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For the past ten years, a US-based logistics recruitment company called Prologistix has been annually putting out a warehouse employee opinion survey which compiles answers from a wide range of employees from different companies and skill categories across the country. The 2017 survey was conducted between February 6 and March 25, 2017 and had 9152 participants, all of which had at least six months of experience under their belts. All major markets across the United States were included.

By conducting this survey, Prologistix’s goal is to get better insight into what the workforce wants, and ultimately use the findings to help their recruitment process and suggest positive strategies to their clients regarding wages, benefits, and so on. Fortunately, they’ve made the survey public and is available to all logistic, material handling, and warehousing companies wishing to improve employee relations.

Since 2007, the survey has evolved into an all-encompassing questionnaire which includes, but also digs deeper than, basic questions such as “What do you need, like, or dislike most?”. Prologistix wanted to delve into issues that are not easy to talk about, perhaps they don’t come to mind immediately or maybe they are controversial. At the end of the day, they wanted to know what issues, big and small, amalgamate to a happy employee.

A Job’s Most Important Factors

The main takeaway from this survey, as it is every year, is the most important factor which job seekers look for when hunting for a job. Pay has been at the top of this list every single year, with job security locking down second. The remaining factors have changed spots depending on the economy and industry trends. Here are the main findings and rankings for 2017.

  1. Pay: At par with most industries, remuneration stays at the top of the rankings.
  2. 2. Job Security: In an unpredictable economy, job security holds on to second.
  3. Work Enjoyment: People are still willing to sacrifice advancement and benefits for day-to-day happiness.
  4. Advancement Opportunities: Employees are constantly looking for advancement in order to fulfill the top three.
  5. Benefits: Benefits give workers peace of mind for the health and well-being of their families.
  6. Shift length and time: There is a preference for traditional work shifts of eight hours compared to the longer ten and 12 hour days.
  7. Supervisor likeability: A bad relationship with a supervisor can eventually lead to a quality employee leaving the company.
  8. Paid Time Off: An overwhelming number of participants prefer to get paid time off than a pay increase, most likely to keep a healthy work and life balance.
  9. Recognition for their work: Recognition is good for lifting spirits but can also benefit reputation and opportunities for advancement.

Evidently, these findings are in line with general sensibilities about work across all industries in the United States, but tracking these trends statistically will allow employees to have a voice and use unions or other discussion environments to express their needs. Giving employees what they want within the limits of the company improves productivity, quality, and safety.