THE REDUCTION OF LABOR TURNOVER IN THE

PLIMPTON PRESS

BY MRS. JANE C. WILLIAMS,

Employment Manager, Plimpton Press, Norwood, Mass.

The manufacturing of books is the business of The Plimpton Press and this industry is divided into three classes of work: typesetting, printing and binding. About seven years ago, the Taylor system of scientific management was introduced, and at the same time, an employment department was established, whose immediate object was to centralize in one department the hiring, disciplining and discharging. As the new system of management by gradual processes effected economics in the cost of production, so the employment department enlarged its scope and in time became responsible for savings in the human cost of this industry.

One of the early, results of the improved methods of handling materials, routing, etc., was to show that the plant was overmanned and the number of people employed was reduced from between 800 and 900 to approximately 500. This change took place over a period of three years and was not brought about by discharging. When an employe left, he was not replaced by hiring a new worker, but by transferring from within. The working force at the present time numbers about 500, 300 of whom are men while 200 are women.

The management of The Plimpton Press, realizing that a large part of the workers' lives is spent within the factory, endeavors to make the surroundings acceptable. The work rooms are high and there is no crowding of workers; in fact, more space is allowed to each person than usually is found in offices or class rooms. This fact of ample room, especially around each machine, accounts in large measure, we believe, for the low percentage of accidents. The work rooms are well supplied with windows and these furnish proper light and ventilation. The entire lighting system, both natural and artificial, has been studied by experts, and work benches and machines are so arranged that no eye strain can result to the workers.

The nature of the work is clean and there is an ample force constantly at work to keep the factory clean. This effort meets with

much approbation on the part of the people who readily complain at any omission. The lighting, ventilation and cleaning are a part of the responsibility of the factory nurse.

THE WORK OF THE NURSE

A trained nurse is in charge of the hospital, including an office, a rest room and a surgical room, located in the central part of the factory. Here all accidents and illnesses are cared for. The accidents consist chiefly of minor cuts and bruises, and since these are given proper care at once, the danger from infection is minimized and very little time is lost to the worker because of accident hazards. The book-binding industry, owing to its use of heavy machinery, is not as a whole free from maiming injuries. The low percentage of such injuries which we have experienced in the last eight years, we believe is due to the following causes: proper lighting, ample work space, guarded machinery, care in selection of operators and freedom from hurry.

In addition to the first-aid service, the nurse performs much preventive and educational work in the plant and social service in the community. The personal contact resulting from the various activities of the service department has made it possible to get in touch with home conditions. The visiting of homes was brought about gradually and at first only by the expressed wish of the individual. Now such visits are welcomed and the nurse visits all who are away from work more than one day.

The results of the work of the nurse cannot be overestimated. She has opportunities for closer relations with workers than has any other person. She hears directly and indirectly of dissatisfactions which would not otherwise be known. When her vision is broad, she brings about a sympathy between the viewpoints of the employer and employe.

PROBLEMS DUE TO SEASONAL DEMAND

A large part of the work done by The Plimpton Press is the making of school text-books, and the seasonal character of this work is due to the fact that school boards make their adoptions late in the school year. In consequence, the peak of the production curve occurs during July and August and the lowest point during January and February. This in turn affects the workers, as some reduction

in the force and in the hours of employment is inevitable. Every effort is made by the sales department to counteract this condition by procuring work for the dull season and a measure of success is resulting. Besides this, the following methods have been adopted: every worker is taught several operations so that he may be transferred from one department to another as the work fluctuates; the minimum force is retained as the permanent force; and this force is increased only when absolutely necessary. In this minimum force, there is very little turnover, 81 per cent of the entire number having been in the employ of the The Plimpton Press over five years; 27 per cent, over ten years.

The work hours are from 7:30 to 5:15, or eight and three quarters hours daily, with one hour allowed for lunch, except on Saturdays, when the hours are 7:30 to 11:45, making forty-eight hours per week. This applies to all workers. There is very little overtime and no Sunday or holiday work.

Rest periods of ten minutes morning and afternoon are given to routine workers, such as monotype keyboarders, gold layers and the accounting force, and during this time the windows in these rooms are open. These periods also furnish an opportunity for the worker

to take some exercise.

SOURCE AND NATURE OF THE LABOR SUPPLY

The Plimpton Press is located in a community which is able to furnish a large part of the necessary supply of labor. The policy of filling vacancies by promotion within the ranks results in the hiring chiefly of unskilled workers who usually are young. Through friendly relations with the public school officials and teachers, a valuable source of supply for this type of employe is available. Another equally helpful source is found in the present workers who are glad to recommend their friends. In addition, many applicants come of their own accord to apply for work, so that there is a long list of applicants ever available. Under terms of agreement with the trades unions, they have the privilege of supplying workers from among their number, provided they can fill the requirements. If a skilled worker is hired, he usually is obtained in this way.

All candidates for work, except porters, must be English-speaking and have the equivalent of at least a grammar school education.

Each applicant is interviewed by the employment department and asked to fill out an application blank which is kept on file. On the back of this form are later written the impressions of the interviewer and such other information as may indicate the desirability of the applicant. In this interview, an effort is made to make the applicant feel at ease in order that we may judge of the natural person. It is most desirable to know something of his tastes, his natural aptitudes and his ambitions. One of the chief purposes of the interview is to determine the probable attitude of the worker toward the organization. A person is never hired on the day when he first applies for work, as it is desirable to consider the applicant apart from the first appearance which he makes.

In order to get at just the requirements necessary for each job, work is now being done on "job analyses," which means a careful analysis of each particular job in its relation to each particular worker. This includes, besides the time study of the job, a careful study of the home conditions, temperament and age of the worker, all physical surroundings of the workplace, such as air, accessibility to toilets, rest periods, possibilities of sitting, ventilation, light, noise, any nervous strain resulting from the nature of the work, methods of payment, relations of this job to the rest of the organization, and all other features which may make that job different from any other job. This job analysis should show just the proper requirements for the best kind of worker on that particular job, and enable the employment department to choose that individual who will suffer least from working in that particular position, as well as bring the best results in point of production.

The efforts to steady employment by transferring workers from one department to another as work fluctuates necessitate, in making a selection of a worker, the consideration of two factors: first, the adaptability of the worker to the particular job in question; and second, the adaptability to the two or three other jobs at which the applicant may be called upon to work; that is, given two applicants, one especially well adapted to the particular job for which he is being considered, the other, though not so well adapted for that particular job, better fitted for the group of jobs at which he may be required to work during dull periods, the selection would be made of the second worker.

INITIATING A NEW EMPLOYE

It is the purpose of the employment department when hiring a new worker to tell him something of the general policies and standards. The candidate is then taken to the factory nurse, who questions him in regard to his health and who explains some of the special features of the service department. If the applicant is a girl, she is introduced to the head of the department in which she is to work. She is also taken to her workplace, introduced to those who will become her fellow-workers, given a key to a locker, and told of such other features as may be desirable for her to know. If the person hired is a boy or a man, he is taken to the head of the department, who in turn takes him to his workplace and follows a similar procedure. The first impression made upon the employe is most important, as at no other time is his mind so open.

The group boss in charge of any group of workers, which in practice does not number more than ten, is responsible for all instruction in regard to the work to be taught to the new employe. There are also written instructions relating to the performance of all tasks. Responsibility for all other training and education rests with the employment department. In this field of activity, the aim is to assist the employe in developing his own abilities and in discovering latent capacities if they exist, and to make opportunities for their use in this plant if possible. It sometimes happens that this business does not furnish the best avenues for future growth and in these cases, attempts are made by this department to find the right environment for the worker elsewhere.

The employment department keeps in touch with the newly appointed employes by interviewing them at least once a month to see that they are fitted for their work, are given such assistance as they may need, and to find out how they react to the work. A record is kept of each employe from the time of his employment. Information in regard to age, education, marriage, parentage, nationality, number of dependents and previous employment is obtained from the application blank. Dates of increase in pay, transfer, etc., together with reasons for the same, are entered as they occur. On the back of the sheet, spaces are provided for entries, once every thirteen weeks, for:

(a) An estimate of the excellence or the reverse of the discipline which the worker has maintained;