Category: Agri Labour

This month’s ‘Candidate Conversation’ is with Siti Nur Ashikin Saad. Siti is a Malaysian national who has been in Australia and working with Agri Labour Australia (ALA) for just over twelve months.

Our recruitment team identified Siti as a great candidate for her flexibility and great attitude when it comes to roles. Not afraid of hard work, Siti has proven herself as a reliable, happy and positive staff member who gets the job done with no complaints!

From Tasmania and NSW, then up to North Queensland for the mango season, Siti was doing quality control for our citrus client in South Australia when we got talking to her about what she loves most about living and working in regional Australia.

What’s the best part about your job?

I have made so many new friends from lots of different countries. I get to know about their cultures and learn their languages. I have also learned a lot about how important organisation and communication are at work. Travelling and working in different places in Australia is also great.

What is the most challenging part of your work?

For me, learning the new role and the skills I need to do my best and keep up the pace – making sure everything is of the best quality, weight is correct etc. Travelling around for each job can sometimes be a little challenging.

What are you career goals?

I like to multitask! I would like to know much more, work more and plan to keep learning a new role for every job in the future. I’d also like to become a supervisor and lead teams.

What has been your favourite job since being with ALA?

Cutting asparagus in Cowra has been my favourite so far – it was physically challenging, and I wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to do it, but I did!

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

ALA has really helped me to grow in different ways. My confidence has grown and ALA have assisted me in gaining skills and learning so much in a short time. Before I started with ALA, I was shy but now I am more social and can communicate with people freely.

Where to from here?

I plan on doing what I can to stay in Australia! For now I will be heading back to Tasmania to do vegetable sorting and packing.

Favourite place in Australia and why?

Penguin in Tasmania. It’s a super stunning place, the people are lovely, it’s a great work environment and the company I was working for is super systematic with a good supervisor. That’s why I’m going back!

Earlier this year, the poultry industry was put on high alert after a rare strain of salmonella was found on three farms in NSW. The outbreak affected properties across NSW and Victoria, resulting in the destruction of thousands of eggs and laying chickens.

These outbreaks are not only fraught with huge financial and emotional impacts on farmers but also have a catastrophic effect on the industry. The extent of such impact was seen in 1999 following an outbreak of Newcastle Disease resulting in the slaughter of almost two million chickens across the NSW Central Coast and taking a further ten years to recover.

Working closely to provide our poultry clients with staffing solutions over the last decade has provided Agri Labour Australia (ALA) with a firsthand knowledge of the biosecurity processes necessary to maintain the safest and healthiest industry standards possible.

Casey Brown, Managing Director of Agri Labour Australia says ‘Absolutely everyone in the poultry industry needs to be aware how far reaching and significant these disease outbreaks can be. ALA works with both large and small egg producers around the country, and regardless of the size of the farm, the biosecurity measures must be the same in order to protect the industry as a whole.’

Constantly working in partnership with our clients and with a view to supporting the poultry industry, ALA has invested in developing a documented biosecurity standard for workers. The document is aligned with the strict requirements and processes in place for all poultry farms across the country and forms an integral part of the orientation procedure for ALA poultry workers.

Casey continues ‘We also recognise that our training processes need to be more than reading and signing a document. To better engage and inform our workers, we are developing an animated biosecurity training video that provides a more holistic understanding of the procedures, dangers and legislation.

By incorporating these biosecurity requirements and going above and beyond in our recruitment processes, ALA clients should feel confident that we are equipping workers with the knowledge they need to do their part in protecting their organisation and the poultry industry.’

For more information on how Agri Labour Australia can solve your poultry recruitment needs, visit www.agrilabour.com.au or phone 1300 247 823

As Australia’s leading agriculture recruitment agency, Agri Labour Australia are always at the forefront of industry trends and changes. Working closely with our clients to assist them in sourcing the right candidates provides us with firsthand knowledge into high demand skill and qualification areas.

One role consistently in high demand is that of licenced forklift operators. Forklift operators are sought after across a wide range of industries and it’s also a role that can provide interesting job diversity with other duties often making up the full position.

With this skill in much demand, candidates with forklift licences have a great deal of choice and variety when it comes to choosing job types, pay rates and locations.

What does a forklift operator do?

• operating controls to align forklifts and raise and lower forks to stack and unstack items in warehouses, factories, timber yards and shipping terminals
• operating forklifts which run on rails or use electronic guidance systems to control movements in narrow aisles
• loading and unloading trucks with bins or pallets of stock
• transporting goods to designated areas in warehouses and factories
• ensuring goods are stored in correct areas so that they can be easily located when orders are made up
• monitoring equipment operation visually through gauges and instruments and through computerised monitoring equipment
• inspecting and controlling equipment to identify wear and damage
• servicing and performing minor repairs and adjustments to forklifts
• may operate specialised trucks to carry items beneath elevated frames

How much can I earn?

Forklift operators can expect to earn (on average) $25-$30/hour, however many operators can earn higher rates with overtime and leave loading available with some organisations.

How do I get my forklift licence?

To be eligible to apply you must be at least 18 years of age, have a basic understanding of English and be able to follow directions. You will also need to provide 100 points of identification – passport, driver’s licence, birth certificate, address.

You must obtain your training and licence from a Registered Training Provider (RTO). There are two classes of forklift licences:

1. LF – Forklift equipped with a mast and an elevating load carriage with a pair of fork arms or other attachment
2. LO – an order picking forklift truck where the operator’s control elevates with the load carriage/lifting media

How long does it take to get a forklift licence?

Most forklift courses are competency based meaning you need to undertake enough hours in order to be able to show you can effectively operate the machine. Each student has different abilities therefore the time taken to become certified can vary but most courses take around two days and cost approximately $400-$600.

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

Agri Labour Australia (ALA) are proud exhibitors at the 2019 Australian Summer Grains Conference (ASGC), held from 8 – 10 July at Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.

This major industry event is showcasing a range of speakers from Australia and the United States – giving insight into business trends, global population growth, crop management, agronomy and the critical need for the agriculture industry to keep up with the demand for skills and technologies. Our very own Managing Director, Casey Brown is also a guest speaker at the student forum. Casey will be sharing his knowledge about the agriculture industry, all things recruitment and providing insight into agribusinesses running key programs for graduates.

As Australia’s leading specialist in recruiting for broadacre farming labourers and storage and handling labourers, ALA has placed over 1600 staff into broadacre related roles. Results focused and client centric, our team consistently brings innovative solutions to core staffing challenges in agriculture and is excited to be catching up with some of our existing clients and ready to make new contacts during the conference.

Come and visit us at Stand 24!

To talk to us about your workforce and recruitment needs contact Agri Labour Australia today on 1300 247 823

This week I’d like to delve a little further into the HR processes that need to be in place for when your new team member joins the business. It’s absolutely critical for you to be organised and prepared with all the relevant documentation, tools, desk space, internal communications and allocated time required to orientate them on their first day.

Well Written Job Descriptions & Success Profiles 

Clearly articulating from the very beginning exactly what the role comprises, and the expected outcomes is critical when you are focused on engaging to retain the right staff.

These should include the key responsibilities of the position and the metrics required to achieve the expected results. Having a well written job description and success profile allows the potential candidate to be fully apprised about the role and outcomes you are looking for.

Success profiles identify the specific knowledge, skills, experience, behavioural competencies and personal attributes required to succeed in the position. Success profiles and job descriptions both assist with the performance review process – allowing you to provide effective feedback for positive reinforcement or to address performance issues.

As a specialist recruitment agency, Agri Labour Australia works closely with our clients to develop job descriptions and success profiles tailored specifically to the roles they are advertising for.

Employment Contracts

Employment contracts are an essential element for staff and employers that set out the legal rights, responsibilities and obligations of a working relationship.

These contracts assist in mitigating issues such as theft, copyright and unfair dismissal and provide a clear understanding of what is expected from each party.

Have your contracts prepared in alignment with your company policies and the job description/success profile prior to interview so you are fully prepared when engaging your new staff.

Onboarding

Now that you’ve chosen your new staff member, it’s critical that you are fully prepared for their first day. Here’s my tips on making their start to work a smooth one:

• Make sure you properly introduce them to each member of your team
• Partner them with a team member who can provide them with helpful information and who has a positive view of the business
• Have their workspace ready – desk, tools, workshop
• Be prepared with all the essential forms for pay, taxation, superannuation etc
• Check in with them yourself during the day and if possible, take them out for a coffee or lunch to gauge how they are feeling
• Have a well thought out training plan that goes beyond their first day. This not only provides the new staff member with confidence but provides a platform for them to get up to speed and learn their job faster.

 

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].

End of Financial Year (EOFY) is just around the corner and marks the end of another successful year for Agri Labour Australia delivering specialist recruitment solutions to the agriculture industry. It’s also when ALA’s hard working finance team are usually busy producing and issuing candidates with Payment Summaries.

In 2018, the Australian Tax Office (ATO) announced a new tax reporting system called ‘Single Touch Payroll’ – a new and simplified way for employers to report employees’ tax and superannuation information to the ATO.

The new system sees employers report each pay run to the ATO immediately after it’s been processed and contains the same information that employees and candidates see on their payslips including; gross, net, tax withheld, deductions and superannuation.

What does this mean for you?

Streamlined and efficient, the new system means that you can access your income statement (which can also be known as a Payment Summary or Group Certificate) through your MyGov account at any time.

To access your income statement, make sure you’ve registered for a MyGov account with your email address, link it to the ATO online services and then follow these simple instructions:

1. Log in to MyGov using your email address or mobile phone number.
2. Select ATO online services.
3. Click on My profile at the top of the screen.
4. Select My employment and then Income statement

How does Single Touch Payroll help me?

Each time you are paid, your year to date tax and super information will be updated in MyGov and you’ll be able to see how much you’ve been paid since the start of the financial year.

The system will also provide you with a notification to your MyGov inbox when your income statement is ‘tax ready’ and able to be processed by a registered tax agent. Simple!

For more information visit the ATO website and take a look at the information for employees.

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