b'THE HR HANDBOOKKeeping Up Company Morale During the Busy Time of the YearTHIS WAS THEsmoothest harvest season yet! Be aware of other demands the employee has. Those words caught the attention of other generalThe pressure resulting from long hours often occurs managers at a recent sales meeting I attended. Edbecause the employees have other responsibilities wasnt talking about lack of harvest equipment break- like a family. Take time to get to know what will cause down, weather or storage issues. He was referring tostress for your team members. If it is family, engage the employees attitude during harvest. Of course, Edtheir partner in the conversations about role expecta-was now the center of attention. Keeping up moraletions so that they too are clear. Think about the extra during the peak periods of the agriculture productionworkload on family members and do what you can to cycle is an age-old issue, so we wanted to know Edshelp alleviate the pressure on their situation. Provide secrets to success.meals or other home services that will lighten the load. JONATHAN SHAVERBe clear about expectations. Anyone in produc- Calculate your workforce demands so that there is an is the president andtion agriculture should understand the predictableoption to give employees some time off each week. A owner of Envisiondemands of the role, but it doesnt hurt to remindgift for the family is a great indirect way of recognizing Partners LLC.folks. Be clear from the first job interview the realitiestheir sacrifice too. of the role. Talk about the upcoming season duringTalk about it. There is no denying that the time the interim periods, so that everyone is physicallypressure, equipment breakdowns, weather and time and mentally prepared. Talking about these demandsaway from family are difficult. Usually, stress comes demonstrates that you dont take it for granted. Mostout on other people who dont control the weather. people are willing to step up to the requirements, if theWatch for signs and address them immediately while requirements are realistic, they know what they arestill small. Take a break and talk it out. Knowing that you and have time to prepare themselves. Also be clearwill invariably have these difficult conversations, the that not every employee will have the same demandsbest time to prepare is long before they happen. During on their time. the off-season talk about the stress; talk about unac-Do what you can to avoid long hours. We takeceptable responses to stress; talk about how to talk a bit of historical pride in working long hours and onabout unacceptable behaviors; talk about how to ask every day of the week during planting and harvest.for help and that asking for help is okay, even expected. We tend to use all of the time available to us. PuttingHave a language that will not be unfamiliar when a realistic limits on hours or number of workdays canconversation needs to be had. A pre-determined code lead to greater individual effort to get the job done inword is a great way to signal your team member that the available time. The assumption that long hours arethey are showing signs of stress in their behavior. This just the way it is leads to operational inefficiencies thatnon-threatening moment of awareness can give them a employees will easily recognize. Engage employees tochance to reflect and readjust on their own. learn how they think the job can be done faster, safely,Its a long game. Build loyalty year round so that and while keeping quality. Put some of those ideas intoyou are maintaining an already high morale, not building action. People like and take ownership of what theymorale during the time it is needed most. Building posi-help build. Getting the job done and going home is nottive attitude during the normal part of the year is like a a sign that you are not working hard enough. bank account that you draw on during the peak season. Rewards are tricky. Not discounting contrac- Provide days off, create an overall positive work environ-tual agreements, pre-arranged bonus pay can makement. Employees are willing to give to managers, teams employee dedication transactional, leading to anand companies that they like and to places they believe expectation of pay for all discretionary effort. A betterin. Create workplace conditions in which employees reward is one that is a surprise for a job well done.want to give their discretionary time and effort. Treat Sincere and specific gratitude goes a long way, and apeople fairly. They have a choice of where to give their gift certificate is nice too.time and energy. Are they willing to give it to you?SW30/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2021'