Sample essays on Managing the Workplace are published for informational purposes only. The free papers are not written by our writers, they are contributed by users, so we are not responsible for the content of this free sample paper. If you want to buy a quality essay paper on Managing the Workplace at affordable prices please use our essay writing services offered by EssayEmpire.

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth's first management consulting contract was with the New England Butt Company (NEB), where they installed Frederick W. Taylor's system in 1912-1913. NEB was founded in 1842 and took its name from its first product, butt hinges. In 1855, it started producing braiding machines to produce shoelaces and later electrical insulation. By 1912, the United States was converting to electricity, and there was great demand for such machines. Other products manufactured by NEB included fishing lines, curtain cords, and clotheslines. NEB employed about three hundred people.

Frank was a very gregarious man who could talk to anyone. Workers found him approachable and sympathetic, especially when they found out that he had started as a bricklayer. Lillian was more reserved, so the two divided up the work so that Frank worked at the site while Lillian performed analysis at home. The Gilbreths' major innovation to Taylor's system was to substitute film cameras for stopwatches, and Lillian studied the jobs frame-by-frame to determine the most efficient and fatigue-minimizing methods of performing tasks. Moving pictures were still a novelty at the time, and the workers enjoyed being the stars of the Gilbreths' featurettes. Frank coined the term "therblig," an anagram of "gilbreth," to mean a unit of motion. The basic therbligs were Plan, Search, Find, Select, Grasp, Position, Assemble, Use, Disassemble, Inspect, Transport Loaded, Transport Empty, Wait (unavoidable delay), Wait (avoidable delay), and Rest.

They changed the braider assembly system so that an unskilled laborer would place all the equipment and parts in the proper order on a vertical frame next to the workbench. Frank observed that the skilled workers had to stretch to finish the assembly, so he recommended that the workbench be lowered. Before the Gilbreths restructured the job, it took one skilled worker 37.5 minutes to assemble a braiding machine. Afterward, it took one skilled and one unskilled worker 8.5 minutes.

The Gilbreths also installed more effective cost-accounting procedures, introduced flowcharts, rerouted work procedures, reorganized tool rooms, removed all rolltop desks in favor of flat ones, installed a messenger system and suggestion boxes, and created a planning department. They also introduced an incentive and merit recognition system and the practice of two rest periods a day. Foremen's duties were analyzed and distributed to up to eight different people, including training, repairs, and clerical duties. Other innovations were the installations of clean restrooms, clean lunchrooms, and ergonomically designed chairs. Even the process of cleaning toilets was analyzed. Finally, they installed their home reading box, an open-top box in which employees were encouraged to drop their used magazines and take any that might appeal to them.

Free essays are not written to satisfy your specific instructions. You can order a term paper, research paper or custom essay on Managing the Workplace at our site which offers professional essay writing services. Get your high quality custom paper at affordable price. EssayEmpire is the best solution for those who seek help in essay writing related to Managing the Workplace and other relevant topics.