The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-31
INEFFICIENT LABOR
MEYER PHYS WELL
Though Cheap, 1t often
Costs Employer Dearly.
A SPECIAL INSTANCE CITED
Man Given Job Through Friendship
OF Manager Gets SI5 a Week.-Mrs.
which Are Expensive TO House.
Proof of His own Admission.

'I viii give you job II YOU VIII com,
10 work for Sl5 week. 1 know that th,
place is an SIC position. but you're not ar
experienced man. You won't be wortl
SIS IN the place TOR years 20 come. Il
you want the job at SIS It's yours. II
not Pm sorry, but I haven't got any
thing else Tor you.
The general manager of the big Of
fee was talking TO one of ms old friends
The friend had not won the success that
had fallen TO the manager. Although he
was OF the same age, had started with
tue same advantages or disadvantages
he now was sitting In MS old friend &
once besgiug 10 DO put on the pay roll
Tor Old times sake. friendship. and all
that sort Of thing.
Proof In own Admission.
You're not an experienced man." he
repeated. looking through and through
the old friend. land by your own admls-
sion you lost your last position through
not making -ood; so It would be pretty
wild statement to say that you were an
efficient man. I know what Ii is 10 run
a biz office. and nobody ever shows that
lie has any capacity above the ordinary
without sending thrill Of delight
thrOush the manager. He knows that
he's found another capable assistant; and
that's what keeps HIM awake nights
trying 90 md ON.
'J don't want Go seem hard or act like
"a lmocker but you know yourself THAI
what / tell you is the truth So. while
admit that this is a regular SIS posi-
ton, ! can't DO justice 20 myself and the
house except by Offering you only SO. u
you want to take il. What do YOU say2'
"WeL I'll take o. OF course, said the
applicant I'M out of work and glad
90 get anything 10 do that I can. /
believe I ann worth SIS I'm the job. but
in you say SO. of course that settles IT,"
Takes the Position.
"Of course" said the manager. You
can go Co work in the morning"
The position was that Of price clerk in
the invoicing department. II wasn't so
much Of job as jobs go in a big office.
and yet al the same time it was as i'm
portant as any minor position I'm the Of
fee
The order sheets came from the ship
ping room with tine items. weights. and
packages filed iu, and with the price
column left blank. The price clerk
wrote IN the prices. the discounts. and
terms Different territories had different
prices on different items. likewise the
terms were different and the discounts.
II was complicated work, although essen
uolly routine and mechanical
Ii happened 90 bo the rush season. a
fact that didn't discomfort the mana-ers
fH
that he had the work completely I'm hand
from the start that he wasn't troubled
at al by the rush Of sheets that piled up
on him. He tackled them as they came
without a bit Of hesitation. He might
have been on the job for a year by the
fashion ia which he put In his figures.
and terms and showed them along to the
invOicers. lie was confident; ne knew
he was making good; that was the diff
ference between him and the ordinary be-
ginner
Aftermath of Busy Season.
Soon after the rush season was over
the manager called him into his office.
I'm afraid you'll have to go over on
the invoicing desk" said the manager.
grimly. I'm going TO put Burns on the
pricing job
Burns" gasped the friend. why
he's getting so a week
Yes. That's his salary. Your salary
is So But that isn't a marker 10 what
you've been costing us for the last
month. I'm changing you because YOU
are too expensive in that position"
Too expensive?"
Exactly. We pay you a salary of SIS
a week. But. nay dear fellow. you're the
most costly man in the department. lust
the same. 7 figure that you cost us about
500 last week"