Job satisfaction analysis at an R&D center in the Mexican automotive industry

Abstract

Over the recent years, the automotive industry in Mexico has grown significantly. Technical tasks are becoming more complex which is driving engineers to specialize further in their field of work. They are turning into the most valuable asset and harder to replace. Company AZE, which is one of the top Automotive R&D centers in Mexico, is used in this thesis as a business case. The Company has recognized the value of their engineering workforce and is focusing more in maximizing employees' tenure by identifying the drivers that either push employees to leave or stay at the company. Data was collected through a survey applied with the purpose of understanding what level of engagement, motivators and frustration factors are affecting the company's engineers. Analysis was conducted using cross tabulation and linear regression tools; attrition variable correlation with key variables had an R2 of 0.33. Results of the research show that 12.6% of engineers are planning to quit their job in the following two years. Additionally, 15.7% of engineers are not completely convinced of staying inside the company. Workforce is on average satisfied with their Jobs. The most likely reason is because the company is still growing; growth influences positively all employees' mood and creates a good working environment. However, is necessary to keep an eye on factors that may make the employees dissatisfied such as: Personal Development, Level of engagement, Work responsibility and salary. Recommendations of how to improve job satisfaction are provided as the conclusion of this thesis.