Special Report: Food Processing reveals 2008 Salary and Job Satisfaction survey results

Nearly one in five of you work for MultiMegaCorp companies of 5,000 or more workers. Another 16 percent work for companies of 1,000-4,999 workers. Companies of 250-999 workers occupy 24 percent of respondents and 17 percent are in companies of just 100-249 employees. Companies 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. That climbed to just over 70 percent this year. This not only beats the national average, but The Conference Board Inc. says fewer than half of Americans claim to be satisfied with their jobs. The group notes job satisfaction is continuing its 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 “(There’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 with just over 9 percent.

But those smaller things can count for 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 and maintenance, robotics maintenance, office PC programming and anything else remotely technical on a 24/7 basis. Raises are minimal, and never exceed the cost of living and no bonuses for many years. I have no control over my budget and monthly cost information is unavailable to me, as the company is private (and therefore secretive). Promotion opportunities are nonexistent, salary is well below the norm for my knowledge and experience level.”

Whew! After that litany, you’d think this more-than-able worker is justifiably fed up. But he goes on to note, “The stress is lower than in larger companies I've worked for in the past, challenge and variety of work is ample, I have a good boss and my talents are at least somewhat respected by peers.” The latter endorsement likely explains why he’s been at his job for about a decade.

Bottom of the list — surprisingly, considering the troubled times we’re in — was the need for a low-stress environment, at under 4 percent. Still, stress is where you encounter it. A dairy products manufacturer in Wisconsin clearly was at the end of his rope when he wrote his company suffers from “lack of communication and focus; ‘Chicken Little’ syndrome when problems occur; near-complete lack of understanding at senior management level vis SPC, Lean, Process Excellence, 6 Sigma, etc., (yet they) beat those buzzwords to death. Sales and Marketing live in their own world where laws and theories of physics and economics do not apply, e.g. touting great ‘variable income’ being derived from products we are losing money on.”

The upside

In spite of this year’s flood of complaints -- such as “overworked, underpaid,” “not compensated for additional work” and “long hours and low staffing levels” -- there certainly was plenty of praise going around as well.

Two and a half times as many respondents provided praise as provided gripes this year. Comments such as these abound: “I enjoy producing and maintaining a quality product our customers need and want, making us a leader in our industry”; “I thrive on helping develop new products to maintain our competitive edge”; “As a Quality Control supervisor, I enjoy the work I do and take pride in the fact we produce very healthy and safe products for consumers”; “(I’m in a) positive environment, (with) challenging work (and a) solid management team.”

Other positive responses included: “I find my job challenging and enjoy the people with whom I interact”; “Great job diversity, many opportunities to grow and succeed; good pay and benefits”; “Salary and benefits are good; positive commendations from supervisor and team leaders happen frequently. (I have) technically challenging tasks (and) interesting work”; and “Recognition of jobs well done.”

A number of folks even describe what anyone would deem the perfect job. Says Richard Turchetta, a quality control expert for a Lincoln, R.I., bakery, “I am given total management control over my department without interference from higher management. I am the Food Safety Manager and I receive excellent support from the president and board of directors creating new policies and procedures that benefit the company. I am able to purchase all tools and equipment necessary to perform our function, within reason, without upper management interference.”