Extension agent retention: practices that improve job satisfaction and agent longevity

Abstract

K-State Research and Extension (KSRE) is experiencing record high extension agent turnover. Turnover in local unit agent positions creates a burden on local and state extension systems. When an agent makes a career separation from KSRE, the organization experiences a financial loss, local programs are disrupted, and local unit employees are burdened with additional work responsibilities until the agent vacancy is filled. Employee turnover is not unique to extension, however the repercussions of an agent position vacancy create a strain on the organization.

While agent retention data is lacking at the federal level, KSRE has extensively tracked extension agent retention since the early 1990s. KSRE has a presence in each of the 105 counties and has 220 extension agent positions in local unit offices. According to agent retention data collected by KSRE, as of August 14, 2023, of the 220 agent positions currently filled, 91 have less than five years of experience and 74 agents have less than three years of employment with KSRE.

The purpose of this collective case study was to understand practices that influence agent retention in local extension units. A sample of 24 local unit agents with at least five years of service with KSRE was selected. Study participants were invited to a one-on-one interview based off their years of extension experience, program area, administrative region, sex, and type of unit served in, county or district.

The R.E.T.A.I.N.S. model was the guiding framework for this extension agent retention study. The interview protocol was designed to gather field experiences related to the R.E.T.A.I.N.S. model from the participating agents. The study examined the role of local unit agents and experiences regarding professional development, organizational and office culture, and relationships with supervisors. The aim of this study was to identify best practices for KSRE to improve agent retention. The research questions were: 1) How has engagement in professional development influenced the success of agents? 2) How does organizational culture and office culture environments impact agent job satisfaction? 3) How do relationships between agents and their supervisors influence agent retention? The experiences shared in this extension agent retention study are varied, like the uniqueness of each extension unit’s local community. Themes were identified from multiple rounds of coding including open, axial, and selective coding methods. Six themes emerged from the coding process: 1) relationships with supervisors, 2) relationships with extension council boards, 3) access to professional development, 4) organizational culture, 5) organizational loyalty, and 6) work practices. Each theme represents a factor that influences agent job satisfaction and ultimately agent retention.

KSRE has a strong and well-understood culture of continued professional growth. Agents acknowledge high-quality professional development is available to extension professionals. More experienced agents prefer to participate in trainings that align with their program area of focus, while newer agents tend to participate in more general professional development to build a foundation of organizational knowledge. For equitable access to professional development to be a reality for KSRE, funding outside of the local unit’s extension council budget needs to be provided. Not all local unit budgets allow for agents to travel and pay registration fees for training that is not in close proximity to the unit’s office.

Local unit organizational culture has greater influence on an agent’s job satisfaction in comparison to the regional and state level organizational culture. Agents desire a local unit culture that includes colleagues who have shared values and who work toward the organization’s mission. Agents shared expectations for trustworthy and communicative coworkers. From the agent’s perspective, supervisors also influence their team’s organizational culture.

KSRE local unit directors are in positions of leadership and influence an agent’s professional growth and day-to-day job satisfaction. Agents value a supervisor who is accessible and has the capacity to support agents beyond transactional requests. The majority of the study participants reported a positive relationship with their supervisor. Adversely, agents shared past and current experiences of working with a supervisor who lacked the human resources, interpersonal, and communication skills to successfully lead a local unit.

Implications for practice include developing best practices for local unit agents to improve job satisfaction and employee retention. Emphasis needs to be put on practices that foster strong and supportive relationships between extension agents and both their direct supervisor and their local extension council board. In addition, supplemental funding outside of the local unit budget needs to be available to provide equitable access to professional development. Lastly, an opportunity exists to create practices for local units to recognize and celebrate employee success.

In the present study, agents emphasized how the role of the unit director is critical in ensuring agent success and creating the environment that establishes the local unit’s organizational culture. The study collected data about the field experience of an extension agent but the story from KSRE local unit directors remains untold. Additional research is needed to gather perspectives of local unit directors in order to establish best practices to support both local unit agents and directors.