Workable Workforce Series: Coaching and Counseling

In the third part of the Workable Workforce Series, we cover coaching and counseling employees. HR professional Michelle Gubser and dairy farmer Christine Bender share experiences, recommendations and tips for coaching all types of employees (entry-level to manger), handling poor performance versus bad behavior and scenarios on handling difficult situations. Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza dives into the topics below with Michelle and Christine:

• 1:52: Difference between coaching and counseling   
• 3:26: Christine shares her perspective of coaching and counseling  
• 6:05: What coaching should look like with for an entry-level to manager position
• 9:58: Coaching environment
• 14:41: Address a common problem with the whole team
• 17:00: Poor performance versus bad behavior   
•  21:12: Professional way to talk about performance  
•  22:31: How employees can share concerns about issues   
• 25:40: Employee feedback, audits
• 29:05: Resources for coaching and counseling employees
• 33:25: How to handle the constant-problem employee
• 36:50: How to handle a late employee   
• 40:03: How to handle an employee that calls in sick that isn’t sick
• 42:25: How to handle an employee that keeps breaking items
• 45:39: How to handle an employee that isn’t making progress
• 48:37: How to handle a challenge with a family member on the farm
• 51:23: How to handle a common problem with the whole group    

Special thanks to Syngenta for sponsoring this episode.

About the guests

• Christine Bender was born and raised on her family’s dairy farm, McFarlandale Dairy LLC. in Watertown, Wisconsin. She graduated from UW-Madison in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Dairy Science and Life Sciences Communication. Following graduation she worked for CP Feeds as a dairy nutritionist for about three and a half years before returning home full-time to the family farm. McFarlandale Dairy LLC is currently home to about 1,100 cows and 15 full-time employees. Christine currently serves as the herd manager, overseeing the health of all animals at the farm as well managing all the employees. 
• Michelle Gubser has over 20 years of experience in human resources and leadership.  She currently serves as the Chief Talent Officer at ProVision Partners Cooperative in Marshfield, WI.  In this role, she leads the cooperative’s talent strategies and is responsible for creating and building high-performing teams.  Michelle has an undergraduate degree in Human Resources from the University of Northwestern - St. Paul and is currently pursuing an MBA in Agribusiness at North Dakota State University.   

Dairy Stream has dedicated four episodes to focus on an asset on your farm, your workforce. The four episodes of the Workable Workforce Series will cover recruiting, engaging, coaching and HR legal items. The series is sponsored by Syngenta and Compeer Financial.

May 3: Workable Workforce Series: Recruiting and Onboarding Talent | LISTEN HERE

May 24: Workable Workforce Series: Retention and Engagement | LISTEN HERE

July 5: Workable Workforce Series: HR Management and Legal Matters

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com.