The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-10-01

alton for them, yet. somehow, they
Jagged in their duties. The man is
very charitable. When appeals are
made to him to aid he wants to be
sure that what money he gives is well
bestowed His employees have a great
affection for him and do their best to
please him.
Miss Shapiro studied this Office and
then surprised the kindly gentleman
by telling him that the trouble was
with him.
You send this clerk and that clerk
out" she said. ito investigate cases Of
charity, and you. disorganize your Of
nee force by your interference with
their work"
Then she gave a list OF the number
OF hours this clerk and that clerk had
been absent. The number of hours
the clerk had been absent did not
measure the real extent Of the inter
ference in the office routine. Four
hours absence In one day sometimes
meant the actual loss Of the whole
days service of that particular work
er, and incidentally it tied up the
work OF other clerks whose duties
we're dependent upon that particular
person. Usually the person sent on
the philanthropic errand had the direc-
ton Of several other clerks and they
were idle by reason of his absence.
The kindly gentleman frowned and
said he did not see how to remedy the
trouble. He knows now. Miss Sha.
piro has taken over a large part OF
the work connected with the charity
cases.
A lawyer with big office staff had
been subjected to no end of embar.
rassment. He never seemed able to
have things done to his satisfaction.
He paid out a lot of money, but 1t
was no use. 1t did not take Miss Sha-
piro long to find the answer. 1t was
cheap help. The lawyer had a chronic
objection to paying decent wages. He
had a lot Of incompetents, and paid
AA0AS AOA lIdu hC "Oulu IOA q
smaller number of employees who
would do his work in first class shape.
1t was not pleasant for him to be in.
formed of the truth, but Miss Shapiro
had been in lawyers offices long
enough to make him understand how
far below the average his employees
were in grade and he commissioned
her to reorganize his force. He has
good office staff now. 1t costs less
than the old one and he is getting ex-
cellent service. He is cured of the
idea that what is cheap is profitable.
Elimination Of Waste.
These cases are merely typical. Oc-
casionally the trouble in an office is
due to a well-intentioned but poorly
qualified managing clerk Miss Sha-
piro studies each case just as a sci
enlist studies subject. The symp-
toms of disorder in an office are as
apparent to her as the symptoms of
an ailing person who comes before a
physician for examination. Once the
trouble is located, there is no diff
Guilty in applying the remedy. One
ination of waste. She knows pretty
we'll what supplies an Office should
use, whether it be bank. brokerage
house, lawyers office or a mining en-
gineer's. She knows, too, the costs
of supplies. When she goes over the
accounts it does not take her long to
tell If too much money is being spent,
and what would be a reasonable
amount to expend.
The range of her work is remark
able. Some of her employments are
unique. She has sort of emergency
clearing house. In some small estab-
lishments the whole office is thrown
out of. gear II the one stenographer
or the one clerk employed is i'll. Miss
Shapiro is prepared on a moments
notice to supply stenographer
trained in legal work for a lawyer, or
one trained in brokerage business to
a broker. or one trained in mining af-
fairs to a miner. 1t is the same, too,
in regard to a clerk.
AS the business housekeeper of Wall
street it would seem that she would
have plenty to do. But it is the busy
person who always has time to do
something additional. With all the
calls she has upon her time in the
financial district she, somehow, finds
opportunity, not only to act as secre'
tary of the Federation Settlement
house, but to take part in the activi-
ties of that great institution.
Usually the highly capable business
woman is sharp-featured, grabbed in
manner and dowdy in dress. Miss
Shapiro is feminine to her finger tips.
wonderfully attractive in feature and,
in addition, is one of the best dressed
women down town.
Copyright. 1914. by the Mcclure, Newspa-
per Syndicate.)
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