Up Your Game to Retain

• Mary Barefoot
• October 22, 2021
• Newsletter Article

Due to the nature of agriculture and food, our essential industry didn’t shut down as COVID-19 spread across the nation. But there have been some changes to the working landscape of agriculture that may forever be apart of our working culture.

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AgCareers.com’s 2021 Agribusiness HR Review Results

The 2021 Agribusiness HR Review results are in and provide interesting insights to the evolving agriculture and food workplace.  Due to the nature of agriculture and food, our essential industry didn’t shut down as COVID-19 spread across the nation.  But there have been some changes to the working landscape of agriculture that may forever be apart of our working culture.  In the recovery phase, almost 90% of participating companies have resumed regular operations without any modifications.  However, there are still noteworthy shifts that have taken hold as the new normal begins to settle into place.

A single notable change to the working world evident in the workplace today is simply the value and care for existing employees.  The value of retaining talent has always been at the forefront of the human capital conversation.  However, the last year really emphasized the weight and value of employees showing up for work and doing the needed task at hand.  The value of completing a needed task regardless if the job was non-skilled and highly complex has been raised.  The worth of people and what they bring to the workplace was on display, and highly desired by us all – employers, fellow employees and consumers alike.

Along with the value of employees, come strategies to help support and strengthen the relationship between employer and employee.  In 2022, retention practices will be the top focus for agriculture and food organization’s recruitment strategy.  The Ag HR Review result pointed to three specific approaches to how employers are working to retain their talent.

1. Roughly half of companies noted they had enhanced wellness efforts and benefits in the workplace as a result of COVID-19.  The most common enhancement in benefit offering was work from home options or flexibility in work schedules. Wellness benefits are another area that were likely to be improved, like stress reducing tactics like mental health support and physical fitness (example: gym memberships).
2. A positive work culture was noted as the top method employers utilize to compete for talent in 3 out of 4 companies. The top method for maintaining or improving a positive company culture was providing an opportunity for employees to use skills and abilities, a key strategy in retaining employees.
3. The majority of agribusiness companies indicated salaries increased during the last 12 months (80+%). The predominant average salary increase received by employees during 2020-2021 was between 2.0% to 3.0%.  And almost half of companies had completed a compensation study for staff salary in the last year. Another clue that companies are upping their game to keep employees within their organizations.