Masonry Magazine April 2001 Page. 22
PRODUCTIVE THINKING
Measuring & Quantifying
Worker Efficiency
by Steve Saucerman
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived the perfect construction worker. He was tall and strong and never complained about even the most menial of tasks. He arrived to work on time, never went long on breaks, and remained enthusiastic around co-workers and supervisors.
He was loyal, responsible, and a self-starter who always tried to solve his own problems with creative solutions. In addition, he never failed to perform a task according to estimated man-hours and never, ever left a job unfinished.
And it was good. The clients loved him - work kept pouring in and they all lived happily ever after. The End.
A fairy tale? Well, I think so, but just in case, if you do know a worker like this... please send him to me! For the rest of us, I don't think I'm out of line in saying that this sort of employee doesn't come along each day. Now, I'm not complaining - I'm just being realistic... and setting up a point. You see, the cold, hard truth is that all workers are not created equal. Some really do out-hustle, out-smart, and out-perform their jobsite counterparts. In short, some really are more productive than others.
Why? Well, there are a multitude of possible reasons and they're as (Continued on page 24)
22 MASONRY-APRIL, 2001