Every contractor has experienced a crew member who drags the pace, poisons the crew’s mood, and lowers standards. The eye-roll in the smoko hut, the one-word responses on the RT, the reluctance to learn a new skill. The “it’s too wet”, “it’s too dry” or “I think it needs to wait till tomorrow”, talking behind others’ backs. You’ve seen it, I am sure.

The “bad apple” cliché exists because it keeps proving itself to be true. One sook with a permanently wounded expression and an allergy to initiative can ruin any day, no matter how productive. There is always a convenient reason they can’t quite get to the last paddock, keen to “come back tomorrow” for half an hour’s work that will cost three hours and a replan. Always a grievance about the spec of the tractor they are in, always ‘baffled’ by a new machine setting. Leave that attitude unchallenged and observe the miracle: It slowly starts to rub off on your good operators. Ignore the issue, and congratulations, you have lowered your standard without even having to raise a finger. 

This kind of attitude can lead to inefficiencies like a scenic loop to tidy up nothing, a machine dragged off the proper schedule, clients being short-changed in terms of service, and your margin quietly evaporating. Multiply that by a season and you can kiss goodbye to the next machinery upgrade you keep fantasising about. That’s before we get to the silent costs: morale, pride and reputation. 

Spare me the bleating about “everyone being short-staffed.” you cannot afford it: a bad hire doesn’t just waste a payslip; it infects onboarding, re-hiring, lost time, rework, and client trust. The true cost runs several multiples of the wage. In Ag, the multiplier can be worse because distance, fuel cost, seasonal windows and local reputation make your mistakes heavy. You’re not running a coffee cart; your errors take hours to unwind and no one is going to help you out of love to stay solvent while you do it. 

What do you do? Grow a spine and some standards. Write down what “Ready” and “Done” mean in your outfit. Ready means the tedious things that prevent chaos are done: access sorted, hazards noted, parts/fert/seed on board, and the on-site contact notified. Done means the paddock is actually finished, not spiritually complete. Photos attached to the job if needed, total hours and hectares logged while still on site, any variations captured with a quick note before you move on. If it’s not written, it didn’t happen.

You want fewer disputes with customers? Start there.

Next, deal with the bad apple like an adult. Start in the paddock, not with an HR novel. When your usual suspect pipes up about not being put in the tractor they wanted, doing the job they wanted, you do not let them get any air time. “This is the job we need you to do, and this is the gear available.” If that melts them, good – it’s a test they’ve failed. You have learnt something useful.

If the same behaviour repeats, don’t manufacture drama. Put them on a short, clinical improvement plan: three weeks, three specifics, three check-ins. “You will arrive on time. You will drive what the team needs you to drive. You will finish the job well.” Try supporting them initially, buddy them up if needed, or ride along for support, but you won’t babysit an adult indefinitely. If they improve, say so and move forward. If not, make it clear it is not going to last. Keeping a saboteur “because we’re busy” is how you stay busy, missing money.

Hiring. Many contractors recruit like they buy a pie, spur of the moment and because it seemed good on the surface. Unfortunately, sometimes they regret this immediately. Your job ad should repel the wrong people as much as attract the right ones. Spell out the professional culture you want to foster in plain language: we look after kit like we paid for it, we respect our clients etc… Show the path that they can have in your business. That’s what grown adults want: proof they’re joining a future, not a shambles.

Interviews? Don’t just ask “tell me about your experience” and other questions they can make up answers to. Ask them what they want five years from now, at home and at work. Listen for realism and grit. Ring references and ask the only question that matters: “Would you hire them again?”

Don’t let yourself be the problem. Don’t tolerate it. Don’t let your standards slip because confrontation makes you squirm. Your best people will notice and naturally start holding the same standard to themselves and those that they are surrounded by, even when you are not necessarily present. Put yourself in a position where you can refuse to carry dead weight.

Set the standard. Keep it. Hire as it matters.

The work will speed up, the back chat will drop, and the bank balance will finally look like the hours you work.