THE OUTCOME: HOW FAR HAVE WE ATTAINED OUR AIM?
The Tests of General Health.
We will now assume that the reader has attacked the fatigue problem
in his particular plant, and has applied either preliminary or more
permanent fatigue elimination. There are various general measurement
tests which he may apply to the results, in order to see how much
better the working condition of his organization actually is than it
was when he started in upon his fatigue-eliminating work.
The first of these is the test of general health. It is, of course,
perfectly possible that an individual worker’s general health may
go down under far better working conditions; this, because of some
home influence, or something in his general condition or his life
away from work, which pulls down his health. It would not be fair to
blame the work for any illness easily traceable to home conditions,
to an epidemic prevalent, or to some certain outside source; but, if
conditions away from work have remained fixed, there is every reason
to expect that general health should improve with fatigue elimination.
This we find in actual practice is the case. Even where fatigue is not
materially cut down during working hours, because measurement shows
that the worker is not getting over-fatigued, the general health is apt
to improve because of greater regularity in habits of work, and because
of better physical and mental habits, while doing the work. The path
along this line is a continuous, never-ending, upward spiral. Fatigue
is eliminated by establishing proper habits. Proper habits improve
health. The improved health allows of more work with less fatigue, etc.
The Test of Prolonged Activity.
In order to be thoroughly satisfactory, observations of the effect of
the changes upon the worker must be made during a long period. The
worker’s greatest asset is his ability to work. In order to prove
its value, fatigue eliminating work must actually show results in
prolonging the years that he is able to devote to his life work. This
in practice it does. Not only does the average worker remain physically
able to work more years than where no fatigue elimination has taken
place, but also through the fatigue study, and motion study, which he
has co-operated to make, he learns to be able to teach that thing, or
those things, at which he is most skilled, and thus to prolong his
years of economic value. You must note how many of your workers are
beyond the usual working age, and are still at work. Some of these will
be working at the work itself; that is, in the performing department.
Others will be planning or teaching the work in some way. The number of
these and their condition will form an admirable unit of measurement of
the success of your work.
The Test of Posture.
The third test is that of posture. Take another walk through your
plant, and look at those workers to whom fatigue elimination work has
been applied, and note how they are sitting, or standing, or walking.
[Illustration: FIG. 31
A. Set of experiments in fatigue study for proving that times of motions
have little close relation to lengths of motions unless the same length
of motion is repeated consecutively many times. (See Fig. 21.)
B. Micromotion of workman reaching with both hands for pieces of
a machine which is being assembled. The microchronometer in the
foreground registers divisions of time to the half a thousandth of a
minute, and therefore gives us much data relating to time study, motion
study, and fatigue study.
C. Penetrating screen in the plane of the motions for the purpose
of registering exactly the distance of motions in fatigue study
experiments.]
[Illustration:
A B C
FIG. 31]
The American Posture League, with headquarters at 30 Church
Street, New York City, will gladly furnish standards for proper posture
in various positions. It will be impossible, of course, to eradicate
wrong habits of posture in a short time, no matter how radical the
change may be, but you should note improvements. At least each worker
should be so placed that he could work in the proper posture if he
chose, and so that the proper posture will be the easiest for him.
If the chairs, benches, levers, or devices force him to assume the
proper posture, so much the better. Consideration of the devices shows,
unfortunately, that few are designed for operation with least fatigue;
more being designed to use the least quantity of material.
In the case of young workers, especially, it is surprising how quickly
the proper devices will induce the correct posture, especially if the
betterment staff co-operate to explain the correct posture, and its
effect upon health. Where no betterment staff exists, the posters of
the Posture League will serve as desirable examples and object lessons.
Here again, as in so many other places, “fashion of work” is a most
important element. Let correct posture become the fashion, and let the
devices make the posture possible, and astonishing results will follow.
It is, of course, always a great aid to make anything that one desires
the easiest thing to do. The proper chairs and work places make correct
posture the easiest posture to hold. This is a great force towards
maintaining it.
The Test of Behaviour and Implied Mental Attitude.
The fourth test is to observe the behaviour of the workers. Do their
actions, their resulting work, and whole attitude towards the work
indicate that the fatigue eliminating work has been effective? There
should be better “habits of work” than have ever existed before. More
work should be turned over to the habit processes, and the formation
and maintenance of good habits should become a part of the day’s
work. It should be noted just exactly what seems to be the kind and
amount of incentive that keeps the workers at the work. If the fatigue
elimination has done what it should along its line, the reason for
doing the work as it is being done will be the belief that this way
is the best way yet found, a belief that one is safe in following
the method, since proper allowance for fatigue has been made. There
should also be present a desire to contribute to the welfare of all
by looking for easy ways, as well as scientifically-derived ways, to
eliminate fatigue, while at the same time following the best method as
yet available.
The question of motivation is one demanding understanding and
serious consideration in every field of activity to-day. This is
true in education. It is also true in the industries. The motive of
getting all that one can for one’s work must always exist, and is a
perfectly justifiable motive, but the fatigue-eliminating work cannot
be considered successfully, unless this motive of self interest has
also with it the motive of interest in the welfare of others, and in
cutting out all fatigue that can effect any member of the group in any
way. This feeling should express itself in a social attitude, which
is another behaviour test. If every member of the organization stands
ready to endorse the fatigue elimination, and to co-operate in further
fatigue elimination for the good of all, the social attitude shows that
the work that has been done is worth while.
The Test of Transference of Skill.
The amount of skill that is successfully transferred may be used as
a test of fatigue elimination. Each member of the organization is
supposed to transfer skill, and also to acquire skill. He transfers
to others the skill in the lines of work in which he is proficient,
yet which are not the highest types of work that he can do. He learns
from others such types of work as are of the highest type that it is
possible for him to learn, that he has never had an opportunity to
learn because of the time taken by work requiring less skill, that it
was necessary under the old plan for him to do.
It is a fallacy to suppose that work which does not demand all the
skill at one’s disposal is less fatiguing than work which does. Work is
not less fatiguing because it demands less skill. It is less fatiguing
when it is done with ease and when there is a joy of achievement
requiring skill; that is, when it is satisfying. Because of lack of
opportunity, one may only perform with ease the work which does not
demand much skill. As soon as he learns to perform the skilled work
with ease, it causes even less fatigue, other things being equal,
than does unskilled work, because it holds the interest, hence the
attention, more easily.
We enjoy doing that which we can do well. Whether we improve in the
doing because we take pleasure in doing it, or simply because the
pleasure makes us do more, and we improve with the practice, is not
of great importance. Psychologists are divided in their opinions as
to the effect of pleasure upon work, but all agree that, directly or
indirectly, pleasure in the work does affect the work favourably.
Through the transference of skill this pleasure is given to the
work, or increased in the work, and, therefore, the amount of skill
transferred is a test of fatigue elimination.
Test of “Happiness Minutes,” Individual and Social.
The final test of fatigue elimination, as of every other change made
in doing things, is its influence upon the total output of “Happiness
Minutes.” The aim of life is happiness, no matter how we differ as to
what true happiness means. Fatigue elimination, starting as it does
from a desire to conserve human life and to eliminate enormous waste,
must increase “Happiness Minutes,” no matter what else it does, or it
has failed in its fundamental aim. Have you reason to believe that your
workers are really happier because of the work that you have done on
fatigue study? Do they look happier, and say they are happier? Then
your fatigue eliminating work has been worth while in the highest
sense of the term, no matter what the financial outcome. Naturally the
savings that accrue must benefit every one, but saving lies at the
root of fatigue elimination, and, if every member of the organization,
including the manager and the stockholders, is getting more “Happiness
Minutes,” you surely are working along the right lines.
[Illustration: FIG. 32]
[Illustration: FIG. 33
These pictures are of meetings of the Foreman’s Club at the New
England Butt Co. examining films of methods of least fatigue, proposed
for standardization.]
Social “Happiness Minutes” will consist of the sum of the individual
“Happiness Minutes” plus that intangible thing called “social spirit.”
It is exemplified in a case like this: A certain group of workers had
been studied from the motion study and the fatigue standpoint. The
result of the work had been incorporated in their daily practice,
and they had been working for a period of many months under
the readjusted working conditions and with the new methods. At the
end of this time they were gathered at a foremen’s meeting, where a
micromotion film, showing the development of the methods which they
used, was presented. In discussing the film the speaker took the
occasion to say that on observing the work in the plant he felt that
some lapses from the method prescribed were in existence. The next
morning, when he walked through the plant, he was stopped by a worker,
who said, “See here! I don’t believe we are falling away from that
method a bit. If we are, just show us where, and we will go straight
back to it. We want to play the game right.” This is the test of the
outcome. Is the organization lined up as one man back of the work? If
so, the problem of maintenance and of automatic improvement is solved.
Summary.
At any stage in the process of fatigue elimination the results may be
tested. The general health of the worker, his prolonged activity, his
posture, his behaviour act as such tests. To these may be added the
amount of skill transferred and being transferred, and the effect, in
particular, on “Happiness Minutes.” If the organization endorses the
work and co-operates in it, the work may be rated successful.