Author: Liam Palmer

The Australian agriculture sector is a diverse and exciting industry that provides hundreds of thousands of career opportunities each year. It’s an industry offering more than most with a broad range of roles across adventure filled regional landscapes and exciting metropolitan areas.

Unique to some of the country’s other major economic contributors, it’s reassuring to see that over 95% of farms continue to be family owned operations (Parliament of Australia 2014). This continued grass roots ownership within Australian agriculture is something I really enjoy about consulting in the sector. It gives me direct access to the key decision makers and business owners alike – I get to know the business and the people running it. It’s also highlighted a number of areas where I repeatedly advise my clients on HR processes that contribute to more effectively attracting and retaining staff.

Unlike other industries, the majority of small to medium businesses in the Agriculture sector do not usually have dedicated internal HR departments. This can often result in process and procedure gaps, which, if not addressed can become larger issues as the business grows or during those hectic peak periods.

Based on my recruitment experience and the many agribusiness clients I work with, I’ve put together some key steps that I’m going to share over the next couple of weeks. The information I’ll be giving you is results driven and will go a long way in helping your business attract and retain the right staff.

Well Written Job Advertisements

An advertisement is often the first thing a potential candidate sees, therefore it’s essential it accurately and succinctly delivers the right information.

Your advertisement needs to provide the following:

• Details about your business and its culture
• Role description with a clear outline of duties
• The skills, qualifications and experience your ideal candidate has
• Benefits of working for your business
• ‘Call to Action’ – links to the application process and contact details

Spending the extra time to write a polished job advertisement will potentially save you hours in the recruitment process. The more detail you put in, the better chance you have of capturing those skilled candidates to apply for the role.

Another key service, unique to Agri Labour Australia is our inhouse copy writer who works closely with our recruitment team to develop specifically tailored ads for our clients.

Up to Date Website

‘What’s their website?’ is one of the first questions I am asked by candidates. To me, this question reinforces the argument that a good website can be your strongest marketing tool. A well put together and informative website will engage, compel and persuade the user to think positively about the business. A bad one does just the opposite.

Websites don’t have to be expensive or complicated. A simple site with key content that outlines what your business does, company values, location, your management team and some high res photos enables potential candidates to assess if your business is the right fit for them.

While word of mouth is still great, it can’t compete with a website which is easily accessed almost anywhere by anyone with internet access. By keeping your website relevant and fresh with updated images and blogs, you will have a much greater chance at providing those more discerning candidates (the ones you want!) with a great impression about your business.

Structured Interviews

Once you have shortlisted the candidates you wish to meet, I recommend creating a schedule to ensure you have a structured plan in place.

Give your candidate notice as to when you will be contacting them. This allows them to prepare for the conversation and ensures they are not caught off guard. Often, candidates are still working in their current workplace and are unable to speak freely.

Have a set agenda and specific questions prepared in advance for your face to face interview to ensure consistency of communication with each person. Choose an appropriate location for the interview where there’ll be minimal disruption. You will need to have both technical and behavioural questions included along with other key points of discussion to assess whether they’re the right cultural fit.

If face to face interviews aren’t possible, video interviewing is the next best thing with plenty of simple and easy to use options that far exceed a telephone interview every time!

By following these few simple steps, your candidate will have the impression of an organised business and you will have an easy to follow structure enabling you to accurately assess and engage the right person for the job.

 

Want to know more? Tim Chapman, General Manager (Technical), is a highly skilled recruiter and manager with an extensive agricultural sector network. Equipped with over six years’ industry experience, Tim is responsible for the end-to end recruitment process of all permanent positions and client management and managing our high performing technical recruitment team specialising in agriculture and all supporting industries. Get in touch with Tim on 0499 184 555 or [email protected].

Winter well and truly arrived in Australia last week with temperatures dropping well into the single figures and significant snow falls recorded across the southern states of the country. There was even snow recorded in Queensland!

These colder months see some of the busiest times within the agriculture industry – most significant is the commencement of the winter grain season taking place across the states of NSW, Victoria and South East Queensland.

The annual grain season is Australia’s largest agricultural activity. Generally commencing in June (planting and growing) and running through until the later months (harvesting), grain season provides hundreds of jobs working across a range of crops including; wheat, barley, oats, canola, fava beans and chickpeas.

As Australia’s leading agriculture recruitment agency, Agri Labour Australia (ALA) plays a key role in supplying experienced and skilled workers to join the grain harvest each year. This is exciting and well-paying work where you can undertake a variety of jobs including forklift operators (always in demand!), truck drivers, weighbridge operators, floor staff, labourers and more.

There’s also plenty of activity across other parts of the country with avocados, swedes, apples, pumpkins, potatoes, broccoli, almonds, melons and cotton being harvested in abundance.

Australia’s size delivers an incredible amount of choice for those wanting to work in the agriculture industry at any time of the year. We always welcome candidates with prior knowledge or existing skills but there are also plenty of roles where you don’t need previous experience. The key things we look for in our candidates are: reliability, commitment to the job and a positive attitude. Those candidates who work hard to prove themselves on the job are the ones we try hard to find ongoing work for.

Keep an eye out for your next role by regularly visiting the ALA website and following us on Facebook and Instagram.

By Luke Brown, Commercial Director and Co-Founder Agri Labour Australia

The team at Agri Labour Australia (ALA) are constantly working to expand our capability and uphold our reputation as Australia’s leading agriculture labour hire company. We thrive on challenge and being the very best we can for all our clients and candidates.

Earlier this year we put our skills to the test when we were engaged by one of the country’s largest growers of a highly sought after product. This extremely successful enterprise has been operating for many years and is known for not only being an outstanding producer but also an employer of choice for many seasonal workers.

Keen to explore the potential, ALA Director, Luke Brown approached the owner to learn more about the business and discuss how ALA could assist with their upcoming season.

Following several weeks of discussions, Luke secured the contract and ALA were engaged by the producer to supply 355 staff for a four week project based near a small town in regional SE Queensland.

With just under three weeks lead time to get staff located, trained and operational, the recruitment team got to work utilising ALA’s database of experienced and reliable candidates. ALA’s existing network provided 92% of the required number of staff, leaving us with only a minor number of candidates to source.

The Brief

The annual production is a four week activity that sees the business operating two nine hour shifts per day. The producer would provide their own labour for the evening shift and tasked ALA with providing a full workforce for the morning shift. This required the engagement of over 350 people to work the various roles including; forklift drivers, roustabouts, packers, waste monitors, scanners and supervisors.

Workers would be receiving a piece rate payment, with all work undertaken in a fit for purpose shed located on the producer’s property. No onsite accommodation available.

Workforce Management

ALA understands the requirements of managing such a large workforce and how important it is to ensure little problems don’t quickly turn into big ones when handling a project of this scale. To support this, we located one of ALA’s advisors onsite for each shift to ensure we remained 100% compliant at all times. Having our team member onsite also provided us with a direct line of information regarding any issues that could potentially affect morale and work productivity.

Having the right culture in place goes a long way in staff retention and our minor attrition of only 11% at the end of the season reflects our effective selection, training and people management processes. We have a deep understanding of the cultural diversity among our candidates and how to best connect with and manage these groups of workers.

‘A great deal of ALA’s success comes from us staying connected at the job front and not managing remotely. We know that to give producers exactly what they need from their workforce, we need to experience their business from the front line.’

Luke Brown, Commercial Director and Co-Founder Agri Labour Australia

The Agri Labour Australia team undertook all aspects of the onboarding process for our workers. Candidates were briefed on the specific requirements of their roles including:

• Wage
• KPI’s
• WHS processes
• Information to successfully navigate and connect with the local area

Project Management

ALA’s commitment to being on the frontline enables us to give constant communication on a project and its progress. With our advisor on the ground supervising each shift, we could provide our client with ‘real time’ information updates – delivering transparent data on output, production numbers, staff attendance, QA and other key statistics critical to the business.

This ‘hands on’ supervision is another aspect of ALA’s commitment to ensuring our workforce stays strong, culturally cohesive and productive. For such a short project, it was critical to minimise any staff losses and manage the workforce to ensure productivity stayed at optimum level.

Challenges

The biggest challenge was immediately prior to the commencement of the project with workers trying to find local accommodation for a short period of time. This was quickly addressed and had no negative impact on worker productivity.

There were only two forklift drivers on the floor for each shift. If one was down, the efficiency of production could be affected. In this instance, the problem didn’t arise, however we identified a critical need to have more workers, skilled and ticketed to perform the role when needed.

Results

Producing in excess of 500,000 units per shift, the ALA work crew outperformed themselves each day with minimal waste and zero lost time injuries for the entire duration of the project.

By engaging ALA to supply half the labour required for the entire project, our client significantly reduced their costs and time spent on the onboarding of staff including; administration processes, training, payroll duties and worker management.

Summary

We have surveyed over 200 candidates who have indicated their willingness to return for the 2020 season. The results of the survey also provide us with key data that enables us to continue improving and building on our systems and processes for next year.

The minimal staff loss over the duration of the project supports our established candidate engagement and supervision processes – providing us with excellent measurables to further build upon.

There are a great deal of learnings we take away from this project but most importantly, it is our client’s positive feedback and commitment to engage ALA again that demonstrates our ability to meet and exceed client expectations.

Client Testimonial

‘Agri Labour Australia were proactive in learning our processes and training their staff to follow these systems. Throughout their engagement, ALA staff were willing to take on suggestions for improvement and offered ideas on how to increase efficiencies as they saw them.

Agri Labour Australia was extremely focused on our business requirements and worked towards providing a service that fit our needs. They were fully equipped with existing knowledge of their candidates’ capabilities which assisted them in making the right staff selection for specific roles. They ensured all statutory regulations were followed and shared our commitment of looking after staff.

We would recommend any business to have ALA assist with their staffing needs.’

For more information on Agri Labour Australia and mobilising your workforce, contact 1300 247 823

This month we are chatting with Agri Labour Australia (ALA) candidate Cristobal Bragagnolo. An Argentinian National, who has been in Australia for eighteen months. ALA is recognising Cristobal for his commitment, hard work and excellent work skills.

Cristobal and his girlfriend Daniela Faggian became well known to the Agri Labour Australia recruitment team for always receiving great feedback from employers about their willingness to learn, dedication to completing jobs and having a positive attitude.

A skilled machine operator who is currently working as a tractor operator for the almond season, we asked Cristobal what he likes most about living and working in regional Australia.

What’s the best part about your job?

It’s like an adventure! We get to know new people and live in places that I would normally never meet or see. I love learning new skills on different machinery and have the excitement that comes with doing seasonal work and saving money!

What is the most challenging part of your work?

Sometimes finding the right timing to work a regional season and then moving onto the next job but ALA are great at helping with this. Also getting the right balance of working hard and looking after yourself – making sure you get adequate rest, nutrition and some personal hobbies. Luckily, I’ve got my guitar!

What are you career goals?

I am saving money to pay for my Bachelor of Biology. I plan on operating machines for a few more years to keep saving and then complete my degree.

How has ALA helped you while you’ve been working in Australia?

ALA have been incredibly professional and well organised. They have always been very clear about start dates, wages and what they expect from us in the workplace. My partner Daniela and I previously worked with other agencies but after working with ALA we really noticed the difference. Our agent Mari has been honest, caring and provided us with all the details we need and always helped with any situation that has arisen.

Our pay has always been flawless which is great! But for us, it’s the way we’ve been treated – we only have nice things to say about ALA!

Where to from here?

I plan on working through until the end of the current almond season, then moving on to picking cotton and grain harvests later in the year. And keep saving for my biology degree!

Favourite place in Australia and why?

I love the hills of Alexandra and Yark in Victoria and the incredible sunsets and open skies of Moree in NSW.

When finding labour solutions for our clients, the Agri Labour Australia recruitment team know it’s not always just knowledge that enables someone to make a success of a job. While previous experience is always highly regarded, there are other key attributes that make some workers more valuable than others in seasonal roles.

Proving yourself as a valuable worker doesn’t have to be hard and can deliver great rewards in the form of ongoing work and being assigned better roles. Employers are always reluctant to let their valued workers go at the end of the season and eager to have them return if they haven’t been able to keep them on.

So, what are the attributes of a valuable seasonal worker? Here are Agri Labour Australia’s tips on improving your worth in the workplace:

Positive Attitude

While it can sound a little cliché, having the right attitude to work makes all the difference. Nobody enjoys being around negative people or those who create drama. A cheerful face makes everyone feel comfortable and helps improve productivity in the workplace.

Proactive Approach

Do you take the initiative and look at finding solutions to problems? Being motivated to learn new things and getting the job done without waiting to be told are favourable attributes and can often lead to you being given more responsibility and better roles.

Reliability & Commitment

Turning up to work on time and keeping your word means a lot to an employer. Seeing a job through to its end date is also a big one if you want a good reference or to be considered for future roles.

Flexibility

This is a key one when working within the agriculture industry. Given that nature plays a large part in dictating when seasons start and finish, it’s vital that you can be flexible and understanding. Employers also value those people who show flexibility with work assignments and other changing conditions within the job.

Honesty

Proving yourself to be trustworthy, having integrity and being honest in all that you do goes a long way in proving who you are as a person and as an employee.

Communication

Are you good at following instructions and being an active listener? Having good interpersonal skills is critical to the effectiveness of any workplace and is an attribute that’s high on the list for agribusiness looking for labour solutions.

Capability

Do you have the physical strength or mental endurance to get the job done? It’s not always about being the strongest but more about taking care of yourself to ensure your mind and body are working at optimum capacity. Good diet, plenty of water and adequate rest will greatly assist in helping you stay fit and healthy for work.

Safety

Last but certainly not least – especially on farms and other agriculture industries where risk on the job is high. Employers look for staff who value the safety of themselves and others, by being aware of the dangers and acting accordingly.

How do you rate your value as an agricultural employee? Agri Labour Australia is always looking for candidates who display the valuable qualities we’ve listed here.

For more information and to apply for jobs, visit the Agri Labour Australia job board or call 1300 247 823.

At 0400 hours on April 25, 1915 Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed on the beaches of Gallipoli – signifying their first major battle of World War 1.

Each year since and some 104 years on, the Anzac spirit remains strong. Today Anzac Day now also serves to honour the Australians who lost their lives in the Second World War and in all other military and peacekeeping operations through which Australia has been involved.

In keeping with the Anzac tradition, Agri Labour Australia’s Agri Veterans Ambassador, Peter Thatcher is currently doing the Kokoda Trail for the eighth time! A Defence member himself for over 40 years, Peter is leading a team of forty people which will finish on Anzac Day with a service at the Bomana War Cemetery.

Lending support at a more local level, you can find the Agri Labour Australia team volunteering at the RSL’s Anzac Day stand at Brookside Shopping Centre. With all proceeds going to assist returned servicemen and women and their families, this is a great cause that our Agri Veterans Program is proud to be associated with.

‘From Deployment to Employment’ our Agri Veterans Program bridges the gap to help ex-servicemen and women find stable and rewarding employment aligned to their existing skills and experience. Led by our highly experienced recruiter and former soldier Tim Chapman, Agri Veterans is a unique and award winning program that has successfully placed ex-servicepeople in a variety of agriculture roles all over the country.

From grain handlers to farm managers, the Agri Veterans team are always available to discuss role availability and job placements. Get in touch with us today on 1300 247 823.

Lest We Forget

After a spate of attacks were profiled in a recent edition of the Weekend Australian Magazine, young backpackers have been strongly urged to find rural work through registered providers only.

Richard Guilliatt’s article investigated several unspeakably horrific incidents where young female backpackers were lured under false pretences to isolated locations across Australia via ads on Gumtree and other unverified sources.

Promised unspecified work as ‘farmhands’, ‘travelling companions’, ‘nannies’ or ‘calf raisers’, when arriving at their destination, these women were held against their will and subjected to sickening attacks.

As an accredited agricultural recruitment provider, we cannot stress enough how dangerous it is to travel to the middle of nowhere to meet an ‘employer’ for the first time.

Background

Many backpackers go searching for country placements as they are required to complete three months (or 88 days) of rural work (for example, fruit picking) to qualify for their second year Working Holiday Visa.

What you need to know

• Before accepting a job offer on a free classifieds site, ensure you have been provided with information on the company.
• A legitimate farming operation should provide the company name and a link to its website.
• While beautiful, rural Australia is incredibly vast with limited phone reception in many areas. The last thing you want to do is travel several hours from a capital city alone with only a vague job description and no idea where you are.
• Accredited agriculture employment providers like Agri Labour Australia stringently assess all employers who are requesting backpackers to make sure they’re legitimate and that working conditions are acceptable.
• Reputable providers like Agri Labour Australia will also arrange for safe transportation to your place of employment and handle the work commencement process.

Working on a farm in outback Australia is an overwhelmingly positive place to be for the vast majority of backpackers with most of the people you encounter on your travels being friendly and hospitable. And, while we’re all for living carefree and collecting amazing experiences, don’t let your adventurous spirit lead you into the path of the wrong person at the wrong time.

When it comes to employment in remote locations, we urge you to protect yourself by going through an accredited recruiter with policies and procedures in place. An organisation that demonstrates its commitment to putting your safety first and ensuring you will be protected and well looked after.

Another positive step for the Australian Agriculture sector was the signing of a major new trade agreement between Australia and Indonesia.

Announced on 4 March, the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership (IA-CEPA) will deliver significant gains for many Australian farmers and see producers of grain, live cattle and meat, dairy, and horticulture benefitting from lowered (and in some cases eliminated) tariffs.

Aimed at enabling producers to sell more product and having improved access to Indonesian markets, this is a welcome announcement in light of the challenges many farmers have been experiencing through the recent drought.

This agreement will also bring several thousand more Indonesian workers over to Australia to assist with the labour shortfall in rural areas, after the recent increase to the number of Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) holders allowed to work in Australia.

Known for their diligence and ability to get the job done, Agri Labour Australia has been utilising Indonesian workers for over four years across a range of agriculture roles including fruit and vegetable picking to farm labouring and machine operation.

Managing Director, Agri Labour Australia, Casey Brown said ‘We really welcome seeing this kind of progression for the agriculture sector. It’s great to see the Australian government looking at other avenues to support our country’s producers and ultimately increasing their capacity to earn.’

‘It’s also exciting to have more Indonesian workers being allowed into Australia. They are some of the hardest workers with a strong work ethic and we look forward to helping place them into roles across rural and regional Australia, where they’ll be highly valued employees.’

For more information on how we can help with labour solutions or employment opportunities, contact Agri Labour Australia today on 1300 247 823.

Autumn in the Australian agriculture industry is an industrious time of the year. The extraordinary weather and geographical contrasts means our country produces a diversity of crops like nowhere else in the world.

At Agri Labour Australia (ALA) the beginning of these cooler months sees us working with many of our clients into their harvests or doing the hard work to prepare for the year’s future crops.

Busy as always, the ALA recruitment team have been connecting clients with the right candidates for some great seasonal work. Happening right now is the annual almond harvest which takes place across South Australia, NSW and Victoria. ALA has been placing candidates into roles within the Victorian processing plants – with the most in demand workers being experienced forklift operators and skilled factory labourers.

Another major activity during the Autumn months is seed sowing and groundwork for broadacre crops such as barley, wheat, sorghum, oats and canola. Located across Queensland, WA and NSW, this large scale farming calls for people with knowledge of broadacre farming, irrigation experience and skilled drivers who can operate a range of heavy farm machinery.

There’s plenty of other roles on hand for those wishing to work in Australia on a Working Holiday visa, with apple, grape and pear picking in the southern states and Tasmania. There’s also the highly lucrative cotton season and a huge range of vegetables ripe and ready for harvest in Central and South East Queensland.

Whether it’s machinery operations, trades, processing, fruit picking, short or long term roles, Agri Labour Australia has an extensive network of long term clients and an impressive candidate base.

Contact us today for more information on workforce optimisation or available roles.