In a Recruitment Marketing Magazine exclusive, we interviewed Chloe McLeish, HR Manager for Aquis Farm Operations to discuss the challenges in recruiting for a fast-growing organisation, creative talent attraction channels, and how they find passionate people with aligned values.
The team at Aquis Farm Operations has a strong focus on their people with a vision of being number one in the industry, not just from a financial perspective, but in the welfare and care for their people and animals. Chloe McLeish, HR Manager for Aquis Farm Operations, explains they prioritise good protocols and practices, people and animal safety, and taking care of their properties. Interestingly, McLeish came from a corporate-retail background without experience in the horse racing industry.
“I’ve watched Aquis grow and diversify during the time I lived in the [Canungra] area,” said McLeish, “They’ve developed their properties and horse programs and I’d heard people talking about their progress in town. It was an exciting opportunity to get in on the ground level to make a meaningful impact to help them grow.”
“Recruitment in the horse racing and breeding industry can be tricky. Attracting the right people that are willing to offer longevity has certainly been a challenge. Having come from a retail background, determining the right recruitment initiatives for this industry has been a learning curve for me and I’m having fun finding new and creative ways to attract the right talent.”
Aquis’s vision is to be known for treating their people and animals with a quality cycle of care. In fact, Aquis owner and Buddhist, Tony Fung, has installed shrines to revered Chinese warrior Guan Yu on their properties in Murrurundi, New South Wales, and Canungra, Queensland to offer protection to properties, the animals and the people.
McLeish’s day begins with an open door for people to walk in with enquiries, issues and reports. Because Aquis Farm is growing rapidly, she is currently working to build HR platforms and frameworks.
“We’ve grown so quickly that sometimes the goal posts can shift. So depending on what arises, I need to change my focus on a new process, policy or support managers through our recruitment activities. I spend a lot of time talking to managers in the field, understanding their needs, issues, and how I can support them from an HR perspective. I travel frequently between our two properties.”
Industry-specific social networks
Instead of focusing on traditional reach methods such as advertising through Seek and the local paper, McLeish targets industry social-networking groups to find applicants with hearts in the right place, as well as the right skill set. Aquis has achieved a great deal of success connecting with equine groups on Facebook and recruiting through equine websites such as Racing Jobs.
“It can be challenging to find people who fit our culture. The pond is deep, but not that wide. The benefit of connecting with community groups is that people there are already looking for work in the industry and know the work can be taxing. But they have a passion for working with horses and we’ve been blessed because our profile is growing. People are seeing our growth in the industry and that’s attracting interest. We receive a lot of word-of-mouth referrals and many people approach us.”
Aquis recruits regularly for their stud hand crew who are involved in assisting vets and the upkeep and feeding of animals. The work is hard, physical and often against the elements, so these employees need physical fitness, in addition to having the passion for horses, being a good cultural fit and sharing the Aquis Farm’s philosophy of quality care for animals. Many maintenance workers are male, and the majority of stud hands are female.
“Stud workers are strong and work really hard. The girls are tough and it’s inspiring to see, especially for me coming from outside the industry. It’s challenging work, and I love seeing their passion and energy for the work that they do.”
Work-experience program
Aquis will be piloting an international work-experience program this year with The National Stud training program in the UK and Ireland to cultivate interest in the industry, and potentially coach and develop their next round of recruits. People who are studying to be horse professionals in the UK and Ireland can fly to one of Aquis Farm’s properties and gain valuable work experience and professional development.
“Their seasons are different to ours, so when they have a quiet season, our busy season is just kicking off. We’re looking to tap into their graduates to see how else we can incentivise the experience for them, for example, by paying for flights or offering them further education. So far, this has generated lots of interest. It’s going to be a great season this year with what I hope results in a diverse mix of experienced crew members!”
Referral network
While Aquis Farm is still small, they are growing fast and McLeish has implemented a lot of systems since joining the team.
“Word of mouth still prevails and we have sourced some amazing talent through referrals and recommendations from our existing teams (always a good sign!). I believe this is due to the fact that we not only aim to offer a healthy work-life balance for our teams but also promote career development and that we genuinely care for our animals.”
Applicants submit their resumes, undergo telephone screening and recruitment interviews, and McLeish has supplied line managers with standard interview and reference-checking guides.
Screening questions and behavioural testing
McLeish also believes in the importance of hiring people who have a genuine love for the work they are doing. She determines if candidates will make a good cultural fit by asking questions such as, “When are you most satisfied in your work?”, “What is a good day like for you?”, and “What’s a bad day like for you?”
“It works best to ask applicants how they resolve issues in the workplace. At the end of the day, you’re never going to work with people you agree with a hundred per cent of the time; without good communication and decision-making skills, teams can fall apart quickly. I ask them behavioural questions and see how they might respond in those situations.”
There are some applicants who have grown up around horses and the environment is second nature. For others who want to work with horses without experience, sometimes they don’t understand the physical nature of the role (the dirt and sweat…oh and the poo!). It’s not just leading and brushing horses all day! Which is why behavioural questions work particularly well for McLeish.
Promoting benefits
Aquis Farm believes in supporting their people through work-life balance, career progression, and succession planning. They also take into account that crews live and work in remote areas thirty minutes away from the nearest town and supermarket.
“Many of our people are young and want to have some fun. We have created a roster that allows the team to have quality time to go away, take a break, or visit family. We know this work can be challenging. Our people work really hard, so the more quality time they have to do what they need to feel refreshed and rejuvenated, the happier they’ll be and the less chance they’ll have of burning out.”
Aquis Farm is also embracing their work experience program and building other programs for students from schools to visit them in order to generate interest in the industry. McLeish values cultivating relationships with the community and encouraging new recruits to come through.
“We want to make it educational and show them the opportunities available. There are hierarchies and separate teams they can work in and different avenues they can take, from stud hands to area managers, shifting between divisions to broaden experience and progression to senior management. For example, we’re just brought on board a Director of Veterinary Services. Part of her role will be to build an education and training program for vet nurses and assistants, so we can be someone people look to train with, finish their education, and potentially stay on to be part of the Aquis journey. Similar to the work experience program, we hope they’ll see this as a career for them and understand what they can make of it.”
“You have to be transparent, almost vulnerable to applicants. It’s about being honest about the nitty-gritty and managing expectations. As much as candidates are selling themselves to us, we’re selling ourselves to them too. There can be embellishment with that, but the truth is so valuable in bringing the right people on board. It’s so important for us at Aquis Farm Operations that people have a genuine love for what they do. This, combined with tight scrutiny of their values and beliefs, enables us to ensure the welfare, safety and quality care of our animals.”
Have you had experience recruiting for a fast-growing or niche organisation? Let us know about your challenges and experiences in the comments below.