Productivity expert Lizette Bester says that the wellbeing of farmworkers is vital, as emerging and seasoned farmers alike depend on productive labour to maximise agricultural yield. Photo: Agility Channel
South Africa’s commercial farmers are faced with a number of challenges that may impede their ability to produce food to feed the nation. While there are many uncertainties, including the impact of climate change and future national policy around land ownership, beyond agricultural employers’ control, help is at hand for farmers and their staff to contain costs and boost health and productivity in ways they may never have considered possible.
“South African farmers are considered to be among the most resourceful in the world, often having to contend with erratic weather patterns or harsh environments in order to sustain their business in producing food for profit,” says Lizette Bester, Executive at Agility Corporate.
“Farmers are constantly performing risk assessments as they seek to make the most of their resources while working to address potential risks to their produce and their bottom line before these become a problem. Emerging and seasoned farmers alike depend on the labour of their staff to maximise their yield.
“When it comes to risks impacting the workforce, there are a myriad of factors influencing agricultural operations’ efficiency in their contribution to food production. In order to make tangible, lasting progress, worker productivity needs to be assessed and addressed holistically.”
The impact of stress, psychological trauma, substance abuse, financial worries and workers’ living with chronic illnesses that do not adhere to prescribed medicine are some of the many factors that can worsen an employees’ state of health.
“Preventative healthcare supported by an effective, multi-pronged approach to wellness in the farming sector is, therefore, a considerable assistance in managing the risks of an agricultural workforce. We look at the context to determine the interventions that could address problems threatening their employees’ health.
“Through our service, Resolution Health Medical Scheme provides healthcare cover for employees of all levels, and anonymous data drawn from a company’s medical claims provide insights to guide our interventions.
“This is just one of the methods we use to determine where interventions are needed and how we can best assist in improving the health and wellbeing of workers, which helps to reduce levels of absenteeism and improve overall productivity in the immediate term and into the future,” Bester explains.
“Our research in the agricultural sector shows that lifestyle diseases top the list of most-claimed for conditions. With one particular client, for example, we noted high levels of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We organised a Wellness Day where the employees were offered preventative health screenings and voluntary HIV counselling and testing, and provided informative presentations to empower the staff to make healthier choices, thereby reducing or mitigating the risk of such illnesses for improved wellness.
“We also sat down with the employer to devise strategies to proactively address emerging issues of concern. One intervention flowing from this was advising her that the staff canteen did not have healthy food options for staff. This meant that people had no choice but to eat starchy, deep fried and fatty foods. As many of them had already been diagnosed as diabetic or pre-diabetic and these types of food tend to exacerbate such conditions and can complicate many other health issues, this was not ideal. We looked at what healthy yet cost-effective measures could be put in place,” she explains.
“Employees who are members of the scheme, also have access to our core Employee Wellness Program. This provides access to basic financial, legal and psychological counselling over the phone with relevant experts. In addition to providing greater peace of mind, these services can significantly assist individuals to mitigate a range of common pressures, which can help to offset the potential effects of stress on existing health conditions.”
Bester says that such an approach acknowledges that employees cannot simply leave their problems at the door when going to work, and offers support to help employees deal with sources of stress that may otherwise negatively impact on their job performance.
“Another issue we identified is that some of the farmworkers were choosing not to wear the protective clothing provided for their safety. We proposed workshops and various practical measures to positively reinforce compliance; thereby reducing the risks employees were exposed to for occupational diseases and injuries.
“All these measures contribute to addressing the root causes of lost productivity. Many people interpret ‘lost productivity’ in a narrow sense, and tend to look at sick leave in isolation when considering the concept. At Agility Corporate, however, we understand that absenteeism is only one aspect of a bigger dilemma. There is also the prospect of valued staff members becoming too sick to work and having to access their permanent disability benefits (if provided), which means that their institutional knowledge, skills, experience and the training they may have received are a significant loss to the company,” Bester notes.
A considerable financial benefit for employers making use of Agility Corporate solutions is that the risk mitigation measures implemented can be presented to the underwriters of the company’s group risk insurance provider or providers in order to negotiate a reduction in premiums – thereby reducing the costs associated with employment.
“We not only seek to prevent loss of productivity, Agility Corporate also looks for creative solutions to empower employees to perform at their best, which contributes to the better performance overall of the company,” she adds.
“In the agricultural sector, poor company performance also means less food is produced, thereby eroding food security in the country. We are proud to be able to offer solutions that not only help to keep individuals healthy so that they perform optimally for longer, but also build agricultural business for better economic outcomes and help sustain the supply of quality food for the South African public,” she concludes.
CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.
– MyPR
Submit and get free press releases here: MyPR Free Press Release.
Click here to list your business on BuyPE.
