Finding a fix in the era of the great resignation

Attracting and retaining staff in the age of the great resignation – it’s a goal Growcom’s Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network (QAWN) staff strive toward by supporting employers and employees across the supply chain to develop new skillsets.   

With this in mind Growcom’s QAWN Officer Kym Wessling created the Ag Leaders Development Program, giving agribusinesses an opportunity to support the needs of their staff to upskill and, ultimately, work more productively, efficiently and collaboratively.

Through the series of five, two-hour online workshops, agribusinesses from across all agricultural commodity groups nominated leading hands, managers and supervisors to take part.

Each session focused on specific soft skills, including: Communication, Day to Day Leadership Habits, Delivering Feedback, Managing Poor Performance and Conduct and Time Management.

For Kym, targeting soft skills was a motivation brought about from research published in the National Agricultural Workforce Strategy: “Soft skills enable agile thinking and complex problem solving… more and more jobs will require social and emotional skills.”

Additionally, putting together the program to assist staff in leading roles on-farm was a no-brainer.

“I have received feedback as a QAWN officer where gaps have been identified in leadership skills that focus on incorporating soft skills,” Kym said.

“Businesses indicated to me they want a method of training that does not impact the business by taking workers offline for long periods.”

The series of workshops support staff to upskill, perform more effectively in their roles, as well as an opportunity to reflect on their own leadership actions and styles.

“The goal was always to make staff more effective leaders in their roles, to build the skills, know-how and confidence to make some tough decisions and set standards that give everyone on the floor a boost,” Kym said.

Training staff in what is coined a job seekers market is a strategic action for businesses too.

It’s this kind of training that may help retain staff – currently, 60 percent of employees are planning a career change because of the pandemic.

In an effort to stem that tide and attract and retain staff, investing in the development of employees’ skills is key.  

“In the long run, if you provide training, you’re equipping your staff with skills,” Kym said.

“No matter if they are a short-term employee or there for a longer period, when push comes to shove, your team will work more efficiently, and productivity is key and the current labour pressures have proven this to be accurate.

“Leadership is important not only for morale and creation of a quality workplace but also for the end-product you send to markets.

“Without leadership, employees move on quickly in search of better workplaces.

“A lack of career growth is also a top reason why an employee leaves their job.

To promote longevity in your team and to build capacity in employees when their workmate moves on, upskilling is key.

“This boosts problem-solving skills, confidence and creates a higher level of productivity.”

The Ag Leaders Development Program saw about 50 participants from across 46 agribusinesses take part and brainstorm solutions to challenges using the tools from each webinar.

Focus HR presented the series and feedback suggests another round of training may be on the horizon.