Circular letter writing, folding circulars, stamping and enclosing them, and repetitive tasks of such nature present no difficulties in counting.

There are several different ways of counting, first, of course, being the actual, numerical count. Second, if the finished work is stacked in piles each containing an equal number of pieces, as 10, 25 or 50, the stacks can be counted and the labor thus greatly reduced. Third, there are many cases in which measurement with a scale or an inch rule will give a satisfactory count. Thus, cards or sheets of paper can be piled, first counting 50 or 100 in one pile, and then making equal piles of the remainder. In the fourth place, weighing will often give a more accurate count than any other method, if the weight of 1 or 10, or some other unit, is known. Envelopes come as a rule in boxes of 250, and the work can be counted by the box if so desired.

Measurement by scale is applicable in a great many cases. Thus, if typing is to be counted by lines, as in letter work or straight copying, a line rule can be easily made on the typewriter, by writing the figures 1, 2, 3, and so on, in a vertical line, single or double space, as required. This rule can be then laid on a sheet and the lines counted at one glance. In my own work in measuring typewritten matter, I prefer the square-inch method, which is measured by a square-inch scale as shown in Figure 63. The upper lefthand corner of the scale is placed over the corresponding corner of the matter to be measured, and then, by reading through the scale to the letter, the number of square inches will appear on the lower right-hand corner, at the end of the last line. The date line, name and address, salutation, complimentary closing, and signature on a letter are estimated as 2 square inches and added to the scale reading. The scale is designed for single-space work, so when measuring double-space work, the scale number is to be divided by 2. The standard for typewriting should be stated in both Pica and Elite type. With the latter, there are 12 spaces or letters to the inch, instead of 10 as in the former, so .2 must be

added for the Elite, which can either be stated as more square inches, or the standard can be for less square inches per hour; that is, the standard for Pica typewriting is 200 square inches per hour, and if the Elite is measured in square inches, and shows 200, the result should be consid

ered 240 square inches, or conversely, the actual measurement can be made with a standard of 200 for Pica or 166 square inches for Elite. This rule can be used for measuring the square inches of any kind of work, such as statistical tables or other tabulated matter, but a separate standard of measurement will, of course, have to be used for each kind of work.

A job may be so full of small details that it would be unprofitable to count them, and besides many of these details might be different on jobs of a generally similar character. In such case the job itself should be measured by time, and in setting standards, the average time for such job should be figured. Thus, the work in connection with getting out some particular report may include the copying of certain statistics from several different sources, and then making this up on a standard work sheet for the typist to copy from. Such work may involve many miscellaneous details which cannot be counted, and in such cases, the work in all its details, up to the making of the work sheet, should be counted as one job.

WHEN TO DO THE MEASURING

This will vary with the character of the work. If, for example, it is the addressing of envelopes or folding of circulars, or other similar repetitive job, the work can be counted when it is assigned; that is, the worker can be given sufficient material for one hour's work. If it is a single job which may take several hours to finish, the time can be estimated on the assignment sheet, and the estimated time checked up against the actual time when the work is completed. If it is work consisting of the transcribing of letters from phonographic records or stenographic notes, or the copying of a piece of manuscript on the typewriter, the work must be measured after it is completed. For planning purposes, however, the amount to be done will have to be estimated beforehand.

HOW WORK MAY BE RECORDED

For control purposes, the work may be measured either by individuals, groups on special work, or groups on routine work.

Measuring and recording of work by individuals should be done wherever possible, as this method will enable the planning clerk to differentiate between individuals as to their relative efficiency. In all work done as a completed operation by an individual, such as the work of typists, stenographers, phonograph operators, entry clerks, and the like, the measurement and recording should be done individually.

Where work is done by a group, and it is difficult to determine the amount done by any one individual, or where the spurting ahead of an individual would have no effect in hastening the completion of the work, the measurement should be done by the group, and the efficiency of each individual in it recorded as the same as that for the group. But there are few occasions in office work where group measurement of this character is necessary.

In all work which passes successively through the hands of a number of individuals, as in a routine, on a route sheet, the measurement will be done automatically by each individual in recording time received and time finished. Where there is a steady flow of work there is practically no opportunity for the clerk to make a dishonest report, and there are very few clerks, indeed, who would think of attempting it; so this measurement will suffice for all clerks working on routine.

RECORDING METHODS

Methods should be devised to reduce the labor of recording as much as possible. If bonus is paid on the work, it should be figured on the number of standard hours in the pay period, whether that be one week or two, for the reason that bonus is to be paid on the average efficiency for that period and not on the efficiency shown for a few hours. The

sheet upon which this report is kept should, therefore, contain sufficient space for keeping it up to the time of the pay period.

A card should be provided for each clerk, on which the efficiency record by pay periods is kept, and should provide space for at least a year's record. The results should be copied periodically on the employee's card in the personnel department.

CONTROL FIGURES

In addition to the efficiency record of the individual, and the measuring of the work in general as it is done, certain control figures should be kept in the planning department. For example, if a certain number of orders were received in one day, this figure could be used to control the work done in the order routine, the shipping records, the invoices made, and the charges posted. Some offices also keep a control figure showing the unit around which the work of the office revolves, which, for example, may be considered as an order. Every order will then mean a certain volume of work to be done in all departments, and this figure will serve as a control to the volume.