When we contacted a cucumber grower in Skåne and started talking on the phone, he immediately told us that he needed staff for the greenhouse. He said that the past few years had been difficult, both in finding people and in getting the planning together before each season.
But what made him most uncertain wasn’t the recruitment itself. What he wanted to understand was what the staff would actually cost him.
He told us: “I would like to hire, but I need to know exactly what I will have to pay. Otherwise I can’t plan the budget and I don’t dare to make a decision.” It was an honest and completely natural question. He needs people who know the work, who can handle the pace, and who stay for the whole season, but the finances must work as well. We know how much a single bad hire can cost a greenhouse grower during peak season.
So we went through everything: hourly wage, employer contributions, holiday pay, insurance, housing costs, and the total cost for six months. We put together a simple and clear calculation. When everything was laid out in front of him, black and white, it suddenly became much easier to make a decision.
It struck us once again that our work at TM Connect is not just about finding people. It is just as much about helping growers understand their own situation, creating clarity in the numbers, and giving them confidence in their decisions. Every grower carries a responsibility, not only for the plants but also for their costs and their business. And sometimes, all it takes is someone who sits down, listens, and goes through the numbers together with them.
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