By the third day, only four workers pruned at the same rate. Analysis of the data shows no statistically significant differences among the workers in subset A. These ten workers, especially during the first part of the week, did not behave as typical piece-rate paid workers do. The study confirms that workers have different abilities. Farm operators can make use of such differences if they understand how to select and motivate employees. Despite their limitations, the results also suggest that, under some circumstances, pay incentives do not affect worker performance as straightforwardly as had been thought.
Many employers think in terms of how much they expect workers to earn in an hour.
They derive a piece rate by dividing this figure by the production rate in the trial period. The higher the trial production rate, the lower the piece rate. Most workers readily understand that they might obtain a more favorable rate by not working fast until after the piece rate is firm. One vineyard operator who was paying by the hour switched to piece rate during a pruning season. Workers produced no differently after than before the change.