Job satisfaction assessments of agricultural workers help employers improve the work environment and reduce turnover

Abstract

Addressing the current labor shortage in California agriculture will require a multi-pronged approach, one of which may be increasing retention of current workers through improved job satisfaction. We developed a questionnaire to evaluate the job satisfaction of agricultural workers in 11 categories, tested the reliability of the questionnaire, and its relationship with worker turnover, in a sample of 665 vineyard workers. In our study, four sources of job satisfaction predicted turnover among Napa vineyard workers: communication, pay, nature of agricultural work, and family commitments. Improving these areas may increase job satisfaction and retention of existing workers to stabilize the agricultural workforce.

Keywords

• rural and agricultural sociology
• psychology
• people
• labor