I have been a farm manager for many years and have vast experience in many different fields. One of the farm’s more recent ventures was in the hemp industry. We took this on in the earliest stage of legalization, when it was just a research program in Oregon. The first year we planted 30 acres and learned a lot of what not to do and how to improve for the next year. Fast forward 3 years and we were amongst the top growers in the state and maybe the country we were told by many sources. This is what lead to the offer.
Last year we, the farm owner and I, were approached and offered a job to help improve the hemp operations in a province in China. I am not allowed to divulge which province however so I will make this vague. We greatly considered the offer and did a lot of research on the place. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions would have been a handy tool to help dig into where we were potentially off to. China is a large and fascinating place with a diverse culture that is very different from ours.
In my research, Hofstede insights provided a clear image of what China’s culture looked like. The image is below. They scored a power distance of 80. This means that people are not equal and that is just fine, that an individual should not have aspirations above their rank and social position. China is a culture that is there for the good of the many and therefore their individualism score is very low. The Chinese people have been brought up in the belief that competition and success is the most important and so they rank higher in the masculinity factor as well.
I believe that the Hofstede Insights page explained long term orientation best when the wrote:
China scores 87 in this dimension, which means that it is a very pragmatic culture. In societies with a pragmatic orientation, people believe that truth depends very much on situation, context and time. They show an ability to adapt traditions easily to changed conditions, a strong propensity to save and invest, thriftiness, and perseverance in achieving results.
Lastly is the indulgence factor. The Chinese people have been brought up with very strict rules and a push for performance. This usually means that they have very little indulgence. They almost feel that it is wrong to indulge in things that make themselves feel better if everyone cannot experience it.
These cultural factors along with the language barrier and strict laws lead us not to accept the job offer but we did offer to consult on a very limited basis. We are looking into diving a little deeper as we learn more about the local culture and how the laws will affect the industry moving forward.
I have been a volunteer firefighter for nearly ten years now. In my tenure, I have had to endure a lot of training. We are trained to do everything from driving and pumping the fire trucks, to breaking into locked structures, to cutting the roof of cars off for extricating victims. There are lots of things that make a training good or bad, interesting, or mind numbingly boring.
The initial training we have to go through as firefighters is to obtain the title of firefighter 1. As a firefighter 1 we can go to motor vehicle accidents, help on medical calls, and work structure fires. There is a massive amount of training in order to become firefighter 1, some of the worst training of my life. Don’t get me wrong, it was very important, however, painstakingly boring in some parts. Death by PowerPoint is saying it lightly. We had an instructor that had a monotone that droned on in a small warm poorly lit room. Coffee was not enough to keep you awake while trying to pay attention to the content being displayed.
I have had a lot of good training in the fire service as well. The best training I have been a part of was for our instructor 1 class. All of the students were asked to do the reading ahead of time and were asked to pick a topic to teach the class. None of the other students knew what the other were teaching which made it interesting. The second presenter took the topic that I was supposed to be presenting. This was an issue for me as we were supposed to come up with unique topic ideas. This threw me into a mild panic as I had my entire speech planned already. Coming up with a topic on the fly, I was nervous and choppy in front of the audience, the “after action review” reflected this. At the end, I explained what had happened and was met with an unexpected retort to said explanation.
When getting in front of people to talk or teach, expect for things to go wrong. Whether it is the subject or the technology, something could go wrong and you have to be able to get past it to deliver the message. A good instructor can make a teaching moment out of the worst situation. This was the most valid and reliable training that I have been a part of because it taught me something that sticks with me in most of the things that I do. No matter what you are trying to do, something might go wrong. You just have to adjust your thinking or delivery to get the result you wanted. There is always a way to get it done.
Interviews are one of the most integral parts of finding an employee that will fit into your business. It is the last piece of the hiring process that could stand in the way of hiring a good, bad, or great employee. There are several different ways that an interview can go well or go poorly. First, you need applicants that will fit well with the company’s structure and culture. After narrowing these applicants down a little bit then you can call them in. I believe that a good interviewer will ask pointed questions that are open ended and allow the applicant to talk. This allows you to see how well they can hold them selves under pressure and if they can hold a conversation.
While conducting interviews, I like to see how well an employee can work. I have managed a ranch in Sisters Oregon for years and the best way to see if someone would be a good fit was to conduct working interviews. These working interviews were generally a day long. I was able to personally work with the applicant while talking to them and feeling them out for the position. This extended time to get to know the applicant saved me a lot of time an effort in rehiring after the turnover of employees that didn’t fit the job. While these working interviews take up my time where I could be doing more important tasks, they allow me to get the hires correct the first time. This saves the company more money in the long run because there has been a significant drop in turnover.
There are many ways to get to know someone during an interview. There are many ways to botch an interview. I think every different type of company has a different style of interview that fits them best. I think a good manager needs to find a style of interview that works best for them and for the company they work for.
Finding new employees is one of the hardest parts of running a business. There are so many things to consider when looking for that “right person” and how to draw them in. Frist, you have to start with the job design: what you are hiring the person for as well as what they are going to do as a part of the company. Once you have an outline of what the new employee will be doing then a job description needs to drawn up.
There are several methods of how to build a job description, but I believe that one of the best ways to design it from the bottom up. The article, A Job Worth Doing explains this method very well and I agree that this is a very effective way of building a job description. If there are already employees in said position, then ask for them to write up a description of what they do during their workday. Next, have a manager sort through combine and refine the job descriptions. Lastly, send the description to HR for final review.
The hardest part of a job description is keeping it current, active, and interesting to perspective employees. If you have a higher up position start the job description, it might not be very accurate. A lot of the time a higher up employee may be to far detached from what the job may entail. This separation might make it difficult to write and maintain an accurate job description. For instance if an HR manager tries to create a job listing for warehouse employee, they may say that the job includes heavy lifting, spending the day on your feet, and working around equipment. The HR manager might not realise that the employee need to be able to operate the equipment. This might pose problem because equipment operators need to be a certain age or might need a special license. This simple oversight could lead to applicants that are not within the bounds of what the job entails.
The writing and upkeep of job descriptions is a vital part of a business, one that needs to watched and maintained with a watchful eye.
Great Place to Work has published the best 100 places to work for in 2020. These companies are on this list for many reasons but the biggest is because the employees truly enjoy working at these businesses. Off of this list I have chosen three to highlight. Hilton, CarMax, and Wegman’s Food Markets stick out the most. All of these businesses have employees that love their jobs and believe that their companies stick up for them.
All of these companies have HR departments that need to have keen focus on their employees to keep track of them all. All of these companies have a vast reach and many locations that all have people that need to be looked after. Both CarMax and Wegmans have nearly 30% of their employees that have been there for 2-5 years and around 15% have been there for 5-10 years. This shows a tremendous number of people who are very dedicated to these companies. Functional Human Resource programs seem to keep these businesses and their employees happy and motivated to work. HR in and of itself, however, does not keep a business running by itself. Managers that look after their people are one of the main, integral, parts of a business that keeps it running.
One who manages people needs to be able to be a leader and a good listener, a strong force and yet someone that is approachable. I would like to possess all of those characteristics as well as be a strong manager that people can trust to be there for them but will also draw the line when it gets crossed. I have a lot of experience in dealing with people and all of the issues that they come with. For me, I feel that the hiring process is one of the most challenging parts of being a manager. It is crucial to hire well qualified employees that fit the culture of the business.
