By Grant McMillan, NAICC President
As we exit the COVID-19 pandemic, every industry is struggling with staffing issues. The job boards are filled with postings, and owners and managers are voicing concerns about how these staff shortages are impacting services and performance. The ag consulting industry is not sheltered from this new pandemic.
An example of the rebound
During the height of the pandemic, many reports described how restaurants were struggling because restrictions were impeding patrons from visiting their establishments, which in turn reduced revenue. At the time, I felt for this industry, but as the pandemic rolled along, my viewpoint changed when I picked up food at a local Greek restaurant. The place was packed as much as it was allowed to be. It had a full complement of staff, 22 orders were ready for pickup, and there were four food delivery persons.
I quizzed the owner about how the restaurant was succeeding while others were struggling. He said the small family-owned operation had learned to pivot to stay relevant; staying rigid only leads to downfall. He added that good food and service drive success.
The establishments crying hard times were likely ones not doing very well prior to the pandemic, and when patrons had a choice, they decided to go with the better options available.
Blame the workforce for Unfilled Jobs?
Even though advertised rates are above industry pay rates, position postings are not attracting candidates. So similar to consumers being selective, the workforce is becoming more selective with career choices. The pandemic created a circuit-breaker effect for people’s work lives and allowed individuals to restructure their priorities. Yes, people still have bills to pay, but they seem to have raised the bar on how they will make money to pay those bills.
Many conversations with fellow consultants and managers have acknowledged the drawbacks of our industry. They include periods of long hours, always busy in the summer, high-stress periods, time away from family and workload because we are trying to make 12 months of income in six months. Those conversations seem to end with a similar phrase, “Yeah, but we are in agriculture. We need to expect that.”
This statement has been true, but what we may be seeing now is a shift in staff expectations as we move forward. What has worked for past generations and individuals may not work for new individuals coming into the industry to fill these positions. What the pandemic has shown is that “life-work balance” is important and that employees will be expecting the right balance from their workplaces.
My Own Realization
I have become accustomed and numb to the hours we work, but I must realize that others may not be willing to have that level of commitment—no matter how much we pay them.
Our goal as managers is to hire people who are more skilled and diversified than we are to move our companies forward. However, if we don’t listen to these employees when they bring solutions to a company’s workforce problems, then this impedes progression. We need to set pride aside and realize the feedback we need from our top performers may not be what we want to hear but what we need to hear. We must recognize that the way the work has been done will not work for the next generation.
I once watched a documentary on the U.S. Dust Bowl. In it, a farmer commented, “We didn’t change. We just did the same thing over each year—just harder—and look where that got us.”
In 2022, we are at such a crossroads. Are we going to dig in our feet and continue to work harder, or are we going to listen to feedback and adopt new methods and technologies for a better life-work balance and success?
