This project addressed the legal, personnel management, and financial risks
resulting from inadequately prepared agricultural supervisors including lawsuits,
regulatory penalties, worker injuries, and increased employee turnover rates.
The CFLCA Ag Supervisor Development Program (ASDP) developed and conducted a
series of eight educational trainings encompassing multiple regulatory
compliance and personnel management modules. The modules addressed topics
including wage and hour regulations, health and safety, harassment prevention,
workers' comp insurance, effective communications, and the responsibilities of
supervisory personnel.
We trained 236 Spanish-speaking agricultural supervisors employed by small
to large producers and farm labor contractors throughout California. The ASDP
included a mandatory employer orientation component to promote collaborative
personnel management practices and communication between employers and
supervisors.
Three months after completion employers were surveyed on the performance of
their supervisors, and workers supervised by program participants were also
surveyed to analyze the impacts of the program. The reported results from program
participants, employers, and workers supervised were overwhelmingly positive
and expressed a desire for more similar programs in the future.