Download CLA Dairy Operations Safety Manual - Section C

UNDERSTANDING EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION:
What motivates our employees to succeed in their jobs? Believe it or not, money is
not always a factor. Look to praise, recognition and small rewards to motivate
employees. A hand written thank you note goes farther when establishing lasting
working relationships with employees. Refer to “1001 Ways to Reward Employees” by
Bob Nelson.
What motivates one employee may not be the same thing that motivates another. Take
into consideration an employee’s marital status or age when looking for motivational
factors. A young, single person may not be excited about health insurance as a benefit.
However, the family person may perceive insurance as an excellent benefit and will be
motivated to work harder to provide it for their family. A mature employee may be
excited by a solid retirement fund, whereas the younger employee would just rather have
the cash to pay for food, fun and cars. As managers we must realize that each employee
may be motivated differently. Be flexible. Allow your business to motivate each
employee individually to assist in the success of your goals.
Keep in mind that an employee’s motivations change over time. A student may start by
milking nights, but once he has gained education and experience, he may desire more
challenges to stay motivated. Be sensitive to those changes and keep the lines of
communication open. The only way to understand what an employee needs to be
motivated is to ask them.
Allow employees to assist in goal setting, not just goal reaching. If they are part of the
whole process, they will be encouraged to work harder to see the circle is completed.
Both parties will benefit.
“The deepest principles in human
nature is the craving to
be appreciated.”
-William James
“Rewarding employees for their exceptional
work is critical for keeping them motivated
to continue to do their best.”
-Kenneth Blanchard, “The One Minute Manager”
Provided by the Human Resource Services of Monsanto, Miguel Morales, M.V.Z.,
Monsanto Dairy Business
Additional information regarding safety incentive programs for employees can be located
at www.labsafety.com/refinfo/ezfacts/ezf114.htm.
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UNDERSTANDING AND WORKING WITH HISPANIC
EMPLOYEES:
To meet workforce demands in different regions, several dairies hire Hispanic
employees. Hispanic employees are a very valuable part of the workforce and under
these circumstances, an environment of diversity is created and communication, which is
always important, becomes critical.
Understanding differences and establishing good working relationships, along with
effective communication can improve all working environments and ultimately impact
productivity.
From my experience as a veterinarian from Hispanic origins working for Monsanto, I had
the opportunity to interact with many different people in diverse countries. Labor
management on a dairy farm is complex and I wish to share some of my experiences and
provide ideas that may help you in communicating and working with Hispanic
employees. Please keep in mind there is no right or wrong way. It is impossible to label
people or define behavior exclusively by culture, education or experience.
Communication Context
In communicating with Hispanic people it’s obvious a different language presents a
challenge. Optimizing interaction with employees goes beyond verbal communication.
Besides communicating with words, messages are delivered by other means, such as
body language. Therefore, one major step in improving interaction with employees is to
simply better understand the importance of the communication context.
The setting where communication is taking place is known as social communication
context. This includes the physical environment, social setting, status, hierarchy and
nonverbal behavior. Certain individuals tend to pay more attention to social context and
are extra sensitive to surrounding circumstances. Some researchers believe cultural
background can be an influence on the sensitivity of individuals to social context. In this
case it would be not only the words, but where, how and when the words are delivered.
Let me introduce some concepts. The high context individual places relationships and
trust before business and hierarchy and building relationships are very important to them.
For example, older superiors are generally more respected than younger ones and
belonging to a group of friends or family influences a person to make decisions based on
the welfare of their group.
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The next concept is the low context individuals. This group places business before
relationships and stresses individual achievement. For instance, a dairy farm manager is
less receptive to social context. He or she may be able to learn from their Hispanic
employees on building relationships. But please note there has to be a balance between
relationship building and business. In addition, hierarchical systems are, in general,
established for convenience. For example, my subordinate today may become my boss
tomorrow.
Communicating
When communicating with Spanish-speaking people remember they can act and react
differently than you are accustomed to. For example, Hispanic people are taught to shake
hands, hug and touch as a sign of friendship. Please don’t feel uncomfortable with
touching during conversation, as touching another’s arm or shoulder is common.
In my experience, communication may take longer with Hispanic people because they
use it as a way to build relationships. It’s common to start a business conversation with a
question about the weekend, or weather, or one’s favorite sports team. After this
“introduction” business is discussed. Remember it’s important to keep focused.
Good communications is vital in order to coach, lead, motivate and provide feedback.
The following tips will help when communicating and coaching your employees:
1. Organize your thoughts and send a clear direct message;
2. Do not mix instructions for different jobs. Finish one topic, then move to the
next;
3. Give immediate feedback;
4. Be fair, consistent, and firm about what you want done;
5. Value everyone’s ideas; and
6. Reinforce the correct procedures. Recognize a job well done.
Motivation
Productivity is the result of the “can do” or employee’s ability and the “will do” or
motivation. Usually poor employee motivation translates into increased cost, low
productivity and an unstable work force. In contrast, motivated employees signify
superior job performance, high productivity and less job turnover.
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Expect a lot from your employees. Research shows there is a powerful influence on
one person’s expectations and on another’s behavior. It’s been proven the way managers
treat their subordinates is subtly influenced by what they expect of them. So, when
managers’ expectations are high, productivity is likely to be high. It can be said the
way a subordinate performs is largely determined by what the manager expects of that
person.
When motivating your Hispanic employees take into consideration what you know about
them. For instance, once the basic needs are satisfied, the social area can be a relatively
powerful means of motivation. If we consider a group or family is an important entity, a
picnic, family barbecue or having a soccer tournament can work wonders. Items that
reinforce the social acceptance and belonging will effectively motivate employees.
Recognition is another excellent motivator for Hispanic employees. Many times, it’s not
only saying words, but showing you really mean it by shaking hands and saying “you did
an excellent job.”
Recognizing and rewarding does not only mean money. Yes, money is important to
satisfy basic needs and to provide families with a certain level of security. This is why
many Hispanic employees are willing to work hard and overtime. Feeling proud of what
one does, job satisfaction and knowing one has an important job on the farm are other
very powerful motivators.
In summary, all factors are important when motivating employees. Some motivators are
hard to identify, but managers should remember to recognize a group and not only
individuals, give presents when appropriate, shake hands or remember birthdays.
Job Descriptions
Job descriptions are an important management tool as they define responsibilities, clearly
describe what the job is, and aid in evaluation of job performance by setting expectations.
The first step of creating a job is to identify the farm needs. Next, write a job description.
The job description generally includes the job title, summary, relationships, working
conditions and salary. To enhance communication, some dairies provide a job
description in English and Spanish. Remember employee productivity equals worker
ability plus motivation.
Provided by the Human Resource Services of Monsanto, Miguel Morales, M.V.Z.,
Monsanto Dairy Business
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