August 21, 2024 • 8 mins
Jane Muir of Dairy NZ gives out some well being tips to help with the mood around the farm during the busy season.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Starts.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
This is a muster on a Thursday afternoon. Jane, you,
as lead advisor for people at darry and z Derryan said,
of course, on the muster every Thursday. Good afternoon, Jane.
How are you I'm great?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Thanks? Andy?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
How are you not too bad? As we contemplate the
season on farm where it is just a busy time
of year, it goes about saying and the big thing
to remember at the moment, Jane is people you need
to put into perspective regarding work hours and well being
and things like that. And that's what we're going to
focus on today, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah, absolutely, it's really important, particularly at this time of year,
but obviously throughout the year, but right now it's a
top top thing.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So keeping on top of the rosters and hours of
work and lot carving is a time of yew where
it can get arduous and the weather doesn't help, especially
earlier this week of that towards something here in the South.
What's some good things to keep in the mind when
looking at rosters at this time of year.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Well, I think the main thing, Andy is, you know,
working too many hours backfires both for employers and employees,
and so it doesn't really met matter if you measure
that by reduced output, sort of lack of improvements, drop
in quality, more mistakes, reduced team work, bad communication, all
those things. Working too many hours sort of blows them
(01:33):
all out, so it's really important to try and keep
on top of them as much as possible at the moment.
Research just shows that, you know, people often say how
you can work long hours through carving because it's just
a short period, but it's really not a sprint. I mean,
having watched the Olympics, it's probably a bit more like
a sort of a five thousand meter race. So we
(01:53):
need to keep on top on top of those hours.
And really when we look at that, there's two places
roster length and then total hours. So looking at rosters,
people need a day off every week. So work week
that doesn't have a day of rest just doesn't benefit anybody.
People generally don't like it, output doesn't increase, and then
(02:13):
and people just need full days off to recharge in
the body and the brain. So that's true for the
owners as well, So we really encourage people to try
and make sure everyone on farms having a day off
at least even through carving. And then total hours of work.
We all know that this is dairy's biggest challenge and
(02:34):
attracting and retaining people. So you're going to have a
farm team, probably not too many abilities to bring in
additional people, but if you can do, but really keeping
on top of those hours, so it's the essential stuff
that's being done. And if people are working longer hours
than normal, strongly encouraging that they need to be paid
for every one of those additional hours, because then they
(02:55):
come through carving feeling engaged, feeling more enthusiastic, much more
likely to stay. So really often that means topping people
up at this time of year.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
What do you say the old adage though it is
that type of year for three or four weeks, everybody
is just flat out and you just have to adapt.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, look, there is an element of that, but as
I say, probably, well it's just probably too long, Like
four to six weeks is just too long to maintain
that for many people. Some people can look, don't get
me wrong, some people can do it, but that doesn't
mean that everybody can do it. So it's probably understanding
who in the team's got the ability to do that
(03:35):
and who might not. But either which way it is
important to make sure that people are getting recognized for
that extra effort. Also important to know when we survey
people like a lot of people this is their favorite
time of year on farm, like they love it. So
it's but you know, we don't want to see people
having accidents and fatigue does tend to lead to eccidents. Unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
It all comes down to culture on farm. I mean,
culture is a word that it's synonymous of a lot
of things these days, but on a farming when you're
working on a farm, it's the same thing.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Oh yeah, it's critical. I mean, like I think the
famous quote is TeamWorks. Teamwork makes the dream work right
and yeah, look, it is all about culture and getting
the team working together to have that strong sort of
team culture. So people just need to know what's expected
of them at this time of year, really understanding the why.
(04:29):
Often the why. You know, it seems so obvious to
people that have been in the business for a while,
but that's not true for everybody on farm. So making
sure people really know what the goal is, what's expected
of them, making sure everyone's working as a team. And
I would say having regular team meetings is probably a
(04:49):
good way of addressing that so people know what's coming
up for the week and why, and then they know
what's happening each day in what they are expected to
do each day. Just you know, making make it efficient.
That's the best thing to do. And really it's always
a time like to listen to people. So people probably
are putting out cues on if they're coping or if
(05:09):
they're not coping, So so understanding that, and people might have
some quite good ideas as well, Like we always see
you know, different people in the team having an idea.
So maybe they've got an idea that you could actually
prevent tomorrow and you know, improve things. So and the
other one i'd say about teamworkers just always say thanks
and have a bit of fun.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Community. Yeah, absolutely, it's the manta of life really. But
communication seems to be the key as well. And if
somebody's got some input, by all means, let them be
open and transparent. It's not the nineteen nineties anymore.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Yeah, absolutely, communication, any kind of information we or survey
we do, or talking to people. Number one issue is communication.
So you know, it's the thing that frustrates people when
it's not going well because it leads to inefficiencies right,
and no one's got time of that. And it also
if your communication is good and regular, it tends to
(06:05):
stay above the line. It's when it doesn't happen, people
start getting frustrated and then they start, you know, getting
snappier or angrier, and it's the behavior that we really
don't want to see. It does not build team culture endy.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
So the key is to have regular meetings weekly, almost
a couple of times a week at this time of
year and just see how everybody's tracking or what advice
would you give.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Oh, look, I think it depends on the size of
the farm team in the individuals, but I would personally
probably advocate for sort of trying to get most people
together once a week and then kind of regular stand
ups probably daily almost at the at the shed, you know,
just in the morning for ten minutes, because then people
can be really clear about what they're doing and it
(06:49):
doesn't give anybody a chance to slip and not be
caught if they're struggling. And that's true also for the
you know, for the manager or the business owner. You know,
they're under a lot of pressure at this time of
year as well and likely to probably be pulling the
biggest hours, so you know their team can provide some
(07:10):
humor and some support for them as well. That's really important.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, keeping a sense of humor is the key now.
I used to think reading jobs in the paper or
the likes of the internet back in the time, with
a job said you need to have a sense of humor.
I was very cynical about what they meant. What do
you make of it?
Speaker 1 (07:30):
That's a good point because it's it's a bit like
one of those things, isn't it. I mean, can you
develop a sense of humor? I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I think initiation can't force.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
You can't force somebody to laugh. But we all know
that when you work in like those fun teams where
having a bit of fun it just makes the day
go quicker, doesn't it. Like, and you know it might
start out as an interesting story, but it ends up
being a laugh. And I think there's a lot of
that goes on and farms in New Zealand, and the
(08:02):
truth is always there's often some funny things and hard
times and Calvin can be a hard time. So yeah,
getting the giggles, that's probably gonna make your day.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I think one of my favorite sayings is smile the
confuses people. J Mwert, Lead advisor for people at Daryan Z.
Appreciate your time on the master of this afternoon. Thanks
for having me Indie Jamure from Darry and Z on
the program. Workly some relevant things to carving, obviously riding
the gats at the moment. Hope it's all going well
on farm this afternoon. Before you wrap up for the hour,
Residents Sporting Guru Nathan Burton joins us
Starts.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
This is a muster on a Thursday afternoon. Jane, you,
as lead advisor for people at darry and z Derryan said,
of course, on the muster every Thursday. Good afternoon, Jane.
How are you I'm great?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Thanks? Andy?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
How are you not too bad? As we contemplate the
season on farm where it is just a busy time
of year, it goes about saying and the big thing
to remember at the moment, Jane is people you need
to put into perspective regarding work hours and well being
and things like that. And that's what we're going to
focus on today, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah, absolutely, it's really important, particularly at this time of year,
but obviously throughout the year, but right now it's a
top top thing.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So keeping on top of the rosters and hours of
work and lot carving is a time of yew where
it can get arduous and the weather doesn't help, especially
earlier this week of that towards something here in the South.
What's some good things to keep in the mind when
looking at rosters at this time of year.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Well, I think the main thing, Andy is, you know,
working too many hours backfires both for employers and employees,
and so it doesn't really met matter if you measure
that by reduced output, sort of lack of improvements, drop
in quality, more mistakes, reduced team work, bad communication, all
those things. Working too many hours sort of blows them
(01:33):
all out, so it's really important to try and keep
on top of them as much as possible at the moment.
Research just shows that, you know, people often say how
you can work long hours through carving because it's just
a short period, but it's really not a sprint. I mean,
having watched the Olympics, it's probably a bit more like
a sort of a five thousand meter race. So we
(01:53):
need to keep on top on top of those hours.
And really when we look at that, there's two places
roster length and then total hours. So looking at rosters,
people need a day off every week. So work week
that doesn't have a day of rest just doesn't benefit anybody.
People generally don't like it, output doesn't increase, and then
(02:13):
and people just need full days off to recharge in
the body and the brain. So that's true for the
owners as well, So we really encourage people to try
and make sure everyone on farms having a day off
at least even through carving. And then total hours of work.
We all know that this is dairy's biggest challenge and
(02:34):
attracting and retaining people. So you're going to have a
farm team, probably not too many abilities to bring in
additional people, but if you can do, but really keeping
on top of those hours, so it's the essential stuff
that's being done. And if people are working longer hours
than normal, strongly encouraging that they need to be paid
for every one of those additional hours, because then they
(02:55):
come through carving feeling engaged, feeling more enthusiastic, much more
likely to stay. So really often that means topping people
up at this time of year.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
What do you say the old adage though it is
that type of year for three or four weeks, everybody
is just flat out and you just have to adapt.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, look, there is an element of that, but as
I say, probably, well it's just probably too long, Like
four to six weeks is just too long to maintain
that for many people. Some people can look, don't get
me wrong, some people can do it, but that doesn't
mean that everybody can do it. So it's probably understanding
who in the team's got the ability to do that
(03:35):
and who might not. But either which way it is
important to make sure that people are getting recognized for
that extra effort. Also important to know when we survey
people like a lot of people this is their favorite
time of year on farm, like they love it. So
it's but you know, we don't want to see people
having accidents and fatigue does tend to lead to eccidents. Unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
It all comes down to culture on farm. I mean,
culture is a word that it's synonymous of a lot
of things these days, but on a farming when you're
working on a farm, it's the same thing.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Oh yeah, it's critical. I mean, like I think the
famous quote is TeamWorks. Teamwork makes the dream work right
and yeah, look, it is all about culture and getting
the team working together to have that strong sort of
team culture. So people just need to know what's expected
of them at this time of year, really understanding the why.
(04:29):
Often the why. You know, it seems so obvious to
people that have been in the business for a while,
but that's not true for everybody on farm. So making
sure people really know what the goal is, what's expected
of them, making sure everyone's working as a team. And
I would say having regular team meetings is probably a
(04:49):
good way of addressing that so people know what's coming
up for the week and why, and then they know
what's happening each day in what they are expected to
do each day. Just you know, making make it efficient.
That's the best thing to do. And really it's always
a time like to listen to people. So people probably
are putting out cues on if they're coping or if
(05:09):
they're not coping, So so understanding that, and people might have
some quite good ideas as well, Like we always see
you know, different people in the team having an idea.
So maybe they've got an idea that you could actually
prevent tomorrow and you know, improve things. So and the
other one i'd say about teamworkers just always say thanks
and have a bit of fun.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Community. Yeah, absolutely, it's the manta of life really. But
communication seems to be the key as well. And if
somebody's got some input, by all means, let them be
open and transparent. It's not the nineteen nineties anymore.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Yeah, absolutely, communication, any kind of information we or survey
we do, or talking to people. Number one issue is communication.
So you know, it's the thing that frustrates people when
it's not going well because it leads to inefficiencies right,
and no one's got time of that. And it also
if your communication is good and regular, it tends to
(06:05):
stay above the line. It's when it doesn't happen, people
start getting frustrated and then they start, you know, getting
snappier or angrier, and it's the behavior that we really
don't want to see. It does not build team culture endy.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
So the key is to have regular meetings weekly, almost
a couple of times a week at this time of
year and just see how everybody's tracking or what advice
would you give.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Oh, look, I think it depends on the size of
the farm team in the individuals, but I would personally
probably advocate for sort of trying to get most people
together once a week and then kind of regular stand
ups probably daily almost at the at the shed, you know,
just in the morning for ten minutes, because then people
can be really clear about what they're doing and it
(06:49):
doesn't give anybody a chance to slip and not be
caught if they're struggling. And that's true also for the
you know, for the manager or the business owner. You know,
they're under a lot of pressure at this time of
year as well and likely to probably be pulling the
biggest hours, so you know their team can provide some
(07:10):
humor and some support for them as well. That's really important.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, keeping a sense of humor is the key now.
I used to think reading jobs in the paper or
the likes of the internet back in the time, with
a job said you need to have a sense of humor.
I was very cynical about what they meant. What do
you make of it?
Speaker 1 (07:30):
That's a good point because it's it's a bit like
one of those things, isn't it. I mean, can you
develop a sense of humor? I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I think initiation can't force.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
You can't force somebody to laugh. But we all know
that when you work in like those fun teams where
having a bit of fun it just makes the day
go quicker, doesn't it. Like, and you know it might
start out as an interesting story, but it ends up
being a laugh. And I think there's a lot of
that goes on and farms in New Zealand, and the
(08:02):
truth is always there's often some funny things and hard
times and Calvin can be a hard time. So yeah,
getting the giggles, that's probably gonna make your day.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I think one of my favorite sayings is smile the
confuses people. J Mwert, Lead advisor for people at Daryan Z.
Appreciate your time on the master of this afternoon. Thanks
for having me Indie Jamure from Darry and Z on
the program. Workly some relevant things to carving, obviously riding
the gats at the moment. Hope it's all going well
on farm this afternoon. Before you wrap up for the hour,
Residents Sporting Guru Nathan Burton joins us
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