Pay the Employees Who Pay You

摘要

According to a recent issue of British news magazine The Economist, Germany's manufacturing labor costs are the highest in the world and 13 percent higher than America's. The average German manufacturing worker puts in 25 percent fewer hours than his or her American counterpart. More specifically, depending upon the plant location, the average workweek for Germany's automotive giant Volkswagen is 31.5 to 38 hours. Given those costs and the shorter workweek, how does VW compete in the worldwide market? And, how does all this pertain to printing companies? The Economist goes on to say that VW can compete because it has moved from the old model of pay based solely upon hours worked to a new system of "task fulfillment." While the concept of task fulfillment involves several things, at its core is something that is not new at all. It's the same thing that was called "piecework" in the textile industry or is called "flat rate" in auto repair: paying workers based upon what they do instead of the hours they work. It's a method you should consider for your skilled production workers.