Our family members and employees have many distractions that can affect their productivity and efficiency if not managed in an appropriate manner.

As you know, beef production businesses cannot completely stop for holidays. You and your employees, however, are members of families and social groups that have holiday expectations, traditions and plans. 

Many business leaders and managers complain that they can teach new employees how to do all the tasks required for the job, but too often prospective employees lack the character and attitude necessary to fit their company culture.

Higher wages being paid across the country create a disadvantage for an industry that already fights to keep margins at a profitable point. Those who do a good job recruiting and taking care of qualified employees will have the upper hand.

Studies have also determined that some 50% of feedyard workers are Latino. Combining the inherent risks of a feedyard with a language barrier that significantly hampers communication can set the stage for serious incidents and injuries.

Emotional intelligence has become a significant topic for development and mentoring as well as a key criterion for management and leadership positions.

Don’t be afraid to compensate well and provide annual, merit-based raises or bonus structures into the employee budget. Good employees are hard to come by, and keeping them will be much easier than finding them again.

Beyond being a standard of business, providing a safe work environment has a trickle-down effect that impacts all other facets of BQA implementation. Human safety is the backbone of an effective, thriving cattle operation.

The exact location and intensity of summer thunderstorms is somewhat unpredictable. Don’t allow the frequency of storm watches lull you into complacency. Severe weather – such as a tornado – can form quickly and turn deadly in just moments.

Since well over 50% of feedyard injuries involve employees who have been on the job for less than 12 months, immediately providing safety training for new employees is the best way to ensure they have the necessary information to complete job duties in a safe manner.