Pig worker’s standards drop when they are not checked, so there must be a supervisor to manage the team. This supervisor also is responsible for ensuring quality and timeliness and is the first-stage trouble shooter when problems arise. The supervisor is also required to identify the best at a particular task to deliver training.
All supervisors need to be properly trained. They must be capable of performing every production task under their control, but also trained in basic quality control and time management. Their training must additionally extend to the techniques involved in giving a worker praise or discipline. Some of this will involve classroom tuition, but will primarily take place on the farm. It is amazing how many people have to be shown how to check.
Should supervisors (and staff) be rotated? Yes, large pig farms in particular can be boring places to work. Over time, doing the same thing day after day performance drops. This is particularly noticeable for supervisors who can lose the ability to see what is in front of their face. A change of role prevents this decline. Secondly, supervisors are the potential managers of tomorrow and should be exposed to all parts of the business as part of their development.
