The Human Resources and Training Coordinator with Manitoba Pork says an Employee Manual, developed for the province’s pork industry, offers new workers a resource they can use to help orient them to their new jobs.
In October, Manitoba Pork unveiled a new Hiring Handbook to help pork producers with the hiring process and a new Employee Manual for workers to use as a reference.
The two new tools were developed based on information gathered through a survey of independent pork producers last year and have been approved by the organization’s Board of Directors and Legal Counsel.
Janice Goldsborough, the Human Resources and Training Coordinator with Manitoba Pork, says, when a new person starts, they can be pretty overwhelmed so the employee manual is something they’ll be able to refer back to.
All employees should understand their basic rights and what they’re entitled to in the work place so it covers things like their vacation. How many days of vacation are they allotted per year, statutory holidays. What’s considered a statutory holiday because some of the holidays we think are covered actually may not be.
It’ll also cover things like, in the work place is there smoking allowed, lunch breaks, hours of work, whether they’re expected to work shifts, benefits that they might be entitled to. If they feel they’re being harassed, how do they deal with that, privacy policy, all sorts of questions that they might have along the way that they legally have a right to know about.
~ Janice Goldsborough, Manitoba Pork
Goldsborough says the Employee Manual is generic but it can be customized for each farm operation. She notes both the Hiring Handbook and the Employee Manual are available either electronically or in hard copy through Manitoba Pork.
For more information call Manitoba Pork at 204-471-6350.
