Changing the Tide on Turnover

Today’s dairy market has unique labor challenges including an average sixth-grade reading level among the non-English-speaking workforce.  With labor costs averaging 10 percent of a large dairy’s budget, managers must become more pro-active to attract, train, and retain good employees.

“Changing the Tide on Turnover” appeared in the May 24, 2018 issue of Progressive Dairyman magazine.  I used the Alliance Dairies Group as a case study to explain this important management issue.  Before their I-9 audit in 2009, normal employee retention was 12 years.  After the audit, average employee turnover dropped to two weeks.  But, the dairy make significant changes and their investment is paying off.