOCATION VENUE
Fri 4 MayLincolnSI Dairying Development Centre
Gate 3, Lincoln University
off Springs Road, “Orchard Carpark”
NRE Building, room E5 (map available)
http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/location
Tues 8 MayOamaruOamaru Club
32 Severn Street
Oamaru
Mon 14 MayHokitikaBeachfront Hotel Hokitika
111 Revell Street
Thurs 17 MayGoreJames Cumming Wing
Ardwick Street, Gore
Fri 18 MayWintonPresbyterian Church
11 Meldrum Street

ENDS

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