People issues at the farm

I am fully employed working with an organisation in the agriculture sector. I have a small farm managed by a farm manager  with a team of about 20 staff. The farm is primary diary with an early stage of setting up a poultry section and has the potential to take on other types of farming.  I am not always there as this started as a hobby, but I think it’s starting to require more attention, yet I am also fully employed. 

Of late it has come to my attention that the Farm Manager is doing ‘funny business’ at the farm and the staff are complaining.  This is starting to make me feel uncomfortable. How do I balance being employed and continuing with a farming project? Catherine.

Hello Catherine, well done on identifying the one thing you sound like you are passionate about. All the things many people enjoy start as a hobby, and then they become real, and passion drives one to make it successful. You have several issues that need to be looked at. Let us look at them one at a time though they are interlinked and related. You have a farm that has the potential to grow but requires your time; you are employed, so managing work and a farm is complex, and then you have a people issue to address. These three issues require attention; otherwise, they can escalate, and you have some options. 

While the farm is essential, you have a contractual obligation that must be met.  This is important, primarily if your source capital to invest in the farm comes from your employment. Secondly, the management of the Farm Manager and the worker’s issues must also be addressed because “funny business” can mean anything from theft, selling off your animals and compromising the farm. Let us discuss that first.

It may be wise to take some time off work and deal with the Farm Manager and staff issues. The people management aspect at your farm is managed to some degree, like the team you lead in the office. You need first to find out what “funny business “is going on, establish whether they are valid and then address them. In addition, you need to ensure your Farm Manager and his team have some form of structure and the essential tools to do their work. 

In this setting, it could be elementary as gum boots, tools to toil the land, access to water and feeds for the animals; they have decent accommodation if they live on the farm and are critically paid on time. In the case of the Farm Manager does he have regular daily meetings with the team that he leads, does he show up to work, and is he available when his team needs him? 

It’s also important to check that he keeps accurate account records. All these aspects are essential and contribute to “engagement”, which drives performance.  

There is an assumption that the farm is different from the office. Still, in reality, it’s not, and in many cases, the dynamics of managing a farm are more complex than the office, but the principles of managing the people remain the same. So, start with the above, help address the people aspects, and then move on to deciding whether you can go into farming full-time. 

Caroline Mboijana, Managing Director, The Leadership Team (U)  [email protected]