I’ve been thinking more and more about this question: when there are issues in farmworker housing, where do we look for the problem, and what are the solutions? This conversation is with Luis Guitron, owner of Labor Force Solutions, and an operator with 10+ years of managing H-2A housing. He’s got a very clear-eyed view of what happens and the practical steps farmers can take to make their housing operations less costly and more compliant.

Here is a lightly edited transcript of our conversation:

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James Christopher Hall

Hey Luis, Happy New Year! I just had a conversation with a former DOL investigator about problems in H-2A housing: the split between workers'  not understanding expectations, employers' falling short, and how both lead to violations. What are your thoughts?

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Luis Guitron

Great question, I would say it falls under 2 categories:

1. Clear communication of rules and expectations from the initial start of their arrival. Proper onboarding and understanding of why rules exist.

2. Management did not follow through with the farm’s rules and expectations. Often, they are too lenient and let people break the rules. This becomes a bigger problem later on, especially when you want to turn things around and start the disciplining process.

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James

What’s the share of each?

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Luis

In my opinion, based on years of this work, here is the percentage breakdown:

60% of the issues stem from item #1; the remaining 40% stem from poor management/no one reiterating and enforcing company procedures. It really takes a solid person who can follow through with the company's expectations without giving in, if that makes sense?

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James

You know I love percentages, and that makes total sense! I was just thinking about how Harvust could help with that, and it feels like a lack of communication could be a part of it. We actually just rolled out automated housing rule reminders. Upload your housing rules, and Harvust will remind your workers of them continuously. No involvement required from the grower.

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Luis

Love it! Most of those violations could be avoided if the actual housing manager also understands the rules, why they need to be enforced, and communicates that to the workers. In addition, I would say that companies should provide proper training for their housing managers!

You will always have that one guy that simply isn't a fit, and that is ok. For example, he doesn't clean, follow rules, etc. We properly discipline and eventually have to do the hard part of letting that person go. This, in turn, sends a clear message to everyone that we mean business when it comes to meeting expectations. And it’s a lot easier when we’ve been consistently communicating the rules to the employees. Hope this helps!

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If you want to spend less time and do a better job of educating your H-2A workers about housing rules, check out Harvust's software for managing your temporary worker housing, and if you require hands-on expert assistance - send Luis an email!