Relationship building

Photos courtesy of Legacy Labor

Building strong relationships with your CEA workforce is important. That holds true whether your employees are local or sourced from the H-2A visa program. While H-2A workers are seasonal, making sure they return to your facility instead of choosing another place to work will not only improve your operation but decrease the stress from training new workers.

Why is it important for CEA managers to have a returning H-2A workforce?

“I know that’s important to all our growers, but it’s just as important to CEA growers,” explains Legacy Labor Sales Development Coordinator Terry Vandercook. “That’s largely because of the technology that they face. There’s a lot going on in indoor agriculture that makes it important to have a returning workforce with the appropriate skill levels.”

Vandercook explains that as a labor contractor, Legacy Labor has a great track record of returning H-2A employees to growers. In fact, it returns 90% of its workforce back to the facilities in which H-2A employees were trained. That means skills development isn’t lost from one employment period to another.

How can CEA growers ensure their H-2A workers return?

It’s important for growers to remember that H-2A workers have a choice to return or not to return to an employer in the U.S. So, just like any employee, they need to find value in the work and skill development, while also feeling like they are being taken care of while away from home.

“Obviously, these contracts are important to these workers, and they want to make it work out,” Vandercook says. “But what are the working conditions like? What is the culture like? H-2A workers want to feel part of the organization. They want to contribute and truly feel like part of the crew.”

How does training help build a strong working relationship with H-2A workers?

As with any employee, Vandercook says the foundation is built with training. “The training needs to follow the same process it would in any other part of their organization,” he says. “Any worker does better when they are properly trained.”

Vandercook also notes that training can reveal skillsets that employers would not have otherwise recognized. It may reveal one employee is particularly mechanically adept or primed for leadership. “So, for the grower to be able to actually tap into the skill sets and use them effectively, like they would any of their local labor, gives that worker a sense of value.”

Are there cultural considerations to consider for H-2A worker retention?

Vandercook notes one of the biggest considerations is to break down silos between H-2A and local workers. “Bring these workers into that fold. Have them work side by side with folks that have been in the company maybe much longer. If it’s the company culture to recognize birthdays and holidays and Friday afternoon pizza parties because you know production was so high, make sure H-2A workers are included. Making them part of that work family is the biggest piece.”