Have you heard the expression “hire slow, fire fast”? It’s a common approach to building an efficient team, and while there are situations where a “fire fast” mentality is necessary (such as safety violations or theft), I think it’s an outdated way of thinking. Today’s farms rely on strong teams to keep things running smoothly, and the “fire fast” mindset doesn’t always serve them well.
In a past role, I managed a team of thirty employees in a high-stakes environment where there was little room for error. Initially, I took a “no-nonsense” approach to employee issues—if someone couldn’t do the job or caused trouble, I didn’t have time to spare on them. Not surprisingly, the business became a revolving door of employees, and I often found myself wondering why it was so hard to find good workers.
After about a year of this, I sat down to analyze the reasons employees had left, whether by their choice or mine. Some cases were severe (intoxication at work, theft), while others were a buildup of smaller issues (insubordination, absenteeism). At first glance, the terminations seemed reasonable. But when I took a step back, I saw the bigger problem: my employees simply didn’t care about their jobs. The real issue wasn’t who I hired—it was the workplace culture and the way I was managing it.
When I work with farm families as an HR consultant, I often share that story. Many farms dealing with high turnover can relate. They hire top candidates who, for one reason or another, just don’t work out. The “fire fast” mentality suggests getting rid of the “bad apples” and investing more in recruitment. But in my experience, a better investment is in self-reflection—examining your management style and workplace culture before assuming the problem is just the employees.
Of course, there are times when keeping an employee is simply not an option (like repeated safety violations). But in many cases, there’s an opportunity to coach employees and turn things around.
The Power of a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)
You may have heard of a “performance improvement plan” (PIP). This is a structured approach to helping employees meet expectations before resorting to termination. When I suggest PIPs to farms, the response is often, “We don’t have time for that.” But consider this: it takes far more time to find, hire, and train a new employee than it does to implement a PIP.
Here’s a simple, no-fuss framework for a PIP that can make a real difference:
- Identify the issue and its impact.
- Example: “You haven’t been checking fluid levels in the equipment before operating, which risks damaging the machinery.”
- Set clear expectations and measurement criteria.
- Example: “For the next week, you will message me the fluid levels of your assigned equipment daily and fill any fluids below 75%. After one week, we will begin spot-checking to ensure compliance.”
- Outline the consequences of non-compliance.
- Example: “If equipment is found with inadequate fluid levels, you will receive a written warning. After two warnings, a final written warning will be issued. A fourth instance will result in termination.”
- Include a timeline.
- Example: “Once harvest is complete, we will review your performance and determine if the plan needs to be extended or concluded.”
Why This Approach Works
This PIP structure is designed to be simple and effective:
- It helps realign expectations, ensuring clarity and accountability.
- Having the employee send a message with the fluid levels requires minimal effort from the employer.
- The timeline considers the busiest times of the year.
- The disciplinary steps are clearly defined, preventing misunderstandings.
It took me about 15 minutes to draft this PIP, and another 30 minutes to explain it to an employee. That’s 45 minutes invested to potentially save weeks or months of frustration.
Shifting the Mindset: From Discipline to Coaching
The key to a successful PIP is to use it as a coaching tool, not just a disciplinary measure. Employees should see it as a chance to improve, not a step toward being fired.
In my experience, PIPs lead to one of two outcomes:
- The employee improves, strengthens their relationship with management, and becomes more reliable.
- The employee chooses not to improve, leading to termination—but with clear documentation that they were given a fair chance.
An unexpected benefit of PIPs is their positive ripple effect on the entire team. Rather than being a boss who only intervenes when issues arise, you become a leader who proactively invests in employee growth. You establish clear expectations, provide meaningful support, and consistently follow through on commitments. This approach fosters a workplace culture built on accountability, coaching, and collaboration. By clearly communicating expectations and creating a structured framework for performance improvement, you instill confidence in your team and enhance overall job satisfaction.
Final Thoughts
If you expect high performance from your employees, you need to match that with high performance as a manager. Incredible employees do exist—but only when they have great leadership.
Before you fire fast, ask yourself: is this truly an employee issue, or is there something bigger at play? Investing time in coaching and communication might just turn your biggest challenge into your greatest asset.
Sara Chambers, is a farm management consultant specializing in HR with Backswath Management. She can be reached at 431.554.5390 or .
