I
F
A
R
MANAGEMENT
EMPLOYEE
SUPERVISION
By Bruce Kreider
Farm Management Agent
Every farm manager who wants
a productive work force must learn
the art and diplomacy of worker
supervision. This column will look
at the qualities needed for this
task, and some of the practical
keys to good supervision and eva
luation of workers.
Qualities.of Supervisors
A survey of farm employees, as
reported in Cornell University’s
Human Resource Management let
ter #4, reported that workers
expect'the following qualities from
their supervisor;
•Knows the employee’s job
-Understands the worker’s
perspective
-Is fair - no favorites
-Is patient, sincere, firm, consid
erate and tactful.
James Tappan, an Arizona
dairyman, spoke about authority in
a presentation at Cornell’s Large
Dairy Herd Management Confer
ence in 1985. He pointed out that a
supervisor’s effectiveness is based
INTRODUCING NEW H 2 FEEDER
A New Way To Feed Broilers And Turkey Poults
[■■■"•■MMaaMMPlpi mmrnmmmmmmmm
H 2 Broiler Feeder With Flood
Gates Open, Fills Pan With Over
flow Onto The Paper For Quick
Starts With Minimum Waste.
ppfl
(717) 569-2702
Largest Manufacturer of Poultry Systems In The World
on the following components of
supervisory authority:
-Authority of Competence (they
know the job and the worker)
-Authority Of Position (a clear
chain of command and
delegation)
-Authority Of Personality (will
listen and communicate well)
-Authority Of Character (are
fair, patient, etc.)
The supervisor with these quali
ties develops rapport with the
workers as they leant to trust and
respect the “boss”. This all sounds
great in theory, but what are some
practical ways of developing
supervisory rapport?
Keys To Supervision
Let’s lode at the two basic ques
tions that every worker needs to
answer. What is my job? How am I
doing? Obtaining these answers is
the major task of the worker’s
supervisor, whether there are 2 or
200 employees. It can be a difficult
or embarassing job and many of us
try to avoid it at all costs. However,
it is an important job that must be
done regularly to help workers to
be productive.
l.The employer must clearly
• OUR 10-YEAR WARRANTY on
the auger and 5-year warranty
on the pan says It all - WE
STAND BEHIND IT!
FEED WINDOW (when
Feed Gate ie open)
automatically r
with feed to el
from day one.
no more ha
•cooping feed
pane!
UNIQUE PAN SHAPE
■and low pan height ii
for chicks, with no
obstruct eating. Pan
Inch diameter.
BUILT-IN HIGH
evenly distributee
pen, prevents stale feed
buildup in feed level tube.
agn
systems
LARGE DOME
discourage! ■
from gett'
SELF-LEVELING P;
• patented Chore
feature cuts ft
and bird bruising
pans can swing.
CONE
NORTHEAST AGRI SYSTEMS, INC.
FLYWAY BUSINESS PARK
139 A West Airport Rd., Lititz, PA 17543
define the job. This should be
written as a job description - truly a
■rare item among farm employers.
This job description should specify
tasks, hours, performance stan
dards and who the employee must
answer to.
In many cases, the employer is
either not sure of the specific disks
to be done, or is unwilling to tell
the employee all of the jobs which
will be assigned to him. In other
cases, the employee must answer
to two or three bosses - an impossi
ble position.
2. employer must commu
nicate the job description clearly
to the employee. It is not enough
to have a good job description.
Both parties must understand it,
agree to it and follow it.
3. The supervisor must pro
vide guidance and training ini
tially, and establish the lines of
communication. If a worker can
talk with his/her boss, and the boss
listens, the worker will have a
more positive attitude. Many
employers will need to set up a reg
ular schedule to ensure that this
communication does take place.
Otherwise, the only time these dis
cussions occur is in a hostile set
ting when there is a greivance.
4. Good work deserves
approval and praise - poor work
requires constructive criticism.
The goals and standards from the
job description create the basis on
which to judge work performance.
Try to catch them doing something
good! The training, guidance and
communications should iron out
the minor misunderstandings,
leaving only larger problems for
disciplinary action.
5. A good jupervisor provides
opportunities for employees to
increase their responsibilities as
worker skills improve. If this
involves more training, for the
benefit of the business, the super
visor should encourage and sup
port the effort.
6.lncreased employee respon
sibilities require that increased
authority and increased rewards
and incentives be offered to the
worker. A supervisor has a diffi-
Nominated For PMMB
HARRISB JRG (Dauphin Co.)
Donald E. Lanius, a member of
Red Lion Grange #l7Bl, York
County, appeared before the
Senate Agriculture Committee on
Wednesday, September 27, 1989
to voice testimony for his nomina
tion to save on the Pennsylvania
Milk Marketing Board, (PMMB).
Lanius has been nominated to
serve as a member of the PMMB
for a term of six years. He served
previously on PMMB from
November 10, 1976 to November
17,1982. Lanius has been a dairy
farmer his entire life. He and his
wife operate a 193-acre farm in
Windsor Township, York County.
“As a result of my previous oppor
tunities, I bring to this position 6
years of service to die Common
wealth,” he said.
A few of his honors include:
Past president of the Pennsylvania
State Association of County Fairs,
• ALL-PLASTIC FEEDER consists of 3 simple, rugged
polypropylene parts for permanent corrosion-proofing.
Pan easily removes for clean-out and hangs from
feeder for drying and storage.
Contracts Available
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 7,1989-A33
Granger Lanius
cult job that involves the use of
many interpersonal skills. It takes
planning and intentional effort to
successfully supervise employees.
However, the rewards of a good
supervisor are great, both profes
sionally and in their personal rela
tionships. After all, the skills of a
good supervisor are also the skills
of a good parent and teacher.
Next week: Salary and
Incentives
past chairman of the Federation of
Fairs, past president of the Pen
nsylvania Poland China Swine
Association and a charter member
of the York Township Lions Club.
“I seek this PMMB position
because I feel I can bring experi
ence, a strong desire to serve and a
life-long commitment to agricul
ture and the dairy industry,” said
Lanius.
The Pennsylvania State Grange
is a family farm organization rep
resenting 42,000 farm and rural
Pennsylvanians.
ROPE IN Vf
SOME EXTRA »i Zjf
CASH! §9
Advertise With A tp,
Lancaster Farminf ' I, I
CLASSIFIED AD JM
Phone 717 394-3047
or 717-626-1164
ROLL-FORMED TORE Is
jized inside and out
rust-resistance.
•RAGE within dome
•kly to all birds.
ADJUST
LEVEL lets you set
tening to allow for
it types of feed you
decide to use.
•MB IE FEED-SAVER
UP on pan limits raking
and billing and helps you
save every bit of precious
feed.
STORE HOURS:
Mon.-Frl. 7:30-4:30
OPEN SATURDAYS
BY APPOINTMENT