Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-10-12
J0|tin9 Men
Inland 0Uf-0f
Their Jobs

/OU'vE heard of an electric shock writing fms to
mans life but did you know that electric shock
being determine whether a fit
Tor Job in national defense
Though may queer nevertheless that
the Philadelphia Electric Company has discovered this
for electricity BY pressing button and shooting
10000 volts past the applicants jobs the
pany finds that these Immediately be split up into
groups, "A" and 'B"
Those group a. fit to handle job in electric
power stations. Those group "B" would be
likely TO drop monkeywrenches their feet get part Of
their clothing caught in the machinery burn out expensive
transformers ef titfavtt wrong switch -
It's all the idea Morris S veles, Professor of
Psychology the University of Pennsylvania who has
been thinking up many schemes for testing out the eff
cheney of employees the past few years He has found
many ways of wedding out the unfit
This series OF tessfor there is ser1es-came into
being because the manager of the personnel department
Of the company wanted the quickest to get the right
for the right job He felt that scientifically arranged
tests could speed up this process and he called in Dr.
Vitees.
The first test was for subsation operators The app
he has passed all other tests is invited into
small ane-room seated before instrument panel and
told watch the needle dial and manipulate key
keep that needle as steady possible.
The man giving the tells the applicant that it is
possible that disturbances may the board
If they do bell will ring And if this bell rings the app
cant must quickly swing switch down, switch y down
then put switch back up throw and push
The button D. The trick is to do all this quickly pos
sibe
The applicant is permitted to run through the series six
times get practice Then he 10 work
II all simple enough The applicant is at ease sud
lights get dim the needle seems to go completely haywle
and 10000 volts cracle with blue flame right under the
candidates
And that is where Group "a" keeps its head throws all
the right stops the entire connection But
a man in Group by his inability cope with
the sudden that he is not fit for substaton
operator falls in his chair dashes out of the
does any number of queer and incorrect things
Before this installed failures in the substa
attributed to human averaged 80 year which
is not bad considering that there than 100000
switching operations But, since the tests were installed
dropped to five The reason seems
be that who were not htted by temperament mao
formerly kept eXacting job but now they are
shifted to jobs and fit have replaced them
DIR Viteles discovered that most of the
mistakes were by repeaters" The 140 substation
operators divided into three groups rated as best
average poorest by their foremen Each of the %
poorest" men about times many in
actual operation the in the best group The
averages made three times as many errors as the
that the poorest were not fitted for the
work they were doing.
About 20 batteries" been set up far
hv Dr Vtces each different type of work and about
half OF AN noy, employees take tests for machust
apprentices clerks typiss stenographers statesmen and
truck drivers These vary widely
II man applies for job ordcrmans apprentice,
Dee needs hHack for mechanics. To see If ne has thus
Wack hc faces tray which contains the parts OF s1oh
things as mouse-trap, "A lock, push-hutton, and
bocstoppcr He must how quickly he can put these
things together 20 make them work
Meter need Practiced eye TO catch revolving
wheel the fly An electrical gadgct tests their split
second judgment for stopping revolving needle at GER
tan scratch on wheel array of tin boxes filled with
complicated directions tests the ability applicant 10
carry orders with speed and precision Another box,
up with ropes staples and loops tests mechanical
ingenuity
IN addition to these gadgets Or vtees uses psychology
that have do with logic personality traits and
mental qualities.
According to the personnel manager OF The Philadelphia
Electric Company two important benefits from using
the filling of Jobs The increased efficiency
~ e who has been properly fitted 90 his job and the
other equally important that this has great salts
faction working iob 90 which Doe IS suited An en-
rlaye lose job funls ls tests Instead.
shifted g. anothcr t0 which De better suited Appl
caot allowed To- take test for different Job
u They fail az