New-York tribune., 1917-12-03
Worker, Though Not
Worthy Of His Hire,
Fears Not for Job
Ease of Securing Employment
Increases Number of
Inefficient
By Archer Wall Douglas

By Archer Wall Douglas
One Of the serious deterrents TO in
du,trial efficiency in the present situa-
tion Is the great scarcity Of labor In
every industry. Because Of such scarcity
It 4. easy for most any worker to find
employment, and this fact Is a sure
breeder Of trouble. In real sense II
is true that labor should have that in
dependence consonant with self-re-
spect. But in an equally true, though
different, sense, it is essential to the
average mans efficiency that he en-
tertain some concern as to whether or
not he loses his job should he fail in
the full performance of his duty. This
is far from being the case now.
A worker in most any phase Of COM
mercisl life, whether manufacturing
or distributing, can now find employ
ment, even though his efficiency and
knowledge be close to the vanishing
point. If he does not like his job,
whether from good reason or no rea-
son at all, he promptly quits with the
full assurance that he will have small
difficulty in getting another place. This
soon crystallizes into a habit, until
the whole working world, or most of il,
has a proportion Of floating help,
which is fatal to good results. Now,
three things make for efficiency-sys-
TEN, or method, experience and train
ing. Plenty Of good system may be in
evidence, but, obviously, experience
cannot be had in constant changing
from one place TO another, and from
one occuation TO another Also, equal
ly obviously, such birds of passage do
not stay long enough to make it worth
while to subject them to any systematic
training.
Peripatetic Help Expensive
Lacking the essentials Of experience
and of being properly taught how to
perform their duties, the peripatetic
help is the most expensive thing i'm
hginable. In such matters, for in
stance, as getting the correct goods TO
fill orders, their blunders and the sins
of commission and omission are almosa
inconceivable. Not only do such mis-
takes mean the expense of returning
goods wrongly sent, but, for worse than
that, the great dissatisfaction of the
trade upon whom these mistakes are
made, and the consequent loss Of busi-
ness. You cannot explain such matters
satisfactorily to dissatisfied customer.
Excuses and explanations when too long
persisted in usually end in a heated
controversy.
Now the principal solution Of this
problem is found in the poets state
ment that "Time at last makes I'll
things even," which being interpreted
is that some time in the future people
will be looking for jobs, and not jobs
for people, although such solution
doe. not seem a good one for the gen
eral welfare Of the country. Meanwhile
two minor solutions are helping some.
The first is that winter is coming on
and labor is becoming somewhat more
stabilized, since jobs are not so num-
erous in the winter and living is
harder and more expensive. Thought
is taken now before throwing up a
position, where previously only i'm
pulse was followed. A longer tenure Of
position means more experience and
the influence Of training, especially
that training which after the method
of making a soldier. seeks to teach
everything from the simplest rudi-
ments 20 the highest essentials.
Women Steady Workers
Then another solution is the increas-
ing employment of women in Jobs
which were heretofore regarded as
mans sole prerogstives. But there are
no such closed shops in mems work any
more, until the only two callings in
which men any longer excel women
seem to be piano playing and dress
making.
Women are essentially more stable
in their work than men, partly because
they seem to lack much of mans in
itiative and ambition to get ahead and
partly because large number of them
look upon working for a living as
merely a temporary expediency pend
ing entering the great career Of mar
rage. For they will get married,
especially when you think they are
settled for life. They are apt to be
more content with their wages and
their work than men, provided due
consideration be shown them. Also
they generally have great patience and
il properly handled can be melted TO
take great interest in their work. Just
how the employment Of women will
help TO solve the present unsatisfae-
tory labor problem is largely a mat
ter Of speculation. But so far it is