Amy Heenan, of human resource business Chile Force, spoke about employing migrant workers in the "How to Be the Best Boss" workshop at the South Island Dairy Event in Invercargill last week.
She and her husband employ 15 migrant staff on their Mossburn dairy farm. Most of the staff are Chilean and English is their second language.
In winter, staff were bought pizza and given English lessons, she said.
All information on farm systems was provided in English and Spanish. The names of chemicals used for wash-down were also provided in both languages
to prevent mistakes.
The national days of migrant staff were celebrated and national dishes served.
"We know productivity will be low the next day and expectations are even lower."
She encouraged people to look after their migrant staff.
"It’s such a timely, costly and stressful process to recruit. You want to stand out from all other employers and I believe this comes down to how we value and treat our staff."
Employers should learn about the cultures of migrant staff and find out what made them feel valued.
"Different nationalities value different things."
She had observed Chileans wanted a family environment.
"They hate, hate, hate being yelled at."
Some other nationalities valued status.
"They want the job title of assistant farm manager, as opposed to herd manager."
Some migrants were "dead set" on being supported by their employer on a pathway to becoming a resident.
Migrants must be paid at least the median hourly wage of $29.66 and work at least 30 hours.
