We have a three-year, full-time employee who shows up on time and works hard. But his judgment isn’t the best. Repair bills add up. Should we keep him through harvest, then part ways? Or should we have a heart-to-heart talk?

The Profit Planners panel includes David Erickson, farmer, Altona, Ill.: Mark Evans, Purdue Extension educator, Putnam County, Ind.; Jim Luzar, landowner and retired Purdue Extension educator, Greencastle, Ind.; and Steve Myers, farm manager with Busey Ag Resources, LeRoy, Ill.

Erickson: You have a good employee who needs better training. Show him how to do work correctly, and use situations that are a problem as an opportunity to make corrections. Only you know how valuable this employee is to your business or how easy it would be to find a more suitable replacement.

Evans: A heart-to-heart conversation is the first step. Avoiding issues is never a solution. What is in your employee’s heart? Is there care and concern, or is it a reckless lack of care? Take time to not only tell, but also show and demonstrate. In my opinion, if I have a hardworking employee with a good caring heart, that is super important. Perhaps coaching is needed and more hands-on training by yourself to bring the employee up to speed. If he understands the issue and things still don’t change, then yes, there is a point when you will have to part ways.

Luzar: I begin the review of an employee with some form of employee evaluation. Most evaluations identify and communicate what the person is doing well and what areas need improvement. Communicating your concern regarding equipment repairs is crucial. The employee must have a clear understanding of your expectations. Allow him to discuss why he feels mishaps are taking place. This behavior has occurred for three years, so now is the time to set expectations.

Remember to point out positive behavior the employee is demonstrating. Stress your desire to assist the employee in being successful with your operation. Your employee recognizing equipment operation is not satisfactory is a solid starting point.

Have the employee contribute ideas that can assist improving machinery operation. Are mishaps just a random string of bad luck? Maybe more training is justified on certain pieces of equipment? Maybe closer review of field layout would be useful? Does the employee have poor judgement with respect to what machines can accommodate? I would not send the employee into the field without an understanding of what actions can mitigate repairs caused by operational error.

The employee has some good soft skills, and it sounds like you want this to work out. That’s why I suggest setting up an improvement plan. If he just shrugs off the problem and doesn’t buy into the plan, start looking for a new employee today!

Myers: Some skills, like safe machinery operation, are sometimes natural, sometimes learned, sometimes never acquired. It appears that this is a great opportunity to have that heart-to-heart as to not only how, but also why, care needs to be given. For you to take this time, sharing your personal experiences and knowledge along with your concerns and expectations, is a great first step. Accidents happen with a learning curve that can be steep and expensive. But if you start from scratch with a new employee, are you any further ahead?