Meaning of Work Study – Definition and Objectives

Meaning of Work Study. It can be focused as a scientific method that ensures measurement into the work content of a job & takes recourse to a better method of doing it & thus realizes the best utilization of human, machinery & other resources of an organization.

Meaning of Work Study

This is a science of sitting up standard time of job & discovering the best and the easiest way of performing that job. Thus the job of work-study is to investigate how work is being done, whether there is any defect in doing it & to improve the method of working of the job so that productivity improves per unit time or per unit worker or per unit machine.

Work-study also must determine the standard time by which a qualified worker can accomplish the job within that standard time.

Thus we may define work-study in the following way:

work-study is the systematic method of examining existing ways of doing a job so as to improve productivity & to set up a standard time for each job.

Systematic feature of work study

Work-study is a method is systematic in nature. It succeeds because it is systematic in studying the problems & also systematic in devolving the covered solution.

The comprehensiveness of work-study

Work-study is a very thorough process in investigating problems on the production floor & it is also comprehensive in determining the solution to such problems. As work-study is involved in the rigorous study of problems & through working out of solution, is it a time-consuming matter. Production manager or floor manager or supervisor can’t devote enough time to dedicate to such a systematic & thorough study.

Thus work-study is a full-time duty. This is the reason why an enterprise needs to allocate a full department for work-study matters.  Textile & garment industries must have an independent work-study department.

Difficulties in implementing

Work-study always involves itself in the thorough investigation of all processes and factors that impair productivity by close supervision. It often bears upon the shortcomings of a person or a certain department. For example, it may point out that a number of operators have been sitting idle due to the shortage of basic inputs or say due to the non-availability of o folder urgently required by operation or that approved sample or swatch card was not supplied in time or that pattern was defective. Thus work-study often points its finger to people in the organization which in turn prompts animosity towards this department. So personnel working in this department should be very tactful in doing their job and handling people.

The resolve of the top management in implementing

But it is the resolve of the top management of the organization and its unflinching support that can help implement work-study in an enterprise. Because with the introduction of work-study the working method will undergo a lot of change, which old-fashioned executives may not like to accept as they are used to doing things “as they have always been doing”.

Meaning of Work-Study – Definition, and Objectives