SURVEY SECTIONS Executive Summary AgCareers Background Applicant Results      Demographic Trends      Employed vs. Unemployed      Male vs. Female      Management vs. Non-Management      Canadian Born vs. Non-Canadian Born Hiring Company Results      Companies Hiring Directly      Recruiting Agencies Recommendations to Management      The Job Description and Specification      The Interview      On the Job      Advancement Opportunities      Other Important Functions      Summary References Appendix A: Job Seeker Survey Appendix B: Hiring Company Survey

Research Summary

Two surveys were conducted targeting job seeking applicants [Appendix A] and companies who are currently hiring [Appendix B]. The companies were broken down into direct company and recruiting agency. The applicant survey generated 438 responses while the hiring company survey generated 112. As well, on the condition of anonymity applicants and companies were encouraged to express their concerns regarding the hiring process, as well as their viewpoints on how companies should treat their employees. All of the companies surveyed were from Canada and 54% of the applicants surveyed are originally from Canada, with the remainder being immigrants and people who are looking to come to Canada to pursue their careers.


Executive Summary

"Are most people satisfied with their jobs? The answer seems to be a qualified 'yes' in most developed countries… However, the evidence indicates a market decline in job satisfaction since the early 1990s" [1, pg 79].

Why should companies be concerned with a decrease in job satisfaction? The results are numerous. Of particular interest is the fact that job satisfaction leads to increased turnover within companies, and increased turnover leads to recruitment costs which can be astronomical. In fact, job dissatisfaction, "is the number one reason why good people leave. It is a catch-all term but, if people are unhappy, feel undervalued or unappreciated, they will soon leave" [2]. Dissatisfied employees are also likely to be absent more often and an unhappy organization tends to be less productive as a whole [1].

Adding to job satisfaction's importance, more companies are finding themselves in the service industry. In Canada 74.4% of all employees work in this industry [3]. Having happy employees in a service business is perhaps more important than any other. The reason why is that, "in service organizations, customer retention and defection are highly dependent on how front-line employees deal with customers. Satisfied employees are more likely to be friendly, upbeat, and responsive. This is appreciated by customers" [1, pg 83].

It is therefore quite obvious that satisfied employees are important in today's business environment. Finding out what employees want within an organization is critical to evaluating their level of satisfaction, and unfortunately most companies do not have an effective grasp of what makes their employees happy within their jobs and the organization as a whole.

Human resource departments must be aware of what is important to employees and applicants looking to enter the organization. By increasing the knowledge level regarding employee satisfaction, companies can effectively bring the right people into the organization and ensure that those already working within the company are more likely to contribute positively. Recruiters must be aware of these facts so that they can better place candidates within organizations. Their task is doubled as they must not only be aware of the multiple organizations they deal with, but they must be aware of the individual desires of job seekers as well.

Surveys of both job seekers and hiring companies were conducted to determine the most important factors of job satisfaction. Based on the survey results, it has been identified that the level of communication between current/potential employees and hiring companies is severely lacking. Therefore increasing communication is important to effectively increase job satisfaction in organizations across all industries.

Farms.com AgCareers aims to assist companies in increasing their overall human resource effectiveness. By helping companies better understand the nature of job satisfaction, AgCareers can help companies become more effective at hiring and retaining employees.