Intergenerational Factors Influencing Food Safety Inspection Staff Retention
Krisden Ingram, MS
Human and Animal Food Auditor -
Food and Drug Administration
Abstract
Food safety is defined as the conditions and practices that preserve the quality of food to prevent contamination and food-borne illnesses. To protect public health, government organizations at the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial level oversee the nation’s food industry by introducing food protection standards, performing food safety inspections, and ensuring legal responsibilities are fulfilled. In the April 2022 National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) Journal of Environmental Health, an article titled “Governmental Food Safety Professional Workforce Estimation Model,” states:
“Challenges to the food safety system arise due to factors such as rapid changes in food production and supply, new and emerging pathogens, and other unexpected sources of foodborne illnesses against which food safety professional are the frontline defense.” (Fogarty, 2022).
Leading food officials report government organizations across the United States are experiencing challenges in retention and year-after-year turnover. Government employee retention challenges may stem from the varying needs and values of different generations of food safety regulators. This study identifies trends in generational differences related to factors that affect retention of food safety staff and utilizes data to suggest potential solutions.
Keywords: Food Safety, Illnesses, Consumer Safety Officer, Retention, FDA
Intergenerational Factors Influencing Food Safety Inspection Staff Retention
Background
The federal government estimates approximately 48 million cases of foodborne illness occur each year, which is equivalent to one in six Americans getting sick annually. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration 2022). To fight this substantial public health challenge, more than 3,000 U.S. federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal government organizations employ food safety professionals to ensure that laws requiring safe food production, processing, transportation, and sale are met by the food industry (FSMA, 2022). Like many other organizations, government agencies are encountering challenges in retaining food safety professionals. According to a report in The Washington Post, turnover rates for federal government jobs have reached their highest point in at least 10 years, with the average number of years spent on the job decreasing from 9.5 in 2012, to 7.5 in 2022. Similarly, state and local government agencies also have seen a decline in the average number of years employees stay on the job, with local government dropping from 8.3 years in 2016, to 6.9 years in 2022, and state government decreasing from 7.4 years in 2014, to 6.3 years in 2022. (Van Dam, 2023). In 2022, the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) Executive Director, Steven Mandernach, stated “Some (food safety) organizations are experiencing a 20% year-over-year turnover” (in staffing). During an April 6, 2022, Alliance for a Stronger FDA webinar the FDA’s Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, Judith McMeekin, shared the challenges in maintaining food inspection staffing necessary to meet annual work plans (McMeekin, 2022). Although the extent of organizations affected by high turnover rates is unclear, some have reported challenges in attracting qualified candidates and frequently reposting open positions. (Food Safety News, 2022).
Focusing on employee retention becomes crucial for organizations, particularly when they have already invested significant resources into recruiting and training their employees. The general assumption is that after an organization hires a food safety professional, they usually make a substantial investment in providing onboarding training to enable them to work independently and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing the food industry. While little research is available on the cost to onboard and train new food regulators, one researcher found that several Southeastern states spent an average of $146,276 for each new manufactured food inspector (Colson, 2016). According to a Forbes employee retention article, employees value on the job training, salary, remote work ability, flexible work hours, healthy work-life balance, recognition, engagement, vacation, and professional development (Forbes, 2022). But with multiple generations in the current workforce, are there differences in what each generation values, and could that understanding help government agencies address food safety regulatory staff retention?
At present, there are five generations that coexist in the workplace, starting with Traditionalists born before 1945, Baby Boomers born between 1946-1964, Generation X (Gen X) born between 1965-1980, Millennials born between 1981-1996, and Generation Z (Gen Z) born after 1996 (Paychex, 2019). Managing various generations in today’s workplace may be challenging, as there could be differences in expectations and values. For example, Forbes discovered that millennials stepping into leadership roles demand a high level of respect and transparency in the workplace, while baby boomers already in leadership positions focus on high expectations and push hard to reach their goals of making changes in the world (Forbes, 2019). Millennials and Gen Z find diversity and inclusion important, as well as an organization that cares about the wellbeing of its employees (O’Boyle, 2021). As Baby Boomers and Gen X workers prepare to retire and Millennials and Gen Z workers move forward in their careers, employers need to identify and understand the characteristics and desires that may impact each individual generation so they can attract and bridge the gap to retain staff (Grella, 2021). This study sought to determine if there are generational differences in employment value factors, and whether the differences can contribute to solutions in the increased retention of food safety regulatory staff.
Problem Statement
The impact that generational differences have on the retention of government food safety inspection staff is unknown.
Research Questions
What are the most important factors influencing current food inspection staff to remain in their positions?
What are the generational differences influencing food inspection staff retention?
What can federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments do to retain food inspection staff?
Methodology
The data was collected in three phases. In Step 1, a literature review was conducted to identify the key employment value factors valued by different generations currently working.
In Step 2, in order to gain insight into which factors were most valued by different generations, a survey was created based on a review of relevant literature. This survey, aimed to collect data on employment satisfaction, and was developed using Google Forms. To distribute the survey, it was shared via the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) weekly newsletter between November and December 2022, and also was sent directly via email to federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial departments. Additionally, a contact list provided by the Oklahoma State Department of Health and Florida Department of Health was used to individually distribute the survey to participants. The survey consisted of 24 Likert scale questions, which asked respondents to indicate the degree to which they agreed with various statements related to different employment factors valued.
In Step 3, the data collected from the employee surveys was recorded in Microsoft Excel. Data findings were interpreted through charts and graphs identifying key differences of employment factors valued among generational food safety inspection staff.
Results
A total of 177 current food safety professionals completed the survey out of approximately 2,000 invited participants. As shown in Figure 1, 77% of the responses were from state food safety staff, 17% from local staff, five percent from federal staff, and one percent from tribal food safety staff. Among the respondents, 16% were Baby Boomers, 33% were Gen X, 46% were Millennials, and four percent were Gen Z.
Figure 1
Percentage of Respondents by Generations
Figure 2 illustrates the average responses from participants who selected 4 (Agree) or 5 (Strongly Agree) in terms of satisfaction on valued factor questions, categorized by generation. All generations agreed that their work is meaningful and important to public health, with percentages ranging from 86% (Gen Z) to 93% (Baby Boomers and Gen X). The data reveals that 69% of Baby Boomers, 71% of Gen X, 74% of Millennials, and 71% of Gen Z expressed happiness working for their respective organizations. The percentage of respondents who reported enjoying their work ranged from 43% (Gen Z) to 83% (Gen X). In general, the employment value factors that received the highest degree of satisfaction were flexible work hours (Gen X - 90%) and on-the-job training (Millennials - 89%).
Figure 2
Percentage of Generations Expressing Satisfaction
Figure 3 represents 38% of Baby Boomers reported feeling able to vacation without worrying about their work tasks, nearly 90% were reported to be motivated to do their work, 72% were pleased with their organization’s remote work policy, 76% of Baby Boomers were satisfied with their organization’s benefits package and nearly 38% conveyed their workload is manageable.
Figure 3
Baby Boomers - Employment Value Factors
Figure 4 displays that among Gen X, 69% reported being motivated to do their work, 58% expressed contentment with their current work-life balance, and 64% were satisfied with their organizations' remote work policy. Additionally, 47% of Gen X respondents reported satisfaction with their organizations' opportunities for professional development, while 34% expressed satisfaction with their organizations' opportunities for promotion. The data also reveals that 51% of Gen X respondents felt able to take vacations without worrying about their work tasks. A full 44% of Gen Xers stated that their workload was manageable.
Figure 4
Generation X - Employment Value Factors
Figure 5 depicts that 61% of the surveyed Millennials reported being motivated to do their work. The data also reveals that 74% of Millennials expressed satisfaction with their work-life balance, 67% were satisfied with their organization’s opportunities for professional development, and 44% were satisfied with their organization’s opportunities for promotion. Additionally, over one-half of Millennials (52%) felt they could take a vacation without worrying about their work tasks, with 61% reporting their workload as manageable.
Figure 5
Millennial - Employment Value Factors
Figure 6 shows among Gen Z respondents, 43% indicated they were motivated to do their work, 43% were satisfied with their organization's opportunities for promotion, 29% reported satisfaction with their work-life balance, and 29% were satisfied with their organization's remote work policy. More than 70% of Gen Z respondents felt that their workload was manageable, and they were able to take vacations without worrying about work tasks.
Figure 6
Generation Z - Employment Value Factors
Conclusions
In conclusion, the survey conducted provided significant insights into value factors that different generations hold in high regard when it comes to their employment satisfaction. All generations reported satisfaction rate in terms of being happy working for their organization, ranging from 69% to 74%, however, the data indicates there are generational differences potentially influencing food safety staff retention. Motivation to do the work is one of the key values that differs across generations. While less than one-half of Baby Boomers (38%) indicated they could vacation without worrying about work tasks, more than one-half of Gen X (51%) and Millennials (52%), and 71% of Gen Z reported they can take a vacation without concerns about work. Baby Boomers 62% and Gen X 66% feel their workload is not manageable, while Millennials 61% and Gen Z 71% feel their workload is not manageable. Baby Boomers across all government levels felt they could communicate effectively with management, whereas Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z reported not feeling as confident in their communication across all government levels with management as Baby Boomers. Furthermore, there is a notable generation gap in terms of feeling valued and appreciated by their organizations. While more than 50% of Baby Boomers and Millennials reported feeling valued and appreciated, less than one-half of Gen X and Gen Z expressed satisfaction, with the latter's satisfaction rate falling below 30%.
The research indicates that Baby Boomers are generally satisfied with their organizations, although the inability to take leave without worrying about work is a concern. This inability to take leave may be due to the level of responsibility that Baby Boomers have in their organization, and most likely is something that employers should be cognizant of to help employees with their work-life balance.
Further, this research suggests that while Gen Xers and Millennials are generally satisfied with their organizations, 47%-67% are dissatisfied selecting 1 (Strongly Disagree) or 2 (Disagree) concerning their opportunities for professional development and promotion. Gen Xers and Millennials may be looking to rise into higher positions and step into more significant roles.
This research also suggests that some in Gen Z are dissatisfied with the current employment value factors provided by their organization. As Gen Z enters the workforce, they prioritize employers who prioritize their well-being. It is assumed that if organizations do not prioritize a healthy work-life balance, Gen Z employees may not plan to stay for more than five years. An important item to note is that data from Gen Z respondents was limited, with only seven responses.
The study concludes that, rather than only working to increase employee value factor satisfaction, organizations also should focus on improving their communication methods, work to enhance employee inclusivity, and value staff input. Additionally, the requirements of Millennials and Gen Z’ers differ slightly from those of Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers. For instance, while organizations should prioritize the solicitation of input from all staff members, regardless of their seniority level, as well as provide flexible work hours and locations to promote a healthy work-life balance, younger employees also value frequent communication regarding their needs and desires, such as additional career development opportunities.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of this research, employees and their organizations are provided the following recommendations:
Government organizations should focus on employee engagement by coordinating frequent meetings with staff throughout the year.
Government organizations should work to increase salary and benefits given to their food safety staff.
Government organizations should conduct employee satisfaction assessments each year to help the organization foster a healthier employee relationship.
Employees should provide truthful feedback whether satisfied or dissatisfied regarding their needs and values, so organizations are able to effectively make changes.
Additional research is needed on the success strategies of government organizations with high retention rates. That data should then be shared with other organizations with low retention rates for collective improvement.
Organizations should develop mentoring opportunities within their programs to encourage communication between employees and provide enhanced career development opportunities.
Organizations should cooperatively work to improve employment value factors for all generations.
Based on the amount of data received, further studies are recommended to analyze the data based on additional variables such as level of government, years of service, and position within the organization.
Based on the small percentage of federal and tribal employees participating in this study, and the absence of territorial involvement, such a study should be repeated soliciting additional participation.
Employers should find ways of creating a manageable workload for their staff to avoid potential burnout.
Acknowledgements
I would first like to acknowledge and thank my mentor Kathy Fedder for her support, guidance, and encouragement throughout my time in the fellowship and her assistance with keeping me on track. I would also like to recognize the following people for their support with this research study; IFPTI Executive Director; Gerald Wojtala, IFPTI Research Subject Matter Expert; Craig Kaml, IFPTI staff; and all the Cohort XI Mentors and Fellows. To my fellow cohort members, it has been a pleasure working alongside you all and great getting to know each of you individually, I wish you all much success in your future endeavors. I would like to thank Ms. Ellen Buchanan, Audit Staff Director, for giving me the opportunity to participate in the IFPTI Cohort XI 2022 - 2023 Fellowship Program and supplying me with the time and resources needed to accomplish the program. I would also like to thank my fellow audit staff members for their encouragement, constructive suggestions, and feedback during this process. I would like to thank the following organizations for their contributions to this project; the Association of Food and Drug Officials (specifically Jessica Badour), the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the Florida Department of Health their willingness to distribute and share the research survey link. Finally, I would like to thank my close family and friends, for their love and support - I love you all so much!
References
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Author Note
Krisden Ingram, Program Standards Auditor
Food and Drug Administration/ Office of Regulatory Affairs
This research was conducted as part of the International Food Protection Training Institute’s Fellowship in Food Protection, Cohort XI.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to:
Krisden Ingram and Food and Drug Administration, 404 BNA Drive
Funding for the IFPTI Fellowship in Food Protection Program was made possible by the Association of Food and Drug Officials.