Food Processing - July 2008 - (Page 25) of fewer than 100 workers engage another 24 percent of those surveyed. But do you LIKE it? When we asked last year how well you like your job, 68 percent of you said you were either “somewhat” or “very” satisfied. at climbed to just over 70 percent this year. is not only beats the national average, but e Conference Board Inc. says fewer than half of Americans claim to be satisfied with their jobs. e group notes job satisfaction is continuing a decades-long decline. With so many so satisfied, companies must be meeting important needs of their workers. What are those needs? By far, the answer is to be challenged (i.e., not bored) by their work. More than 37 percent positioned that as the top issue. Expressed as a poignant and well-articulated plea, a plant ops expert at a large multinational corporation making nutritional foods and beverages noted, “I am not challenged at work; I’m not working in an area that allows me to use my strengths and provide value every day.” Another processor, this time working R&D at a multinational agricultural and protein products manufacturer in New Jersey, explains “( ere’s) no real motivation to do better since it seems that no matter how good a job you do, it is not enough to carry the company into the next generation. It’s all about, ‘what you are doing for me today?’ It seems only the bosses make the good money, and not much trickles down.” Speaking of trickle-down theory, salary was a distant second as a motivator, at only 21 percent. Money actually dropped a couple percentage points (3) compared to last year’s survey. Being appreciated by supervisors and owners came in third at 16 percent, and job security was fourth with over 13 percent. Advancement opportunities made fifth place. But little things mean a lot. A Plant Ops engineer with an MBA, working at a small confectionary products company in northern Illinois, describes the worst of the industry: “I wear too many hats. Being in a smaller company, I am in charge of maintenance, all CMMS data input and output, all MRO purchasing and purchase research, PLC programming HARVEST INNOVATION MORE ON THE WEB There is a longer version of this story with more general salary-related sidebars at www.FoodProcessing. com/articles/2008/234.html. You can also view in graphical form the results to all 36 questions in the survey via the above link. Last year’s survey is www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2007/159.html. FOODPROCESSING.COM Supporting the Food, Agriculture and Biofuels industry in reaching new heights. • More than 100 lawyers focused on the food, agriculture and biofuels industry • Representing more than 10 percent of companies in the DAXglobal® Agribusiness Index • Acting as trial, special or supervising counsel in agribusiness litigation in more than 30 states • Representing owners, lenders, investors and contractors in biofuel projects yielding more than 1.5 billion gallons of biofuel per year More than 525 lawyers in the United States, England, Germany and China. JULY 2008 FOOD PROCESSING • 25 http://www.FoodProcessing http://www.faegre.com http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2007/159.html http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2007/159.html http://FOODPROCESSING.COM
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