Factors Affecting Turnover
of County Extension Agents in the
University of Kentucky
Cooperative Extension Service
John M. Mowbray, EdD
Area Program Director
University of Kentucky
Cooperative Extension Service
Questions That Prompted This Study




What is the turnover rate in the Univ. of Ky.
Cooperative Extension Service and is it consistent
with what is happening in other states?
Who is leaving the Univ. of Ky. Cooperative
Extension Service?
Why are County Extension Agents leaving?
Are there things the Univ. of Ky. can do to
prevent, delay or speed up the turnover process?
How did we define…………..



Turnover – actually leaving the organization: no
transfer or reassignment.
County Extension Agent – Only the professional
extension educator staff at the county level was
included in this study – no assistants,
paraprofessionals, specialists, administrators or
other support staff.
University of Kentucky Cooperative
Extension Service - Only Extension Agents from the
University of Kentucky CES were included in this
study. Kentucky State University personnel and
“U.K. Extension” programs were not included.
An earlier study of business and industry revealed:
“It is interesting to note that more than half
(54%) of the primary reasons for leaving and
nearly three fourths (74%) of the overall reasons
for leaving are things which the employer may
have been in a position to influence, but did not
do so.”
Ahr & Ahr, 2000
Mobley’s Simplified Theory of Causes and
Correlates of Turnover acknowledges that
multiple causes affect the turnover
decision in an individual.
Questions Guiding this Study
1.
Describe the personal and professional characteristics
of those who voluntarily left the position of County
Extension Agent.
2.
Determine the factors that contribute to voluntary
turnover of County Extension Agents under the broad
determinant categories of organizational, individual
work-related and individual non-work related.
3.
Identify patterns and themes related to turnover from
an analysis of the data collected from the County
Extension Agents who voluntarily left the Cooperative
Extension Service.
This study focused on turnover factors
that were categorized as:
Organizational – factors which the organization
alone can influence. (pay, opportunity for advancement, recognition,
opportunity for in-service and training, benefits…)
Individual Work-Related – factors related to
perception and performance which directly or
indirectly affect satisfaction with the job. (Is the job
challenging, interesting, clarity of responsibilities, qualified for the job, values of the organization
compared to personal values…)
Individual Non-Work Related – factors that are
personal or non-work related which influence the
individual’s commitment to the job. (family obligations,
location/distance from family and friends, opportunities for educational advancement, desire to
spend more time with family…)
Who was included in this study?



All 70 County Extension Agents who
voluntarily left the University of Kentucky
Cooperative Extension Service between
July 1, 1997 and April 30, 2001.
This excluded any forced resignations and
retirements.
This also excluded any County Extension Agent
who changed counties or moved to another
position within the U.K. C.E.S.
Data Collection



Information from agents was collected via mailed
questionnaire.
Parts of the instrument asked agents to rank on a
Likert Scale each of 50 factors contributing to
their decision to leave C.E.S. – then explain if
ranked high.
Agents were asked a series of open ended
questions designed to collect:
Information on their individual situation when they
left Extension (marital status, #of children,…)
The main reason for leaving Extension
Changes that could have been made
Any additional comment about why the left.
Data Collection, cont.
Personal and professional information was also
accessed from Personnel Files in the College of
Agriculture for those completing and returning
the survey:
Educational Level
Date of Birth
Degree Level
Marital Status
Race
Gender
Performance Ratings
County Assignment
Program Area
Number of Years in Extension
Salary
Also accessed the Univ. of Ky. Separation
Sheets on those who completed the survey to
determine their stated reason for leaving.
Who Resigned?















34 Years Old
Female
Caucasian
5.25 Years Service
4-H/Youth Development Agent
Native Kentuckian
Working in Central Kentucky Region
Bachelor of Science Degree in an Agricultural Related
Field
Performing at an “Exceeds Expectations” Level
Married
No Children
First Job out of College
$30,365 Salary
Contemplated Leaving for 10 months
Went on to a Position in Private Business
Factors Affecting Turnover
Organizational 1. Insufficient pay
2. Amount of work expected
3. Lack of recognition for a job well
done
Note: Importance of these factors was determined by their selection by 25% or > of the agents
Factors Affecting Turnover, Cont.
Individual Work-Related
1. Excessive night, weekend or
overnight commitments
2. I had other priorities in my life
3. No matter how much I did it was
never enough
Note: Importance of these factors was determined by their selection by 25% or > of the agents.
Factors Affecting Turnover, Cont.
Individual Non-Work Related Factors
1. Family obligations
2. A desire to spend more time with
family
3. I received another job offer
4. I was attracted to more money
elsewhere
5. My work conflicted with my
personal responsibilities
Note: Importance of these factors was determined by their selection by 25% or > of the agents.
Agent Response by Category
Organizational Factors



Insufficient Pay
Amount of Work Expected
Lack of recognition for a job well done
36%
30%
27%
Individual Work-Related Factors



Excessive night, weekend or overnight commitment
I had other priorities in my life
No matter how much I did it was never enough
52%
50%
32%
Individual Non-Work Related Factors





Family obligations
A desire to spend more time with family
I received another job offer
I was attracted by more money elsewhere
My work conflicted with my personal responsibilities
48%
45%
45%
32%
29%
What does this mean?
Themes of Extension’s
(1) impact on family
(2) time commitment to the job, and
(3) compensation
were the most common themes
expressed through the Likert scale
questions in the survey


The major factors contributing to
turnover transcend factor categories
and were supported throughout Parts
I through III of the study.
Agents apparently felt strongly
enough about these factors that they
used every opportunity to express
that concern.
Patterns and Themes from
Analysis of Open-Ended Questions.
Five themes emerged, four of which supported
earlier findings in this study:
1.
Experiencing Work Spillover Into Non-Work
Areas of Agent Lives.
2.
Dealing With Expectancy Gaps.
3.
Struggling With Fairness of Compensation.
4.
Experiencing Shadow Policy.
and the new theme of:
5.
Embracing Organizational Goodness Among
Leavers.
Conclusions
1. The time required to perform the job functions
of an Extension Agent was more than the
agents wanted to commit to, at least at this
stage of their life.
Top four overall factors contributing to agent turnover:
1) Excessive night, weekend or overnight commitment
2) I had other priorities in my life
3) Family obligations
4) A desire to spend more time with family.
2.
Insufficient pay came in as the top
organizational reason, 5th overall, and 2nd as
main reason for leaving, and was referenced by
agents repeatedly in terms of insufficient pay
for the amount of work expected.
Program Area of Former County
Extension Agents
Family &
Consumer
Sciences,
23%
4-H/Youth
Development,
52%
Agriculture/
Natural
Resources
25%
Age Breakdown of Former County
Extension Agents
40
Percent of Agents
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
22-26
27-31
32-36
37-41
42-46
Age
Mean Age of all Agents : 34 Years
F.C.S. Agents –
45.8Years
4-H/Y.D. Agents – 32.9 Years
Agr./N.R. Agents – 31.2 Years
47-51
52-56
62-66
Gender, Race and Native Kentuckian
Status of Former County Extension
Agents
Percentage of Agents
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Male
Female
Gender
Caucasian
Race
African
American
Yes
No
Ky. Native
Native Kentuckians: 73%
F.C.S. Agents – 90%
4-H/Y.D. Agents – 70%
Agr./N.R. Agents – 63%
Years of Service of Former
County Extension Agents
45
41
40
Percentage of Agents
35
30
25
20
16
14
15
11
10
9
9
8-10
>10
5
0
0-2
2-4
4-6
6-8
Years
Mean Service Time for Agts Who Left Extension – 5.25 Years ( Min – 0.4 Yrs/ Max. – 24.7 Yrs )
F.C.S. Agents – 6.9 Years
4-H/Y.D. Agents – 5.1 Years
Agr./N.R. Agents - 4.2 Years
Mean Service Time for All U.K. Extension Agents – 16.5 Years
Educational Level of Former
County Extension Agents
Doctoral Degree
2%
Master's Degree
34%
Bachelor's
Degree
64%
Degree Area of Former
County Extension Agents
Social
Sciences
5%
Recreation
2%
Public Admin.
5%
Comm.
5%
Agriculture
41%
Education
20%
Home
Economics
22%
Marital Status and Number of Children of
Former County Extension Agents
80
Percentage of Agents
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Single
Married
Marital Status
68% of Agents were Married
Zero
One
Two
Three
Four
Number of Children
Number of Children at Home was essentially the same
F.C.S. Agents 90% Married
4-H/Y.D. Agents – 61% Married
for all programs even though F.C.S. Agents were senior
to their co-worker groups by nearly 13 years.
Agr./N.R. Agents – 64% Married
Of those agents with children, average was 1.86 kids.
Performance Rating of Former Agents
Outstanding
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Needs Improvement
Unacceptable
(80+)
(75-79)
(70-74)
(65-69)
(<65)
18%
44%
21%
9%
8%
62% of former agents were rated at “Exceeds Expectations” or higher.
F.C.S. Agents had the highest ratings, but should be expected since most tenured.
Female agents ratings averaged 74.5 as opposed to 71.3 for male agents.
Rating Trend of Former Agents
Increasing
Decreasing
One Rating* (73+)
One Rating**(<73)
No Change
37%
20%
20%
6%
17%
* A first-time Performance Rating of 73 is considered typical for an agent meeting performance
standards.
** A first-time rating of <73 is someone whose performance needs improvement in several areas.
Extension as First Career Choice and
First Job after Graduation
70
Percentage of Agents
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Yes
No
First Career Choice
All Agents Who Left– 47%
F.C.S Agents
– 30%
4-H/Y.D. Agents – 43%
Agr./N.R. Agents – 64%
Yes
No
First Job
All Agents Who Left – 61%
F.C.S. Agents – 30%
4-H/Y.D. Agents – 61%
Agr./N.R. Agents – 91%
Length of Time Former Agents
Considered Leaving
Percentage of Agents
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0-20
21-40
41-60
100-120
200-220
Weeks
Mean Time Considered Leaving – 40.72 Weeks Min time –( 0 weeks,/ Max time – 208 weeks)
4-H Agents considered leaving longer but not significantly longer, but
4-H Agents were only agents who reported leaving with 0 weeks consideration. (3 agents)
Former Agents Currently Employed
Not Employed
14%
Employed
86%
Agents Not Currently Employed – 14%
Of those agents not employed F.C.S. Agents – 66%
4-H/Y.D. Agents – 34%
Agr./N.R Agents – 0%
Number of Jobs Since Leaving
Extension
3 Jobs
2 Jobs
1 Job
Current Jobs of Former County
Extension Agents
Col./Univ.
10%
Extension
14%
Other
6%
Govn't
21%
Business
25%
Schools
24%
Salary of Former Extension Agents
$20,000-25,000
$25,001-30,000
$30,001-35,000
$35,001-40,000
$40,001-45,000
$45,001 % Above
11%
55%
16%
9%
7%
2%
Mean Salary of Agents who left CES - $30,365
Mean Salary of All CES Agents -
$37,010
Percent of Agents
Organizational Factors
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19
Organizational Factors (Question Number)
Individual Work-Related Factors
60
Percent of Agents
50
40
30
20
10
0
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18
Individual Work-Related Factors (Question Number)
Individual Non-Work Related Factors
60
Percent of Agents
50
40
30
20
10
0
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9
Q10
Q11
Individual Non-Work Related Factors (Question Number)
Q12
Q13