Safe, Productive and Engaged from Day One
Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development offered two one-hour three-session Onboarding Webinar Series via Zoom from December through February, 2022 that targeted farm employers and the educators and consultants who support them. Registration was free, but required. This program is funded by a grant from the New York Farm Viability Institute.
The first days and weeks on the job set the course for a new employee. A successful onboarding program can be an essential tool to help reduce employee turnover, increase employee safety and productivity, and contribute to a farm’s success.
“A successful onboarding process begins with a well-planned orientation, training and compliance, and leads to improvements that benefit both the manager and employees throughout the relationship,” said Dr. Richard Stup, Cornell Agricultural Workforce Specialist.
The three-session Onboarding Zoom Series focuses on navigating employment requirements and improving human resource management practices, including enhancing training skills. In the webinar series, the Cornell Agricultural Workforce team will share how to use onboarding materials, methods and templates. The series covers how to navigate employment requirements and improve human resource management practices, including enhancing training skills. Each webinar includes a 20-minute presentation, followed by 15 to 20 minute breakout sessions, and finishes with a 15-minute general Q&A session.
Assigned “homework” between each session, completed with the support of a CCE educator or consultant, ensures participants exit the series with a personalized onboarding template, onboarding materials, trainings, and methods.
Farmer Recommended
Participate. It makes the process better for both employer and employee. It improves compliance, safety, performance, and morale.
It helps keep hiring organized and gives a sense of professionalism.
It organized and standardized our system of onboarding. We are now more in compliance than ever.
This made me so much more confident as I go through the new hire process with employees.
I got major bonus points on my FARM evaluation for the new employee training with my google classroom that I have set up!
Successful projects have a staff member who focuses on HR a few hours each week.
Benefits for Farms:
- Ensures compliance with basic regulations and policies.
- Provides clarification on work procedures and expectations, which results in better employee performance and safety.
- Establishes a workplace culture based on values, philosophies and traditions.
- Creates connected relationships at work that allow employees to engage and thrive.
- Increases employee commitment and reduces turnover.
- Provides accessible and realistic support for farm onboarding, even when labor and time are in short supply.
Expectations of Farms:
- Establish a farm culture that is safe, productive and engaging. Set Clear, upfront job expectations that employees can fully understand.
- Provide immediate safety training to avoid injuries. Promote compliance with all employment regulations.
- Communicate important farm policies and procedures, especially those that may differ from previous employers.
Overcome language barriers so that everyone can understand each other.
Sample Onboarding Tools:
Employee Handbooks, SOP’s, Training Videos, New Hire Forms, Job Descriptions, Farm Safety Plans, Checklists, Organizational Charts, Mission Statement, Written Policies, and more…
To sign up for the Onboarding Project, contact Lucas Smith (ls678@cornell.edu), Ag Workforce Development, or your local Cornell Cooperative Extension educator.
