Understanding dairy employee attitudes, concerns, and perspectives to improve employee management and overall herd health

Abstract

A significant part of dairy management on large farms involves managing the employees who milk, feed, and provide care to the cows. However, management of people is generally an area about which dairy owners express a lack of knowledge and comfort. In 2012, a project was initiated to improve management of dairy employees by providing employee feedback to dairy owners through an anonymous telephone interview conducted by a single bilingual interviewer. The objectives of this study were to learn about the attitudes, concerns and perspectives of dairy farm employees, to apply gathered information to management practices and choices, and to recommend changes in management to better engage employees in the success of the operation.