Shop Management

52 SHOP MANAGEMENT work leave because they were offered much larger salaries elsewhere. The study of “unit times” for the yard labor took practically the time of two trained men for two years. Throughout this time the day and piece workers were under entirely sepa- rate and distinct management. The original fore- men continued to manage the day work, and day and piece workers were never allowed to work to- gether. Gradually the day work gang was dimin- ished and the piece workers were increased as one section of work after another was transformed from the former to the latter. Two elements which were important to the success of this work should be noted: First, on the morning following each day’s work, each workman was given a slip of paper informing him in detail just how much work he had done the day before, and the amount he had earned. This enabled him to measure his performance against his earnings while the details were fresh in his mind. Without this there would have been great dissatis- faction among those who failed to climb up tG the task asked of them, and many would have gradually fallen off in their performance. Second, whenever it was practicable, each man’s work was measured by itself. Only when absolutely necessary was the work of two men measured up together and the price divided between them, and then care was taken to select two men of as nearly as possible the same capacity. Only on few occasions, and then upon special permission, signed by the writer, were more than two men allowed to work on