The Sustainable Food Project Expo Milano 2015 is drawing attention to the need for the global agricultural industry to focus on investment in people. The project highlights the tendency of today’s younger generation to select careers in IT, education, or healthcare rather than agriculture. Couple this phenomenon with an increasingly competitive labor market and it is becoming increasingly difficult for employers to find and retain top talent.

Employee attrition can be detrimental to a company. Developing a pipeline of employees for succession planning is crucial to ensuring that valuable institutional knowledge is not lost when employees retire or leave a company. If you suspect that your turnover is too high, pinpoint the reasons why and find a strategy to reverse the problem.

• Bear in mind that your employee retention rates may be normal. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average number of hired farm workers has declined in the last century from approximately 3.4 million to just over 1 million. As the total labor force grew, agricultural employment as a proportion of total employment has declined even more.
• Pinpoint what may be the cause of a suspected high turnover. Talk to staff and find out their level of satisfaction and what would make them happier on the job. Your salaries may not be competitive, you may need to provide more flexible work options for a better work-life balance among employees, or you may need to engage staff by providing development and training opportunities.
• Re-examine your hiring and onboarding procedures. Are you hiring the right staff in the first place? Is the onboarding process pleasant for employees, or are they disappointed once the realities of the job become apparent. The hiring process should effectively manage candidate expectations so that they do not disengage or experience disappointment.
• Also check your staffing levels. Are existing staff overloaded? If so, hiring temporary staff and using a more flexible staffing strategy can immediately relieve stressed workers and ensure that your company remains productive.

Communication between employees or management is essential to pinpoint potential morale or staffing problems. Partner with Morris-Bixby Group for a strategic staffing plan that will meet your needs for flexible staffing and improved turnover rates.