Human behavior can be challenging to change once habits are established. This might be one reason some employers prefer to hire new employees without experience, as compared to those who may bring previously learned bad habits to the job. New employees without previous experience can start with a clean slate and learn the farm’s protocols or standard operating procedures (SOPs). Following the detailed, step-by-step instructions in SOPs fills the strong need for consistency and attention to detail in the milking parlor.
Not all farms have SOPs, and for those farms that do, the SOPs are not always followed. Some reasons farmers have given for not following SOPs in the milking parlor include a lack of information about why practices are important, a lack of concern about udder health, difficulty associated with educating and training employees, the perceived fear of creating new issues by instituting changes, and concerns about additional time, money and labor requirements tied to the changes (Belage et al., 2019).
Following the proper milking protocol benefits the farm in many ways. Good SOPs are conducive to maintaining udder health and reducing the risk of mastitis. A well-timed udder preparation routine maximizes parlor efficiency and increases throughput. The likelihood of safety hazards associated with the milking parlor can be reduced when milkers properly follow SOPs. To a farm owner or manager, the preceding points are all good reasons to follow SOPs, but are these reasons enough to motivate workers?
Farm employees may be motivated by incentives or concern about incurring some type of penalty. Many farms set goals for milk quality, which, when achieved, may result in monetary rewards or other incentives like paycheck bonuses or participation in special events such as lunches or other outings. When offering incentives, it is important to ensure that achieving the incentive is within the employee's control. For example, poorly maintained parlor equipment that causes a loss of incentive is not within the employee's control and will be demotivating. For some, there is pride and satisfaction in a job well done. Maintaining animal and udder health should be the primary motivation for farmers and employees. Some farms will even encourage friendly competition through peer groups, as monitored by comparison of the cleanliness of milk filters at the end of milkings or by other metrics.