Work Wise

We’ve put together a series of videos from industry experts talking about how eating well, creating a positive working environment, doing warm up and cool down exercises, along with managing your money are all important topics to help you work smarter for a longer more sustainable career in Wool!

Watch the videos in any order.

Eat Wise

Find out in these short informative videos why eating well will support your career on-farm and in shed.

To eat-wise, we need regular meals and hydration to provide us with consistent fuel over the whole day Eating well builds muscle mass, strength and stamina; helps you perform at a top level; gives you optimal energy levels and concentration to do your job well; reduces your risk of fatigue and getting sick; and improves your mood.

Eat Wise includes making small, positive changes to what you eat each day and leads to big results in performance over time. Fuel your body with nourishing foods and drinks to be on your A game every day.

Eat Wise for a long and sustainable career.

Think Wise – Listening and Communication

New Zealand is a diverse country with many nationalities and cultures. In a shearing shed you’ll find people of all ages and ethnicities. None of us really know what’s going on in anyone else’s life. Be respectful, be aware, and be sensitive to others. Bullying is unacceptable. Being in a shed you have to work in a team. Get on with your teammates, do your work well, and everyone wins.

Money Wise

Earning money is a big deal. We’ve made 8 short videos (each one is between 1 – 4 minutes long) to explain a few things, as it’s important to know and understand:

• what your contract means
• what types of contract there are
• how to read your payslip so you know how much you are earning and what tax you’re paying
• why you have to pay tax
• who to ask if you have a problem with contracts and pay at work
• why it’s important to let your boss know when you are sick.

It’s also good to let your boss know if you’re off sick, to ask for leave, and to put some money into savings if you can.

Move Wise

Working in the sheds can be tough physical work for everyone. Learn some simple warm up and cool down exercises that will help you stay flexible and fit. Do these at the start of your day, during your day, and at the end. Look after your body and you can have a long sustainable career in wool.

The exercise library has short videos of each individual exercise – great for you to watch and do at any time before or after the in-shed training and when you have a day of work in the shed.

If you have any injury that means you should not exercise please do not perform the Move Wise exercises.
If you have significant back pain please follow the guidelines you may have received from your health care professional.
Be careful when doing the Move Wise exercises. Listen to your body, and know your limits.

We love spiky massage balls. They’re really useful for working on tired and sore muscles.

Do not use a spiky massage ball on an area of the body which has:

• Skin rash
• Open wounds
• Blisters
• Bruises
• Tumours
• Bone fractures

Do not use a spiky massage ball if you have:

• Acute cardiac disease
• Acute kidney disease
• Acute liver disease
• Neurological condition which causes loss of sensation
• Blood thinning disorder