A rational wages system : $b some notes on the method of paying the worker a reward for efficiency in addition to wagesAtkinson, Henry
General
A rational wages system : $b some notes on the method of paying the worker a reward for efficiency in addition to wages
Atkinson, Henry
Incentives in industry -- Great Britain; Wages -- Great Britain
These notes are not concerned with the essential rightness or
otherwise of this or any other system of wage payment, or of the
wages system itself, or of the Capitalist System. These are matters
altogether outside the subject. These notes are only written because
the writer considers the Reward System, when properly carried out,
to be the best of several existing methods of payment for work done;
and as this particular method will be adopted more and more, and as
it undoubtedly leads to greater production and is to the direct and
immediate advantage of the worker, those concerned with the welfare of
the worker ought to consider the system in all its bearings, and not
hurriedly condemn it because it is new, because it is American, and
because it increases the productivity of the worker. If there is any
practical scheme that can be immediately adopted and will appeal as
strongly to both worker and employer, by all means let us have it and
abolish existing methods of wage payment altogether.
PART II
AN APPLICATION OF THE
PRINCIPLES TO A PARTICULAR
CASE
CHAPTER IV
WORK AND REWARD
The following is a description of one particular method of the time
study and reward payment following out the principles described in
Part I. This particular case is one which has been introduced into two
engineering factories in England.
It must be understood that the methods described are not necessarily
those which apply in all factories. Only the basic principles have been
described in Part I., and only one particular method of application is
described in Part II. Almost every shop will have its special details,
its individuality, and different trades will differ widely in the
carrying out of the principles. Manufacturing machinery, laying bricks,
sewing shirts, shaving, etc., cannot all be brought under one exact
scheme. But all must have time study and reward payment in proportion
to efficiency as a foundation on which to build a superstructure
of sound economical business management with satisfactory labour
conditions.
There will be an occasional repetition of points dwelt upon in Part I.,
but this is in order that the detailed description will be complete in
itself.
(_a_) ROUTING THE WORK.
When an order is received for a certain quantity of any article, the
first thing to do is to make a drawing of the article, and, following
on that, all the operations to be done on it are studied in the drawing
office.
The kind of metal is decided on; which operation must be done first
and which next; which machine each operation must be done on; how many
operations can be done on one machine and with one setting up of the
article; which tools to use; how fast the machines must run; what speed
and depth of cut is best; what cutting compound to use, etc.
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