Farm Progress

Employee involvement in community aids retention.

Kristine Penning, Creative Marketing Specialist

April 4, 2018

2 Min Read
MangoStar_Studio/ThinkstockPhotos

As someone who grew up on a farm 50 miles from the nearest Walmart, I know the joy that small town settings can bring, but also the isolation. This is also a common problem for managers and HR professionals when hiring new individuals into rural roles. How can you get these employees to stay and thrive in their small communities? Of course, it helps when small communities are near semi-metropolitan areas, but when your organization is highly isolated, it certainly makes a difference to involve employees with those around them to better enjoy their work location. 

To spark some inspiration, here are a few suggestions to involve your employees in their new community. 

  1. Volunteering - While larger communities may have United Way initiatives and Boys and Girls Clubs, smaller towns likely do not. However, a number of opportunities may exist right in your rural community. Talk to your employees about volunteering to speak to the local FFA or 4-H chapters, or how you could partner with one another. A great way to prompt volunteering is to incentivize it. Reward the employee with the most volunteer hours with a short paid vacation or a gift card. Even working alongside fellow employees outside of work can make a difference in forming connections. 

  2. Event boards and community groups - I formerly worked with a young woman who found she had nothing to do in her off hours. She joined the county fair board. Duties might include planning livestock judging, improvements to fair buildings and coordinating entertainment. She had the opportunity to befriend area farmers as well as community members while performing these tasks. No active fair board nearby? Look into how your employees might get involved on their local city council or if there is a farmers’ association like a county cattleman’s group nearby. 

  3. Church groups - If there is one thing you’ll likely find in any small town, it’s a church. And while younger people are typically smaller in number in rural communities, an option to meet and mingle with people is joining an area church or church group. 

Forming connections outside of work is definitely conducive to retention in rural communities. Encourage your employees to explore involvement outside of work in order to boost morale and retain talent within your organization.

The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of Farm Futures or Farm Progress.

About the Author(s)

Kristine Penning

Creative Marketing Specialist, AgCareers.com

Kristine Penning works as Creative Marketing Specialist for AgCareers.com, the leading talent solutions provider in the agricultural industry. She resides in Central Iowa and farms with her husband Reece. Reach her at [email protected]

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