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Work Study Notes

Work study is a technique used to analyze the most efficient use of labor in production. It aims to improve employee performance, efficiency, productivity and profitability. There are two main aspects: method/motion study which evaluates work methods, and time study which establishes the time taken to complete tasks. Work study benefits include increased organizational efficiency and profits through cost reduction. Potential disadvantages include it being time-consuming and requiring skilled personnel. Implementation can face workforce resistance if not properly communicated, but overall work study aims to improve processes and working conditions.

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Succeed T Murwisi
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61 views

Work Study Notes

Work study is a technique used to analyze the most efficient use of labor in production. It aims to improve employee performance, efficiency, productivity and profitability. There are two main aspects: method/motion study which evaluates work methods, and time study which establishes the time taken to complete tasks. Work study benefits include increased organizational efficiency and profits through cost reduction. Potential disadvantages include it being time-consuming and requiring skilled personnel. Implementation can face workforce resistance if not properly communicated, but overall work study aims to improve processes and working conditions.

Uploaded by

Succeed T Murwisi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Work Study

 It is a generic term for a series of analytical techniques used to determine the most
efficient use of labor in relation to other inputs in the production process.
 It was developed from the work of Fredrick Taylor (scientific management).

Aims of Work Study

 To improve employee’s performance.


 To increase efficiency, productivity and profitability.
 To improve planning by provision of targeted time and procedures.
 To provide the basis of incentives pay schemes such as piece rate.
 To improve the flow of work.
 To improve utilization of equipment, material and space.

Aspects of Work Study

There are two main aspects of work-study, which are:

1. Method / motion study.


2. Time study/Work measurement.
1. Method / Motion study
 It is a systematic process of recording and evaluating the ways of doing work (for both
existing and proposed ones) as a way of developing easier and more efficient methods
thereby reducing costs.
 OR a detailed evaluation of the way in which a task is carried out .
 FW Taylor advocated that workers should use minimum energy in doing a job and so tire
less quickly. This opened way for the mechanisation and re organisation of the
workstations.

Objectives

* improve quality

* improve procedures and processes ( make the job easier)

* improve the design and layout at of the workplace

* improved utilisation of manpower, equipment and materials.

* Improve health and safety at the workplace (make the job safer)

* improve labour productivity and reduce fatigue and injury.

Advantages of Method Study

 It increases organizational efficiency.


 It enables the organization to increase the level of profits.
 It can be used in reduction of costs.

Disadvantages of Method Study

 It is time-consuming and laborious.


 It is expensive.
2. Time study/Work Measurement
 It is the application of techniques to establish the time a qualified worker took to
carry out a particular job.
 OR it is the setting of time required to perform a particular task, which is achieved by
timing each activity
 It is done to provide information for preparing work schedules, for example, flexible
and compressed workweeks.

Key terms in Work Measurement

1. Standard time – it is the total time in which a trained individual under normal
circumstances can complete a job at standard performance.
2. Standard performance – it is the output a competent worker will naturally achieve
during average working period.
3. Synthetic time – the job is broken down into its components and time is calculated
for each component.
4. Stopwatch studies – determination of time, through watching a normal worker
operating at a normal speed. It is applied on short repetitive tasks.
5. Analytical estimating – approximating time based on knowledge of operations and
skills. This is employed in non-repetitive jobs.
6. Work sampling – technique for estimating the proportion of time that a worker/
machine spends on various activities. It involves taking observations at intervals and
analysing the statistics to determine the pattern of work. The results are less
accurate but the worker observed is relaxed and works normally.

Contribution of work measurement to the management of operations

 Costing
 Production planning
 Production scheduling
 Manpower planning eg recruitment and training.
 Designing of PRP incentive schemes for motivation purposes

Advantages of Work Study

 It increases worker performance by reducing unnecessary effort.


 It reduces the risk of injury by eliminating unnecessary movements hence improved
health and safety at work.
 It may result in high level of productivity and profitability.
 It may increase the level of motivation hence increased job satisfaction. This reduces
the level of labor turnover.
 It assists the personnel function in designing effective training programmes.
 It provides valuable data in the preparation of a job analysis for recruitment purposes.
 Work-study can be used as a base of incentives pay scheme by determining reasonable
PRP schemes.
 It facilitate the mechanisation of the work place, hence better efficiency.

Disadvantages of Work Study

 If not properly used, it may be a source of demotivation when the task becomes too
simple because there are some workers who are motivated by challenging tasks.
 Work study is usually done by work study offices and requires highly skilled personnel
and sometimes this kind of workforce may not be readily available.
 Work study is a technique which is time-consuming and laborious.

Common problems associated with the implementation of work study

 Workforce resistance
– workers might resist the process of work study due to the following reasons:
(a) observing and recording of people at work might be seen as an inspection of an
individual’s performance .
 NB* staff should therefore be assured that no-one will be disciplined or sacked as a
result of the data collected from work study.
 – it should be emphasised that work study is not an individual appraisal but a
measurement of task length and an analysis of method efficiency.
(b) there is a common feeling among workers that improved productivity – resulting from
better methods – might lead to redundancies.
NB*the employees should again be assured that an increase in productivity will not lead
to reduction in jobs.
 ***Overall, all these fears might be overcome by involving staff or their
representatives in the whole work study process (e.g. using the kaizen groups to suggest
the tasks most in need of reform or discussing the importance of raising productivity
and efficiency).
 Accurate measurement of tasks
– staff being timed may work faster –to impress – or slower for a longer standard time
to be established. When the latter happens, workers can work faster in future in order
to increase their earnings. Thus, skilled work-study consultants should be able to
identify whether one is unusually fast or slow.

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