Lessons in farm management

Farmers will be given tips on how to get the best from staff in a new series of webinars.

The Managing People webinars, organised by SAC Consulting – part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) – on behalf of the Farm Advisory Service, will explore how to build and motivate a team.

They will also look at managing conflict within a team and how to work with family members as business partners.

Jennifer Struthers, Senior Consultant and Area Manager at SAC Consulting, said: “Staff on farms are becoming increasingly common with farms expanding to increase their viability.

“Covid-19 is also making farmers consider employing extra people to help cover illness or absence in the future.

“However, managing staff is a daunting challenge for many farmers as often they have never been employed themselves, so this webinar series is vital to equip them with the confidence and tools to formalise the management of their staff and get the most from their team.”

The webinars will be held on Wednesday evenings throughout October, with the first one on 7 October looking at how to recruit, refine and build a team.

Led by Gail Ellis, of the HR advisory and consultancy company Greenburn, it will look at how to recruit effectively, the importance of a contract and top tips on building a strong and successful team.

Gail will also lead the second webinar looking at how to develop and motivate your team in order to reap rewards for your business.

Siân Bushell, of Siân Bushell Associates, will lead the third webinar on how best to deal with conflict amongst staff and family members on farm, and in the final webinar, Heather Wildman, of Saviour Associates, will look at how to avoid or deal with conflicts with family members who are also business partners.

For more information or to register for the webinar series, visit: www.fas.scot/news/managing-people/

Posted by SRUC on 24/09/2020