MOTION STUDY AND TIME STUDY

INTRODUCTION

Time study developed in the direction of establishing standard times, while motion
study evolved into a technique for improving work methods. The two techniques became
integrated and refined into a widely accepted method applicable to the improvement and
upgrading of work systems. This integrated approach to work system improvement is known
as methods engineering and it is applied today to industrial as well as service organizations,
including banks, schools and hospitals.

MOTION STUDY

In contrast to, and motivated by, Taylors time study methods, the Gilbreths proposed
a technical language, allowing for the analysis of the labor process in a scientific context. The
Gilbreths made use of scientific insights to develop a study method based upon the analysis
of work motions', consisting in part of filming the details of a workers activities and their
body posture while recording the time.

ADVANTAGES OF MOTION STUDY

Taylor and his colleagues placed emphasis on the content of a fair days work, and
sought to maximize productivity irrespective of the physiological cost to the worker. For
example, Taylor thought unproductive time usage (soldiering) to be the deliberate attempt of
workers to promote their best interests and to keep employers ignorant of how fast work
could be carried out. This instrumental view of human behavior by Taylor prepared the path
for human relations to supersede scientific management in terms of literary success and
managerial application.

TIME STUDY

Time study is a direct and continuous observation of a task, using a timekeeping

device (e.g., decimal minute stopwatch, computer-assisted electronic stopwatch, and
videotape camera) to record the time taken to accomplish a task

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ADVANTAGES OF TIME STUDY

The application of science to business problems, and the use of time-study methods
in standard setting and the planning of work, was pioneered by Frederick Winslow Taylor.
Taylor liaised with factory managers and from the success of these discussions wrote several
papers proposing the use of wage-contingent performance standards based on scientific time
study. At its most basic level time studies involved breaking down each job into component
parts, timing each part and rearranging the parts into the most efficient method of working.
By counting and calculating, Taylor wanted to transform management, which was essentially
an oral tradition, into a set of calculated and written techniques.

TIMEKEEPING AND METHODS OF TIMEKEEPING

Timekeeping is the process of tracking and reporting work and leave time. Following
are the two methods of time-keeping discussed in detail:

I. Manual Methods:

() Attendance Register Method, and (b) Metal Disc Method.

(a) Attendance Register Method:

It is the oldest method of recording time. Under this method, an attendance register
(also known as Muster Roll) is kept in the time office adjacent to the factory gate or in each
department for workers employed therein. The attendance register contains such columns as
the name of the worker, the workers number, the department in which he is working, the rate
of wages, the time of arrival and departure, normal time and overtime. The time of arrival and
departure may be noted down by an employee known as time-keeper. If the workers are
literate, they may make a record of time themselves in the presence of a time-keeper or
foreman. This method is simple and inexpensive and can be used in small firms where the
number of workers is not large. This method may lead to dishonest practice of recording
wrong time because there is possibility of collusion between some of the workers and the
time-keeper. However, for recording the time of workers who work at customers premises
and places which are situated at a distance from the factory, this may be the only suitable
method.

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(b) Metal Disc Method:

Under this method, each worker is allotted a metal disc or a token with a hole bearing
his identification number. A board is kept at the gate with pegs on it and all tokens are hung
on this board. These boards can be maintained separately for each department so that the
workers could remove their tokens from the board without undue delay. As the workers enter
the factory gate, they remove their respective discs or tokens and place them in a box or tray
kept near the board.

Immediately after the scheduled time for entering the factory, the box is removed and
the late comers will have to give their tokens to the time-keeper personally so that the exact
time of their arrival could be recorded. The discs or tokens still left on the board represent the
absentee workers. Later the time-keeper records the attendance in a register known as Daily
Muster Roll which is subsequently passed on to the Pay Roll Department. This method is
simple because illiterate workers can very easily recognize their tokens and put in the box.
This method is better than attendance register method and is useful when the number of
employees is not large.

But it has certain disadvantages of its own as given below:

There are chances that a worker may try to remove his companions token from
the board in order to get his presence marked when he is absent.

There are chances of disputes regarding the exact time of arrival of a worker
because the time-keeper marking the attendance can commit mistakes deliberately
or through carelessness. There is no authentic proof of the presence or absence of
the workers.

There are chances of inclusion of dummy or ghost workers by the time-keeper in

the attendance register or Daily Muster Roll.

II. Mechanical Methods:

(i) Time Recording Clocks; and

(ii) Dial Time Records.

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(i) Time Recording Clocks:

The time recording clock is a mechanical device which automatically records the time
of the workers. This method has been developed to obviate some of the difficulties
experienced in case of manual methods and this method is useful when the number of
workers is fairly large. Under this method, each worker is given a Time Card usually of one
week duration. Time cards are serially arranged in a tray near the factory gate and as the
worker enters the gate, he picks up his card from the tray, puts it in the time recording clock
which prints the exact time of arrival in the proper space against the particular day. This
process is repeated I for recording time of departure for lunch, return from lunch and time of
leaving the factory in the evening. Late arrivals, early leavings and overtime are printed in
red to attract the attention of the management.

A time card may also give such particulars as hourly rate, total gross wages less
deductions and net wages payable. If these particulars are included in the time card, it would
be known as combined time and pay-roll card divided into two parts, the upper part being the
record of time and the lower one serving as the wage ticket. Wages are calculated on the basis
of time recorded in the upper portion and are entered in the lower portion by the pay-roll
department. The main advantage of this method is that there are no chances of disputes
arising in connection with recording of time of workers because time is recorded by the time
recording clock and not by the time-keeper. There is no scope for partiality or carelessness of
the time-keeper as it is in case of manual methods.

(ii) Dial Time Records:

The dial time recorder is a machine which has a dial around the clock. This dial has a
number of holes each hole bears a number corresponding to the identification number of the
worker concerned. There is one radial arm at the centre of the dial. As a worker enters the
factory gate, he is to press the radial arm after placing it at the hole of his number and his
time will automatically be recorded on roll of a paper inside the dial time recorder against the
number. The sheet on which the time is recorded provides a running account of the workers
time. This machine allows greater accuracy and can itself transcribe the number of hours to
the wages sheets. This machine can also calculate the wages of the workers and thus avoids

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much loss of time. However, the high installation cost of the dial time recorder and its use for
only a limited number of workers are the drawbacks of this method.

IDLE TIME

Idle time is unproductive time on the part of employees or machines as a result of

factors beyond their control. Idle time is the time associated with waiting, or when a piece of
machinery is not being used but could be. Idle time could also be associated with computing,
and in that case refers to processing time.

METHOD OVERTIME

Method overtime calculates overtime for any hours worked in excess of 40 hours
in a workweek. A workweek for Non-Exempt employees is defined as 40 working hours
from Sunday to Saturday. Bargaining Unit agreements with a different overtime calculation
methods have not yet been programmed into Method overtime. In such cases, timekeepers
need to manually calculate the overtime hours in the application.

CONCLUSION

There are chances that a worker may try to get his friends time card from the tray in
order to get him marked present in time when he is actually late or get his presence marked
when he is absent. This drawback can be removed if the time-keeper does not show
carelessness. Sometimes, the time recording clock goes out of order and the work of
recording of time is dislocated.

REFERENCES

www.accountingtools.com Payroll Best Practices

www.investopedia.com/terms/i/idle-time.asp
www.dictionary.com/browse/timekeeping
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/cost-accounting/labour-cost/time-and-motion-
study-department-advantages-and-calculation/55471/
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/time-and-motion-study.html