AGRICULTURAL LABOUR

MANAGEMENT

-RAJESH DEBNATH

AGRICULTURAL LABOUR"an agricultural labourer is one who is basically unskilled and unorganised and has little for its livelihood, other than personal labour.“

-National Commission on LabourAll those persons who derive a major part of their income as payment for work performed on the farms of others can be designated as agricultural workers. For a major part of the year they should work on the land of the others on wages

WHY AGRICULTURAL LABOUR MANAGEMENT?• The agricultural sector employs half of the world's labour force

with an estimated 1.3 billion workers active in agricultural production worldwide.

•Working safety of agricultural workers, as they are seriously injured in workplace accidents with agricultural machinery or poisoned by pesticides and other agrochemicals, etc.

• To bring out the maximum efficiency from the labourers.

•Overall maximum profit.

MANAGING PEOPLE ON THE FARMThe three essential ingredients of effective labor administration are:

•A concern for productivity and people

•An understanding of human resource management

• Purposeful action.

Labor management may suffer if any of these are absent

A concern for productivity and people:

• To effectively manage a labor force, an employer must be concerned about productivity and also about people. Focusing on productivity alone may lead to a reduction in worker output.

Understanding labor management:

•A concern for both employee needs and worker productivity is fundamental to effective management

Purposeful Action:

• It helps to have a plan with timetables, and to incorporate ways of evaluating progress toward goals.

• additional challenges may include lack of self-esteem or inability to focus.

• Ineffective action because of faulty planning, evaluation, or correction measures.

HELPING WORKERS ACQUIRE SKILLSThe training process consists of

• Explaining and demonstrating correct task performance

•Helping workers to perform under supervision

•Allowing personnel to perform alone

• Evaluating worker performance

•Coaching employees based on evaluation results.

•He can further cement his skill by coaching another individual.

Workers need not be told how to do a task, but they need successfully transferring skills, ability or knowledge in them

•Continually assess workers’ level of understanding

•Gear training to the participants

• Present only a few concepts at a time

•Where needed, divide tasks into simplified components

• Involve all workers

•Use visual aids

• Encourage questions.

APPRASIAL• People need positive feedback and validation on a regular basis.

•Worker's positive behavior will have less difficulty in giving constructive feedback or suggestions.

• helps the employee take additional ownership for both continuing effective performance and improving weak areas.

A farm manager can ask the employee being appraised to bring three lists to the performance appraisal:

• Areas where the employee performs well

• Areas where the worker has shown recent improvement

• Areas where the worker feels weak, or thinks his supervisor would like to see improvement.

INTERNAL WAGE STRUCTUREAppropriate wages for positions on farm can be arrived on the basis of two main management tools:

• Job evaluations (based on compensable factors such as education, skill, experience, and responsibility)

• The going rate (or market value) of a job.Payment at or below the market may have difficulty attracting workersWorkers expect their wages will:

• Cover their basic living expenses

• Keep up with inflation

• Leave some money for savings or recreation

• Increase over time.

INTERACTING WITH EMPLOYEES•Conducting effective meetings

•Ask for suggestions from individuals

• understanding both the positive and negative aspects of suggestions

• Identifying the hindrances to create a better working environment for efficient working of the employees

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SKILLS•Wherever there are choices to be made, differences may provide

challenges or opportunities.

•Acting as the mediator in problem solving without actually being involved in it.

• It is more important to make a fair judgment than to try to please all workers involved

DISCIPLINEMisconduct can be classified according to specific behaviors,:

• Effort (working at a reduced speed, poor quality, sleeping on the job, wasting time)

•Co-worker relations (fighting on the job, lack of cooperation);

•Handling of tools or company property

•Harassment or workplace violence

•Dishonesty

•Not wearing safety equipment carrying weapons on the job, working under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Rules of fairness can be distilled into the following:

•Develop fair rules and consequences.

•Clearly communicate policies.

•Conduct a fair investigation.

•Balance consistency and flexibility.

•Use corrective—not punitive—action.

Effective discipline can protect the agricultural enterprise, the supervisor who enforces the rules, and the subordinates subject to the regulations.

Employee termination is often the last step in an unsuccessful attempt to help a worker meet work standards.

CREATIVE NEGOTIATIONNegotiation skills include being well prepared, showing patience, maintaining integrity, avoiding the presumption of evil, controlling our emotions, understanding the role of time pressures, breaking down bigger issues into smaller ones, avoiding threats and manipulative tactics, focusing first on the problem rather than on the solution, seeking interest based decisions, and rejecting weak solutions.

•Be prepared: Sometimes the most unexpected issues may come up, for instance, facing a worker who has come asking for a loan to bury a family matter.

•Search for clarity: It helps to learn about other people’s preferences and also make our own clear.

“

”

THE QUALITY OF EMPLOYEES WILL BE DIRECTLY

PROPORTIONAL TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE YOU MAINTAIN FOR THEM

.—CHARLES E. BRYAN

Thank you