wanted" ad that sells the position. There are many 

 positive attributes that may draw people into your pro- 

 spective applicant pool. Think of everyday "luxuries" 

 your farm offers and draft some help wanted ads: 



"Looking or fresh air and exercise? Need variety 

 and a challenge? Family business offers good work- 

 ing conditions, flexible hours, done by 4 p.m." 



Choosing the best applicant out of those you inter- 

 view can be tricky. Be prepared and keep an open 

 mind, Maloney says. He suggests developing a short 

 list of questions and asking all the questions each time, 

 so the interviewer has a consistent means of compar- 

 ing and evaluating candidates' responses. Asking what 

 people like to do in their free time is one way to get at 

 what tasks the person may excel at. Does the person 

 prefer to work independently or with others? If your 

 crew works as a team, it's important to select for this 

 personality trait. 



One of the hardest areas in managing employees 

 is keeping the right ones and getting rid of the others. 

 The U.S. Department of Labor reports that respect— not 

 money, nor benefits, but respect— is the number one 

 thing employees say they want first and foremost. 

 Workers need to know how important the boss thinks 

 their roles are within the total scheme of the opera- 

 tion. An open and friendly atriiosphere along with 

 positive acknowledgement for good work will do won- 

 ders. What can be easier than thanking people when 

 they make special contributions, like stay late, work 

 lunch, or go the extra mile when they could have got- 

 ten by easier? Don't wait; make the acknowledgement 

 immediately. "Positive reinforcement has to be earned. 

 You cannot just give it away. Giving superfluous com- 

 pliments is not respect," Maloney says. "If the em- 

 ployee does something you did not like, tell him or her 

 as quickly as you can. On the other hand, if he or she 

 performs exceptionally well, tell that employee and 

 everybody else too!" 



"Your goal is to build loyalty and an atmosphere 

 of mutual respect," Maloney says, adding that the best 

 way to accomplish this is keeping an open, friendly 



attitude. ".An employee is more apt to ask questions 

 before she he acts on his own, when the boss' atiritude 

 encourages it." Maloney advises. 



Assigning a title to positions is. an easy way lo ex- 

 press the importance of the job and regard for how this 

 role fits into tfae larger farm. The title a person carries 

 tells the employee and others what you think of him. 

 The title shouJd refer to the main job responsibility. 



Feedback is critical. Giving feedback becomes 

 easier when performance is rated on a regular basis, 

 such as quarterly or semiannually Using just three 

 ratings — excellent, okay, unsatisfactory— will commu- 

 nicate your regard for the person's performance. Evalu- 

 ate the things that matter— such as timeliness, avoid- 

 ing waste, safety, job skill, care of equipment, willing- 

 ness, honesty, pride, use of time, reliability. Be can- 

 did. Use the dme to go over problem issues and give 

 praise, stressing performance rather than personal char- 

 acteristics. Keeping dated notes provides documenta- 

 tion for future reference. 



Finally, protect the investment you have made by 

 developing your good workers who your needs. "No 

 one is in busirBess just to make friends or because they 

 like to work." Maloney says. Employees must feel ap- 

 preciated and have opportunity to progress. If the fam- 

 ily farm cannot increase wages and benefits or offer 

 advancement, the best workers may mo\e on to greener 

 pastures, unless they know that you want them to stay. 

 Instead of a rajse, the employer and worker might dis- 

 cuss together vahat else could be done to replace mtoney. 

 Sometimes, options like flex time, job sharing, a:>.sign- 

 ment of new casks, supervising or learning something 

 new is reward enough. Keeping good workers satis- 

 fied and at peaik performance is important. Otherwise, 

 \ou may be filling vacancies again and starting all over 

 The goal is to keep good workers who enjoy perfomi- 

 ing in a friendly and open working environment and 

 who know their roles are important within the whole 

 operation. Feeling an important part of an organiza- 

 tion contributes to everyone's success. 



'k :k i: ic 'k 



Fruit Notes, Volume 68, Spring, Summer, & Fall, 2003 



