Labor compliance in agriculture has shown no sign of slowing down in complexity and difficulty. Several states have implemented communication requirements around hazards like wildfire, smoke, and heat in the last few years. What about when you're facing a lawsuit and need to prove a conversation happened?? Ag employers can no longer feel confident in the fragile game of telephone played whenever an office manager needs to communicate important information through the phone tree of supervisors. Ag employers on Harvust, on the other hand, are taking advantage of modern communication software that goes directly to the employee and beyond the written word. Accessible and compliant communication is essential for the modern agricultural workplace, and we believe audio is the foundation.
Problem #1: Phone calls are synchronous
So you probably think audio equals picking up the phone and calling someone. But if you've ever managed hundreds or thousands of farmworkers, you know that won't work. Not only does that take so much of your time, but what happens if an employee doesn't pick up? Now you're stuck keeping track of who has been called and who hasn't. And if you aren't bilingual, forget about it entirely. Phone calls solve the audio piece of the equation but introduce an even worse problem: blocking synchronous work. While bulk messaging solves that problem, it presents its own...
Problem #2: The limitations of text-based communication in agriculture
Text-based communication is the norm for most communication software products in white-collar manufacturing and even the Ag industry. Unfortunately, text-based communication fails to get the job done 100% of the time. Ag employers considering communication software should be aware of the flaws of relying solely on written communication. Language barriers, literacy challenges, and the need for immediate comprehension can make text a less effective medium for crucial farm communications. For example, many workers may not fully understand written instructions due to varying literacy levels or language proficiency. As a result, important information can get lost in translation, leading to miscommunication, compliance risks, and even safety hazards.
The best of both worlds: audio enhanced messaging
Harvust uses audio to bridge these gaps, ensuring that all messages are received and understandable, regardless of their reading skills or native language. Every communication that goes to farmworkers has the little 🔊 emoji, which tells the farmworker that they can tap to listen to the message.
Unlike text-only communication, audio delivers information in a way that's immediate, accessible, and universally understandable. This enhances understanding and fortifies ag employers against compliance risks with robust documentation.
The power of audio in agriculture
In modern agriculture, where every second counts and every detail matters, audio emerges as a fundamental game-changer. Harvust has implemented audio to overcome traditional barriers, making communication immediate, accessible, and universally understandable. Here's why audio is becoming indispensable for farm labor management:
1. Overcoming language barriers more effectively
Text messages often rely on the assumption that workers are proficient in reading and understanding the language used. However, this is frequently not the case in the diverse landscape of agricultural workforces. Many farm managers and supervisors are not bilingual, and text translations may not fully capture the nuances of the original message. Harvust's audio translations deliver clear, accurate messages in the native languages of workers, ensuring everyone is literally on the same page.
2. Addressing literacy challenges head-on
Written communication assumes a certain level of literacy among recipients. But literacy varies widely among farmworkers, making text less effective or even useless for some. Audio messages directly bypass this challenge by providing spoken instructions and information. Workers can listen to their tasks and responsibilities, making understanding and acting on important safety protocols and operational updates easier. With audio, comprehension isn't dependent on the ability to read but to listen.
3. Immediate comprehension and better retention
When critical information is delivered via audio, workers can listen and listen at their own pace. This flexibility ensures better understanding and retention than text, which might require multiple readings to grasp fully. Audio's immediate nature allows workers to receive instructions in real time without having to pause their work to read a long message, making operations smoother and reducing the risk of misunderstandings. Imagine if your team had to stop to read every message while working—the loss of productivity would be significant. With our audio translations, one tap, and it's as if the employee's manager was conversing with them while they worked.
4. Consistency
How many times has a manager told you one thing and later on thought they told you something different? This misunderstanding damages productivity, but can also land you in hotwater if it is legal or compliance related. This consistent delivery ensures that every worker receives the same message, reducing the risk of errors that can occur in repeated verbal transmissions. Our audio messages, however, are logged and stored, providing a trail of compliance that is invaluable during audits or inspections.
Case studies and real-life examples
Harnessing the power of audio within an ag labor compliance platform like Harvust has yielded tangible benefits across various agricultural operations. Here are a few examples where audio has notably enhanced communication and compliance:
Automated alerts for environmental hazards
Consider the critical importance of timely and clear communication during environmental hazards like wildfire smoke or extreme heat. Harvust automatically tracks environmental conditions such as temperature and air quality index (AQI) at every farm location. When these conditions reach the thresholds set by states like Washington, Oregon, and California, Harvust immediately sends out alerts. These audio messages inform employees about the hazards, symptoms to watch for, and reporting procedures. This automated, audio-based alert system ensures that all employees, regardless of their literacy or language proficiency, understand the immediate steps they need to take to stay safe.
Imagine having your supervisors running around and yelling at the crew every time the temperature or AQI reached a certain level. The cost of their time alone is unbearable, not to mention the opportunity cost of what they could be doing instead. By using Harvust's automated audio alerts, our growers have sent nearly half a million critical time-sensitive pieces of information swiftly and without confusion, preventing potential health risks.
Enhanced safety training delivery
Safety training is a regulatory requirement that poses unique challenges in agriculture. Harvust enables employers to send video and audio-translated training directly to employees via SMS/WhatsApp, making essential training accessible and understandable. For instance, a typical safety training on Harvust might include video and/or audio explanations of how to safely handle pesticides or operate machinery, ensuring the workers understand the material in their native language. This method meets compliance standards and increases the likelihood that farm employees will effectively apply the training in the field.
We've seen workers in the field listening to their training (with AirPods!!), and with 75% of workers on Harvust opting to listen to their training; it's clear that audio is the preferred medium. Imagine the alternative: distributing printed handouts that might never be read or could be misunderstood. Training effectiveness would plummet, and the risk of accidents would rise, costing far more in the long run. Here is a sample of a training audio using a recent accident on the farm as a teaching moment (you can read more about our automated safety meeting programs here):
Streamlining documentation with speech-to-text
But it's not always about listening, sometimes it's better to speak. Transcription in Harvust is set to transform how data is collected and recorded on farms. Take the example of accident logs—an area where precise documentation is crucial. Supervisors can use Harvust to record audio logs of incidents, which are then transcribed into text. And the creation of a formal accident report begins automatically. This saves time and improves the records' accuracy, ensuring that all details are captured as spoken. This feature is handy for documenting disciplinary actions under the new H-2A Progressive Discipline rule, where accurate, thorough records are necessary to justify employment decisions.
The ability to talk faster than you can type reduces the time burden of filling out forms, making it more likely that they'll be completed in the first place, enabling more documentation (a virtuous compliance cycle!). Without this technology, documenting an incident could involve lengthy and error-prone typing sessions or handwritten notes that are difficult to track, verify, translate, and store.
Final thoughts
Audio isn't just an additional feature in farm labor management software—it's an essential piece of the communication toolkit that outperforms text-only communication in every aspect. If you are considering implementing communication software on your farm, you owe it to yourself (and your bottom line!) to consider the significant benefits of audio over text. If you want to hear more about how audio-based tools on Harvust are making a difference, contact us through the form below!
