It is both inhuman and unwise to ask a man, working on task
work, to stay in the shop after his task is finished "to maintain the
discipline of the shop," as is frequently done. It only tends to make
men eye servants.
An amusing instance of the value of task work with freedom to leave when
the task is done was given the writer by his friend, Mr. Chas. D.
Rogers, for many years superintendent of the American Screw Works, of
Providence, R. I., one of the greatest mechanical geniuses and most
resourceful managers that this country has produced, but a man who,
owing to his great modesty, has never been fully appreciated outside of
those who know him well. Mr. Rogers tried several modifications of day
and piece work in an unsuccessful endeavor to get the children who were
engaged in sorting over the very small screws to do a fair day's work.
He finally met with great success by assigning to each child a fair
day's task and allowing him to go home and play as soon as his task was
done. Each child's playtime was his own and highly prized while the
greater part of his wages went to his parents.
Piece work embodying the task idea can be used to advantage when there
is enough work of the same general character to keep a number of men
busy regularly; such work, for instance, as the Bethlehem yard labor
previously described, or the work of bicycle ball inspection referred to
later on.
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