Accessing Workforce Expertise Benefits Both In Business and the Community
Pamela Aceves, HRBP director for F&A & IT for NatureSweet Tomatoes and Gretta Siebentritt, Director of Workforce Development for EFI share about the why and how of integrating worker voice in the on-demand webinar presented by The Packer and EFI.
“Engaging workers has helped us access information and made for easier decision making. It has also improved absenteeism, turnover and efficiency in production. Our associates are really engaged and are taking care of each other and our tomatoes.”
– Pamela Aceves, Human Resources Business Partner Director for F&A & IT NatureSweet
Accessing the expertise in your workforce by creating platforms that invite worker voice improves organizational culture and yields business benefits in efficiency, productivity, food safety and product quality. Investing in skill building and training enables workers to contribute creative solutions at work and bring improvements to their families and communities.
Read more about How EFI Uses Leadership Teams to Integrate Worker Voice.
Create a Culture of Ownership That Contributes to Continuous Improvement
Integrating worker voice results in the creation of a workplace culture where all employees are taking ownership of food safety, worker safety and responsible pest management. While there can be special opportunities for workers to share ideas by participating in events or evaluations, when workers are invited to contribute ideas as a part of the organizational culture, improvements can happen as a part of the normal work flow.
“Every day our associates have the opportunity to share their ideas and let us know what is working and what’s not. We don’t have to wait for a specific time or a great innovation.”
– Pamela Aceves, Human Resources Business Partner Director for F&A & IT NatureSweet
Access Creative Solutions for Business Problems
Providing a platform to hear suggestions from workers can yield creative solutions for problems that have not caught the attention of management. The video included below shows a solution from one of the first EFI Leadership Teams: a worker designed strawberry cart to increase efficiency and ease of labor for strawberry harvesters.
Open Transferable Communication Channels
Putting systems in place that open communication between management and the workforce creates entirely new channels of communication that are transferable to other processes across the organization. For example, NatureSweet feedback from EFI Leadership Team members helped NatureSweet management understand and respond appropriately to the needs of associates in real time during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other EFI-certified operations also saw the communication channels established through EFI Leadership Teams assist in their responses to the pandemic.
Improve By Engaging All Employees in Audit Compliance
When operating with an engaged workforce accustomed to contributing ideas to solve business problems, an audit is another opportunity to improve weak areas and ensure intentions become realities. When non-conformities are found, all employees can be a part of supporting management in making corrections through the established systems.
“When we have a third party coming to our facilities for these audits, they’re not just going through the documentation but also talking to our people. It really opens our eyes to see all these opportunities that we haven’t seen. It’s a way of improving continuously and making sure our efforts are really working.”
– Pamela Aceves, Human Resources Business Partner Director for F&A & IT NatureSweet
Contribute to the Social Good of Communities and Neighborhoods
As workers take the soft skills they’ve acquired in communication and conflict resolution home with them, the benefits of integrating worker voice in business extend to communities and neighborhoods. Workers on EFI-certified farms have reported that the skills they’ve gained in workforce development training have helped them with their personal lives.
NatureSweet has seen employees begin improvement projects like parks and playgrounds in their communities and instituting classes in the community for aging farmworkers to gain new skills and contribute to a livelihood beyond farm labor.
Read more about How EFI Uses Leadership Teams to Integrate Worker Voice.
Related Articles:
EFI’s Worker Engagement Model Creates Positive Outcomes for Grower-Shippers
Farmworkers Shine, When Given the Chance to Share Ideas
How EFI Uses Leadership Teams to Integrate Worker Voice
Other Posts in the People First Series:
Webinar Recap: Intro to the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices
Webinar Recap: Myths and Realities of Social Compliance
Webinar Recap: Responsible Recruitment
