DCP Productivity Irving ISD

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PRODUCTIVITY
Practicum in Irving ISD

www.gvtc.org/workethicsonline 2
Why do so many Americans throw so much into their work? One surprising reason,
writes sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset, a Wilson Center Senior Scholar, in The
Public Interest (Winter 1990), is that they like their jobs.
Beliefs about the work ethic vary over time and place. There is, however, a general
inclination for older people to believe that things were better--or at least more moral,
more decent--when they were young. As Adriano Tilgher, a historian of work, wrote in
1931, "Every country resounds to the lament that the workforce does not burn in the younger
generation, the postwar generation."
The affluent generally complain that their subordinates, the less privileged, do not
work hard and have lost the work ethic. A survey of members of the American
Management Association found that 79 percent agreed that "the nation's productivity is
suffering because the traditional American work ethic has eroded." But this is an old story.
Harold Wilensky notes that in 1495 the English Parliament passed a statute on
working hours and justified it in the following preamble: "Diverse artificers and
labourers . . . waste much part of the day . . . in late coming unto their work, early departing
from there, long sitting at breakfast, at their dinner and noon meal, and long time of sleep in
afternoon."
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The idea that people should work hard--because doing so is virtuous, because it
advances the common good, or even because it lets them accumulate wealth--is, in
historical terms, a relatively recent one. Since work is difficult, the question is not
why people goof off, but rather why--in the absence of compulsion--they work hard. . .
While I have few doubts that the work ethic is less prominent now than it was in the
19th century, the available facts do not justify bad-mouthing it. As the March 1989
issue of Psychology Today notes, in the 1950s a number of sociologists predicted
that Americans would increasingly choose to emphasize leisure and to abandon
work--and were proven entirely wrong. To quote George Harris and Robert Trotter:
"Work has become our intoxicant and Americans are working harder than ever before. In the
past 15 years, the typical adult's leisure time has shrunk by 40 percent--down from 26.6 to
16.6 hours a week. And the work week, after decades of getting shorter, is suddenly 15
percent longer." They note that "the average adult now pumps 46.8 hours per week into
school, work, and com-muting--way above the 40.6 hours logged in 1973." It is true that
people worked 53 hours per week in 1900, whereas they now average around 39, but
this number has remained fairly constant since 1945.

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One reason that more Americans have not substituted leisure for work may be that
most of us like our jobs. In a 1973 Roper survey, 85 percent of the respondents said
that they were satisfied with their field of work, whereas only 14 percent were
dissatisfied. The corresponding figures for 1980 and 1985 show virtually no change.
The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) reports almost identical results in
response to the question: "How satisfied are you with the work you do?" The same average
percentage was up a bit in 1988, when 87 percent gave this answer. NORC has also
posed a tougher question: "If you were to get enough money to live as comfortably as you
like for the rest of your life, would you continue to work or would you stop working?" On
average, 70 percent of the respondents questioned during the 1972-1982 period claimed
that they would continue to work; the figure for 1983-1987 rose to 74 percent, and in
1988 it jumped to 85 percent. Daniel Yankelovich reports similar results.
Almost all surveys indicate that the vast majority of Americans—over 80 percent--are
satisfied with their jobs. There has been no significant change in these figures over
time. Many people, of course, do object to specific aspects of their jobs, complaining
about boredom, pay, opportunity for advancement, the way that work is organized, and
so forth.

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Yankelovich reports that almost 90 percent of all American workers say that it is
important to work hard; 78 percent indicate an inner need to do their very best. His
research also suggests that the motives driving people to work have changed; the
proportion saying that they work primarily or solely for money has declined, while the
younger and better educated emphasize the expressive side of work. To
summarize Yankelovich, such workers increasingly believe that work, rather than
leisure, can give them what they are looking for: an outlet for self-expression as well
as material rewards.

Productivity
 Must follow safety procedures, conserve
materials
 Keep the work area neat and clean
 Follow directions properly
 Stress affects productivity
 A safe workplace is a more productive
workplace If a person is physically, emotionally orIf a person is physically, emotionally or
mentally stressed, they cannot perform jobmentally stressed, they cannot perform job
duties with 100% capacity.duties with 100% capacity.

“This is a story about four people: Everybody, Somebody,
Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be
done, and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was
sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it,
but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because
it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody
could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t
do it. It ended that Everybody blamed Somebody when
actually Nobody helped Anybody.”
MORAL: Getting the job done is Everybody’s job, but if
Somebody never helps Anybody, Nobody gets the job
done!
Food For Thought

Productivity
 Extremely important in the work place
 Stay on task and use time efficiently
 Not a social event that you go to everyday
 Get paid to do a job, not goof off and not waste
time

When thinking about productivity, remember the episode ofWhen thinking about productivity, remember the episode of “I“I
Love Lucy”Love Lucy” where she worked in the candy factory. For thosewhere she worked in the candy factory. For those
of you that haven’t seen that episode—Lucy and Ethel wereof you that haven’t seen that episode—Lucy and Ethel were
working in a candy factory together.working in a candy factory together.
The conveyer belt moved chocolate candy to the workers whoThe conveyer belt moved chocolate candy to the workers who
then placed the candy in the box.then placed the candy in the box.
At first everything was going swell, and Lucy and EthelAt first everything was going swell, and Lucy and Ethel
thought the job was athought the job was a “piece of cake.”“piece of cake.” Then, the candyThen, the candy
starting moving faster, and they had to work at a quicker pace.starting moving faster, and they had to work at a quicker pace.
It then got so fast that they couldn’t put the candies in the boxIt then got so fast that they couldn’t put the candies in the box
as fast as they needed. They started grabbing handfuls of theas fast as they needed. They started grabbing handfuls of the
candy at once and putting it in their clothes, mouth, etc.candy at once and putting it in their clothes, mouth, etc.
It was hilarious.It was hilarious.
Candy in Your Mouth?

Productivity
Follow Safety Practices
 Companies have safety guidelines for
employees to follow
 Not designed to punish
 Designed to protect
 Safety is always important
 Everyone’s responsibility
 Following safety rules won’t totally eliminate
"lost-time accidents," but numbers will be cut
down

Productivity
Follow Safety Practices
 Failure to follow safety rules can result in a lost-
time accident or even death
 When a "lost-time accident" occurs due to minor
injury of an employee, everyone is affected
 Efficiency and profits goes down with each minute
lost
 Co-workers see an immediate effect if paid on a
group incentive plan and a team member is injured
 not always direct nor evident
 everyone suffers with injury

Productivity
Conserve Materials
It’s not your money that is going down theIt’s not your money that is going down the
drain if you make a mistake and have to scrapdrain if you make a mistake and have to scrap
part of the materials, is it?part of the materials, is it?
Think again—in the long term it may actuallyThink again—in the long term it may actually
be your money or at least the continuation ofbe your money or at least the continuation of
your current paycheck.your current paycheck.

Productivity
Conserve Materials
One might say, "How will my employer ever miss the 500One might say, "How will my employer ever miss the 500
sheets of paper and 100 staples that I wasted bysheets of paper and 100 staples that I wasted by
duplicating the wrong information?duplicating the wrong information?
That's not a lot of materials when you consider what weThat's not a lot of materials when you consider what we
use every day!"use every day!"
Well, what would happen if your company has 100Well, what would happen if your company has 100
employees and each one made a similar mistake?employees and each one made a similar mistake?
Or, what if we were talking about expensive chemicalsOr, what if we were talking about expensive chemicals
instead of paper and staples?instead of paper and staples?

Productivity
Conserve Materials
 Use only materials necessary to adequately
complete task
 Treat materials as if you were paying for them
yourself
 Be conscientious
 Cut down on scrap by doing job right the first
time
 Scrap costs money and decreases profit margin
 Decreased profit margin directly effects
employees with less, if any, bonuses

Productivity
Keep Work Area Neat and Clean
 Housekeeping is everyone’s job
 Custodians/maintenance workers handle heavy
cleaning
 Employee responsible for maintaining own
workspace
 Keep work area always presentable
 File information in an orderly manner
 not waste time looking for things misplaced
 more productive and efficient

Productivity
Keep Work Area Neat and Clean
 Too busy to straighten up every day? Don’t
have time NOT to!
 Takes a few minutes each day if done correctly
 Do not leave workspace until …
 work areas clear
 all trash discarded
 chairs and equipment properly put away

Productivity
Follow Directions
 Read directions and procedures carefully
before beginning a new task
 Consistently follow established procedures for
routine, mundane tasks performed each day
 Failure to follow directions …
 can be disastrous
 loss of a job

Productivity
Follow Directions
 Developed by experts
 Designed for safety and expedience of work
Don’t ever feel that you don’t have to adhere toDon’t ever feel that you don’t have to adhere to
the prescribed steps and that you can dothe prescribed steps and that you can do
things your way.things your way.

Productivity
 Good scheduling of time
 Follows safety procedures
 Conserves materials used
 A neat and clean work area
 Follows direction

How can I be more productive?
 Follow safety practices
 Conserve materials
 Keep work area neat and clean
 Follow directions/procedures

Follow safety practices
 Safety is everyone’s job.
 Have good work habits
 Help to prevent injury on the job.

Conserve Materials
 Order only what you need
 Try to make to proper amount of copies and no
extra.
 Do not get supplies for your “personal” use.

Productivity
 Follow safety practices
 Conserve material
 Keep work area neat and clean
 Follow directions/procedures
 STAY ON TASK!

Productivity
 Good work habits involve following rules and
begin safety conscious
 Willing to become an active member of a group
and participate when you have the opportunity
 To ensure productivity in the work place, you
should always meet the objectives listed below:
 Follow safety practices & follow directions and/or
procedures
 Conserve materials & keep work area neat and
clean

Driving for Results in
Productivity
 Be persistent
 Have a “can-do”
attitude rather than “why-should-I have-to-do-
that” attitude
 Avoid negative self-talk and idle gossip
 Avoid saying “it can’t be done” and focus on
how to make it happen

Driving for Results in
Productivity
 Get involved with activities that make you
happy, at work and in your personal life
 Take on extra work to help the company meet
its goal

PRODUCTIVITY: How’s Your Productivity?
www.gvtc.org/workethicsonline
Describe your study area.
Include details about your area’s size, equipment, lighting, noise
level, etc.
Describe your study habits.
At what time of the day do you do your online school work? For how
long?
Do you take breaks? How often?
How often do you check the school/course site?
How often do you check your e-mail (be honest!)?

PRODUCTIVITY
Practicum in Irving ISD

DCP Productivity Irving ISD

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