Staff communication will be central as farmers embrace change on their farms as the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is phased out.
Leading psychologist Dr Hannah Vickery told delegates at this year's Women in Dairy Conference on 28 September at Churchfields Farm that effective communication was essential to retain staff and keep them motivated.
Often communication can be difficult on working farms due to small teams, pressured workloads and individuals who have been working on the farm a long time.
However, she said whilst farmers can't control others, they can control the communication and influence the 'workplace culture, which will be important as change happens.
"Workplace culture is created by the farmer but is sustained by the team. Power all your staff to influence the workplace culture," she said.
Motivating staff to change
Keeping staff motivated and motivating them to make change involves:
1. Clear instructions and rationale
2. Demonstration- show others how to do things- first follower experience
3. Having a position of authority
4. Being likeable
5. Encouragement and positive reinforcement- this can often be one of the first things to disappear under stress. She said: "You can never give enough praise."
6. Compassion
7. Constructive criticism- this should be improvement focused and involves telling the person what 'right' looks like.
When giving feedback, Dr Vickery told delegates to encourage self-reflection by asking the person how they thought they were doing. She then said to compare and contrast your feedback with their reflections.
She said, "Use the words 'we' and 'us' a lot as well as how and why questions to try and keep things positive. Also, do not use the words 'but or however' and instead use 'and'. "
She said constructive criticism should always start with an example of praise with 'and' used to share the area of improvement. For example, "What you're doing is great and I think you need to do this as well."
Fact, Feel, Want example
She also suggested delegates use the Fact, Feel and Want principle'.
This is a simple way to be assertive and involves stating a fact, followed by how that action made you feel and what you want that person to do. "This is one of the best communication tools in the world," she said.
She gave an example of how to approach a conversation if a staff member is consistently late.
"On four mornings last week, I didn't see you before 5.30am. I'm feeling concerned (about you and for others). I would like it if you could prioritise getting here at 5am every day next week."
Understanding employees' personal motivation is also key to keeping the team motivated.
"Understand that people's extrinsic motivations (external motivations) change with age. For example, younger people are more motivated by financial rewards, but with an ageing industry, it's important to think outside of the money box," she said.
Dr Vickery told the 115 delegates in the room that if they had staff that looked like they were 'sucking lemons' to come up with some ideas. She said: "Call it 'project lemon'. Ask the team to come up with solutions to make work better. It invites humour, shared experience, for example."
This year's Women in Dairy Conference, sponsored by HSBC also included motivational talks from Dairy Link's Barbara Griffiths; Vet Tech Meg Lawrence; Boehringer Ingelheim's Becca Cavill; Defra's Fran Edmunds and HSBC's Grace O Dywer.
About Women in Dairy and RABDF
Women in Dairy is an RABDF initiative, designed to bring women working in the dairy industry together through regional discussion group meetings. The aim is to connect women, share knowledge, develop skills, and inspire by encouraging innovative thinking and vision for the future of UK dairy.
RABDF is the sole UK charity focussed on the unique needs of milk producers. They are the only dairy organisation holding a Royal Warrant, with the influence and access to funding that brings.