Work Study and

Productivity
 PRODUCTIVITY

The ratio of output produced to the input resources utilized in the production.

The term "productivity" can be used to assess or measure the extent to which a
certain output can be extracted from a given input.

This appears simple when both the output and the input are tangible (measured).
It can be more difficult to estimate once intangibles are introduced.

 Labor productivity = units produced / hours worked

 Capital productivity = output / capital input
 Material productivity = output / material input
PRODUCTIVITY of an Enterprise
Work Study and Productivity

Work study is the systematic examination of the methods of carrying on

activities so as to improve the effective use of resources and to set up standards
of performance for the activities being carried out.

The relation between productivity and work study is thus obvious.

If work study results in cutting down the time of performing a certain activity by
20 per cent by –
 rearranging the sequence
 simplifying the method of operation
 without additional expenditure
Then productivity will go up by a corresponding value, that is by 20 per cent.
How the total time of a job is made up?

1. The basic work content of the product or operation.

Work content means the amount of work "contained in" a given product or a
process measured in "work-hours" or "machine hours".

The basic work content is the irreducible minimum time theoretically

required to produce one unit of output.

2. Excess work content.

A. Work content added by poor design or specification of product or its parts,

or improper utilization of materials.
B. Work content added by inefficient methods of manufacture or operation
C. Work content resulting mainly from the contribution of human resources
How the total time of a job is made up?
Basic and Added Work Content
How management techniques can reduce ineffective time?
Work Study

Valuable tool for management:

1. It is a means of raising the productivity by the reorganization of work, which

involves little or no capital expenditure on facilities and equipment.

2. It is systematic. This ensures that no factor affecting the efficiency of an

operation is overlooked, whether in analyzing the original practices or in
developing the new.

3. It is the most accurate means yet evolved of setting standards of performance,

on which the effective planning and control of production depends.

4. It can contribute to the improvement of safety and working conditions at work by

exposing hazardous operations and developing safer methods of performing
operations.
Work Study

Valuable tool for management:

5. The savings resulting from properly applied work study start at once and
continue as long as the operation continues in the improved form.

6. It is a "tool" which can be applied everywhere. It can be used with success

wherever work is done or plant is operated, not only in manufacturing shops but
also in offices, stores, laboratories and service industries such as wholesale and
retail distribution and restaurants.

7. It is relatively cheap and easy to apply.

8. It is one of the most penetrating tools of investigation available to management.

This makes it an excellent weapon for starting an attack on inefficiency in any
organization.
Techniques of Work Study
Techniques of Work Study

 Method study is the systematic recording and critical examination of ways of

doing things in order to make improvements.

 Work measurement is the application of techniques designed to establish the

time for a qualified worker to carry out a task at a defined rate of working.

Method study is concerned with the reduction of the work content of a job or
operation, while work measurement is mostly concerned with the investigation
and of any ineffective time associated with it.
Basic procedure of Work Study

There are eight steps in performing a complete work study:

1. Select the job or process to be studied.

2. Record or collect all relevant data about the job or process, using the most
suitable data collection techniques so that the data will be in the most
convenient form to be analyzed.

3. Examine the recorded facts critically and challenge everything that is done,
considering in turn: the purpose of the activity; the place where it is performed;
the sequence in which it is done; the person who is doing it; the means by which
it is done.

4. Develop the most economic method, taking into account all the circumstances
and drawing as appropriate on various production management techniques, as
well as on the contributions of managers, supervisors, workers and other
specialists with whom new approaches should be explored and discussed.
Basic procedure of Work Study

There are eight steps in performing a complete work study:

5. Evaluate the results attained by the improved method compared with the
quantity of work involved and calculate a standard time for it.

6. Define the new method and the related time and present it to all those
concerned, either verbally or in writing, using demonstrations.

7. Install the new method, training those involved, as an agreed practice with the
allotted time of operation.

8. Maintain the new standard practice by monitoring the results and comparing
them with the original targets.
Basic procedure of Work Study
The human factor in the application
of work study
 Work Study and Management

 If the application of work study in an enterprise is to succeed, it must have the

understanding and the backing of management at all levels, starting at the top.

 The first group of people to whom the purpose and techniques of work study
must be explained is therefore the management group, the managing director or
managing agent and, in large companies or organizations, the departmental heads
and assistant heads.
Work Study and the Supervisor

Supervisors are the people most deeply affected by work study.

 The work for which they may have been responsible for years is being
challenged; if, through the application of work study methods, the
efficiency of the operations for which they are responsible is greatly
improved.
 They may feel that their prestige in the eyes of their superiors and of the
workers will be lessened.
Work Study and the Supervisor

 In most firms where specialists have not been used, the whole running of a
certain operation — planning programmes of work, developing job methods,
making up time sheets, setting piece rates, hiring and firing workers — may have
been done by the supervisor.

 The mere fact that some of these responsibilities have been taken away is likely
to make him or her experience a loss of status..

 If disputes arise or the workers are upset, supervisors are the first people who
will be called upon to clear matters up, and it is difficult for them to do so fairly if
they do not understand the problem.
 Work Study and the Supervisor

The work study practitioner will only retain the supervisors‘ respect by following the
below:

a. The work study person must never give a direct order to a worker. All instructions
must be given through the supervisor.

b. Workers asking questions calling for decisions outside the technical field of work
study should always be referred to their supervisor.

c. The work study person should take care never to express opinions to a worker
which may be interpreted in a wrong way.

d. The work study person must not allow the workers to “play him or her off against
the supervisor” or to use him or her to get decisions altered which they consider
harsh.

e. The work study person should seek the supervisor's advice in the selection of jobs
to be studied and in all technical matters connected with the process.
Work Study and the Worker

1. The problem of raising productivity should be approached in a balanced way,

without too great an emphasis being placed on productivity of labor.

2. It is important that the work study person be open and frank as to the purpose of
the study.

3. Workers' representatives should be kept fully informed of what is being studied,

and why.

4. Although asking for a worker's suggestions and ideas implicitly serves to satisfy
his or her need for recognition, this can be achieved in a more direct way by
giving proper credit where it is due.
Work Study and the Worker

5. The work study person must make it clear that it is the work, and not the worker,
that is being studied.

6. In some circumstances it may be possible to involve the workforce in work study

investigations even more directly (for example, by training them in some of the
basic techniques and allowing them to contribute to discussions).

7. It is important that the work study person should remember that the objective is
not merely to increase productivity but also to improve job satisfaction, and that
he or she should devote enough attention to this latter issue by looking for ways
to minimize fatigue and to make the job more interesting and more satisfying.
The Work Study Practitioner

The following are essential qualities:

Sincerity and honesty

The work study person must be sincere and honest; only if this is the case will
he or she gain the confidence and respect of those with whom he or she will
work.

Enthusiasm

He or she must be really keen on the job, believe in the importance of what he
or she is doing and be able to transmit enthusiasm to the people round about.

Interest and sympathy with people

The person must be able to get along with people at all levels. It is necessary to
be interested in them, to be able to see their points of view and to understand
the motives behind their behavior.
The Work Study Practitioner
The following are essential qualities:

Tact
Tact in dealing with people comes from understanding them and not wishing
to hurt their feelings by unkind or thoughtless words.

Good appearance

The person must be neat and tidy and look efficient. This will inspire
confidence among the people with whom he or she has to work.

Self-confidence

This can only come with good training and experience of applying work study
successfully. The work study practitioner must be able to stand up to top
management, supervisors, trade union officials or workers in defense of his or
her opinions and findings, and to do so in such a way that will win respect and
not give offence.
Thank You