Tradesperson or artist? A critical exploration of chefs' job satisfaction and turnover

This article reports on a small-scale exploratory study of professional chefs to assess the association between occupational values of creativity and skill, job satisfaction and motivation, and turnover behaviour. The embraced 'mono- occupational' approach responds to the inadequacies of generalisability evident in recent 'pan-industrial' methods. A further aim of the project was to examine whether any link existed between perceived poor working conditions, job satisfaction and turnover. It was found that there was a strong connection between the workplace expression of creativity and skill and job satisfaction, and this was also articulated by some as a contributor to turnover decisions. Although working conditions, particularly long and unsociable hours, were listed as sources of discontent, these were not articulated as triggers for turnover. In summary the findings suggest that intrinsic work qualities, including the ability to express artistic, creative and skill-based ambitions, have a stronger association with turnover than perceived poor working conditions. This project also validates the research method employed: that is to examine social phenomena from within, rather than as an objective observer.