The CRDC-funded action research project SHIFT: Delivering best practice for management of future skills is supporting cotton growing enterprises to identify and implement strategies, tools and resources to better attract, develop and retain their workforce.
The SHIFT project team - researchers Nicole McDonald and Amy Cosby, cotton leadership facilitator Jo Eady, and cotton grower and psychologist Chantal Corish - are facilitating peer-to-peer learning and encouraging grower led discussion on how growers and farm managers practically work on the 'people' part of their businesses.
On 6-7 June, they are hosting an online grower/farm manager-only 'unconference' via zoom. Unlike traditional conferences where a program is designed separate from the attendees needs and often delivered in lecture-type talks, an 'unconference' is centred on the participants and involves discussion and workshops.
There are four sessions to choose from, with growers able to attend as few or as many as they like. The program is:
6 June
12-1pm: Grower Panel 1 > Adapting to address workforce challenges and workforce engagement
Hear Rob Davies and James Traill discuss their workforce challenges and solutions, and how they've adapted over the last few years. A highlight of our chat with James so far has been insights he's offered on the challenges of people on mobile phones in machinery.
1-2pm: Grower Panel 2 > Wellbeing at work
Hear Renee Anderson and Aaron Kiely discuss their views and approaches to wellbeing at work for themselves, their teams, and their community of growers in the Central Highlands.
7 June
10-11:30am: Workshop 1 > Developing video training resources to support new entrants to learn (and current team members to revise) on the job skills
We've all got a video camera in our pocket these days, so why don't we use it to save us on repetitive training tasks? You might have seen Troy Smith getting around delivering cotton picker training? Along with Renee Anderson, they'll be delivering a workshop on making training videos to develop new/existing team members skills
12:30-2:00pm: Workshop 2 > Wellbeing at work workshop with Chantal Corish
Hear from CRDC PhD candidate and rural psychologist Chantal Corish on strategies for ensuring your team protect themselves from burnout by developing a culture of wellbeing at work. Practical, evidence-based and adoptable for the farm business.
Pilot resources developed through the project to support best practice management for future skills in cotton growing enterprises will also be disseminated throughout each of these sessions.
