Workers in a Poultry Cooperative: A Study on Their Job Satisfaction

Poultry sector in Balkan countries presents a significant dynamic in both terms of consumption and production. Even if small-scale poultry production in farmers’ backyards is very common in all Balkan countries, modern and industrialized poultry farming facilities have been developed to confront the increasing demand for poultry products. On the other hand, there are many studies that associate business performance to job satisfaction for employees and workers. Thus, it is worth examining job satisfaction and the factors that determine the derived satisfaction as a first step to study poultry sector and its contribution to food and beverage sector. In this study job satisfaction is examined for workers in a Greek poultry cooperative, since agricultural poultry cooperatives in Greece perform better than other sectors. In addition, the largest agricultural cooperative in Greece is a poultry cooperative that has a 30% market share. A similar situation is observed for many Balkan countries.

In order to examine job satisfaction, a questionnaire was developed based on the well-established questionnaires “Job Satisfaction Survey” and “Job Descriptive Index” in order to evaluate workers’ overall satisfaction. The survey took place in a medium-sized poultry cooperative located in Epirus, Greece, with more than 300 employees and workers. However, only workers in the production line were selected to participate in the survey excluding desk officers, salesmen, and workers in the logistics of the cooperative. As a result, about 90 fully completed questionnaires were returned representing more than 1/3 of the total workers of the cooperative.

The first results of the study through a regression analysis indicate that two groups of characteristics affect workers’ satisfaction: the relationships among workers and the personal opportunities for development and recognition. Moreover, workers’ educational level seems to affect the perceived satisfaction for workers. This study could provide to poultry cooperatives’ managers, in practical terms, specific directions that can be used in motivating workers to be engaged with the cooperative business and increase their satisfaction, and even more this study could be used to investigate further if job satisfaction could lead in better business performance for the poultry sector.