Oct 10, 2023EFI: Becoming an “employer of choice” helps with worker shortages
Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) is showing how workers who work at “employers of choice” family-focused operations can help ease worker shortages.
With back to school underway, employees may be feeling the strain of new schedules and extra expenses for everything from back-to-school supplies to sports equipment and school fees. The National Center for Farmworker Health reports that 43% of U.S. farmworkers have at least one child in the household.
While some might consider lost profits when workers use paid time and flexibility, studies show that paid leave brings a high return on investment and many positive effects for the organization and employee. It is also reported that as outside stress on farmworkers decreases, they can place more focus on their work, with improved outcomes for safety and quality, according to the release.
LeAnne Ruzzamenti, EFI’s director of marketing and communications, notes the importance of listening to farmworkers and administrative staff when considering family-friendly policies.
“Employees have different demands and expectations, so working with them to ensure that policies meet their needs will bring organizations the most positive impacts,” she said in the release. “Understanding their challenges is the first step to improving their well-being and your bottom line, and that could be as easy as anonymous surveys.”
EFI has helped form and train worker-management collaborative teams for 30 grower-shipper companies on more than 80 farming operations. Through the EFI certification program, more than 4,000 farmworkers and managers have been trained in problem-solving, communication and conflict resolution strategies, helping to improve labor and safety for more than 55,000 workers.
Through improving the lives of farmworkers and driving business performance by integrating worker voice and engagement throughout the supply chain, EFI, a multistakeholder organization, brings together growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumers to create assessment, training and organizational development programs that support continuous improvement and address the industry’s most pressing problems.