Many companies in the industry are finding it challenging to attract and retain talented employees, as it is still very much an “employee’s market”.
Offering competitive salaries, providing professional development, promoting positive work cultures and offering better work-life benefits will attract more people to seek career and job opportunities across the agri-food sector.
Some companies are already offering benefits to foster better work-life balances and to give employees what they are looking for.
Farmeye
In the last number of years, Farmeye has implemented several benefits for its employees, one of which is a personal day once a month.
The AgTech company provides a measurement reporting and verification (MRV) platform for Natural Capital on farms and in nature.
Eoghan Finneran, chief executive officer of Farmeye, emphasises it is important to look after your team and employees in order to reach the company’s objectives.
“Our mission is to improve the lives of farmers and the environment through technology and we can only do that if we have a high-performing team,” he says.
Eoghan Finneran, Farmeye.
Making the decision three years ago the company put in flexible structures to facilitate working from home, remote working and the concept of employee personal days.
Coming into effect in 2019, all Farmeye employees can avail of one paid personal day a month.
“We want to attract good people and if people are being respected and rewarded, they will stay. We have found people are responding well to it and appreciate the extra day off a month to carry out personal admin,” says Eoghan.
Within a year, employees could have up to 37 days of fully paid leave between personal days and annual leave.
During the hiring process, once potential candidates hear about the personal day policy it helps to attract employees. The company is also moving to a new state-of-the-art office facility in Athlone in the next month. The main driver for that, according to Eoghan, is wanting staff to work in a positive working environment.
Kepak
An unpaid career break policy has been implemented by Kepak in response to a group-wide employee, survey conducted in May 2022. It was a suggestion from current employees as a benefit that could be brought in.
According to Ellen Buckley, employee relations manager in Kepak, it is in line with their corporate values, which are responsibility, ambition, teamwork and passion for food.
“This comes under the umbrella of responsibility. We are mindful of our employees’ needs and wants in employment.
Ellen Buckley, employee relations manager, Kepak Group.
“We recognise that there are times when people would want to take time away from work and we want to be able to support employees who want to take that unpaid career break,” explains Ellen.
It is open to employees who have two years of continuous service and there is an approval process and a policy that outlines the details available to employees. This policy is to enable current staff to fulfil personal commitments, develop their knowledge or improve their work-life balance.
It is a huge benefit when it comes to attracting and retaining staff.
“As I am going through the recruitment of the graduate programme when I speak about the policy, it is a good proposition for early career people in terms of attracting talent.
“With retention, there is a trend across industries at the moment of people wanting to travel and leaving employment because of it. This is one of the things we have brought in to hopefully retain the talent,” says Ellen.
Joining Kepak as part of the graduate programme, Ellen developed her career to date in the HR department and has recently availed of the career break policy herself to go and travel.
“I had got to the four-year mark and wanted to go through the next wave of progression, but I felt I wanted to get travel done before I did that,” she says.
After the experience, Ellen feels she is a better employee after taking the time out. Returning to work, she was able to pick up where she left off with her career.
“I got to go travelling, knowing I had a great job to return to,” she says.
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Many companies in the industry are finding it challenging to attract and retain talented employees, as it is still very much an “employee’s market”.
Offering competitive salaries, providing professional development, promoting positive work cultures and offering better work-life benefits will attract more people to seek career and job opportunities across the agri-food sector.
Some companies are already offering benefits to foster better work-life balances and to give employees what they are looking for.
Farmeye
In the last number of years, Farmeye has implemented several benefits for its employees, one of which is a personal day once a month.
The AgTech company provides a measurement reporting and verification (MRV) platform for Natural Capital on farms and in nature.
Eoghan Finneran, chief executive officer of Farmeye, emphasises it is important to look after your team and employees in order to reach the company’s objectives.
“Our mission is to improve the lives of farmers and the environment through technology and we can only do that if we have a high-performing team,” he says.
Eoghan Finneran, Farmeye.
Making the decision three years ago the company put in flexible structures to facilitate working from home, remote working and the concept of employee personal days.
Coming into effect in 2019, all Farmeye employees can avail of one paid personal day a month.
“We want to attract good people and if people are being respected and rewarded, they will stay. We have found people are responding well to it and appreciate the extra day off a month to carry out personal admin,” says Eoghan.
Within a year, employees could have up to 37 days of fully paid leave between personal days and annual leave.
During the hiring process, once potential candidates hear about the personal day policy it helps to attract employees. The company is also moving to a new state-of-the-art office facility in Athlone in the next month. The main driver for that, according to Eoghan, is wanting staff to work in a positive working environment.
Kepak
An unpaid career break policy has been implemented by Kepak in response to a group-wide employee, survey conducted in May 2022. It was a suggestion from current employees as a benefit that could be brought in.
According to Ellen Buckley, employee relations manager in Kepak, it is in line with their corporate values, which are responsibility, ambition, teamwork and passion for food.
“This comes under the umbrella of responsibility. We are mindful of our employees’ needs and wants in employment.
Ellen Buckley, employee relations manager, Kepak Group.
“We recognise that there are times when people would want to take time away from work and we want to be able to support employees who want to take that unpaid career break,” explains Ellen.
It is open to employees who have two years of continuous service and there is an approval process and a policy that outlines the details available to employees. This policy is to enable current staff to fulfil personal commitments, develop their knowledge or improve their work-life balance.
It is a huge benefit when it comes to attracting and retaining staff.
“As I am going through the recruitment of the graduate programme when I speak about the policy, it is a good proposition for early career people in terms of attracting talent.
“With retention, there is a trend across industries at the moment of people wanting to travel and leaving employment because of it. This is one of the things we have brought in to hopefully retain the talent,” says Ellen.
Joining Kepak as part of the graduate programme, Ellen developed her career to date in the HR department and has recently availed of the career break policy herself to go and travel.
“I had got to the four-year mark and wanted to go through the next wave of progression, but I felt I wanted to get travel done before I did that,” she says.
After the experience, Ellen feels she is a better employee after taking the time out. Returning to work, she was able to pick up where she left off with her career.
“I got to go travelling, knowing I had a great job to return to,” she says.
Read more
Education in crisis with teachers shortages in rural schools
‘Bringing knowledge back to Ireland is vital’ - Minister Hackett
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