Farm
According to Tim Schaefer with Encore Consulting, who recently spoke on a National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Young Cooperator webinar about farm work-life balance, farmers don’t have to be superheroes and accomplish all the tasks themselves. It is okay to rely on your employees. Although, he shares employees want work-life balance, too, and those that can establish a work-life balance, are more apt to stick with their employer.
“We know that it’s hard to keep good labor. It’s a challenge,” he says. “They want balance as well. They have a life outside of work that I think often we don’t think about.”
Often emergencies become a priority and it is hard to complete the tasks that need to be done. Schaefer encourages producers to focus on what must get accomplished.
“If you reverse the order, put in the big things first, then fill it in with those intermediate, important and urgent type things, then finally put in all that all that stuff that just kind of happens in life, you will fit it all in,” he says. “But, you can’t do it if you leave the important things until last.”
“An example is a boundary or a fence,” he says. “Good fences make good neighbors, which are so true even within a family. You always put a gate in your boundary, in your fence because you want to open that and close that up and have control over what passes those boundaries. So, we’re not saying that you never crossed the boundaries, but it’s really clear when you cross them and you go through the gate.”
Set owner boundaries by asking:
- When do we meet?
- Who is invited to these meetings?
- How are decisions made?
Ways to implement this on the farm:
- Rotate time off, so employees as well as owners can get their turn for some time away from the farm.
- Allow ride-alongs during the busy times of the year, where some of your best workers or family can ride along in the combine or grain cart.
Setting boundaries can help you understand who is accountable for what, decrease confusion and assumptions, and create more time for family. To watch Schaefer’s presentation, go to: Finding Work-Life Balance on the Farm – Zoom.
