Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees

My lovely Gabi forwarded an article to me yesterday that is far too entertaining not to share. It's from the Sept/Oct '07 issue of Savvy and Sage, and is a reprint of a 1943 article in Transportation Magazine. And, yes, my heading is the title of the article.

So, without further ado... the article, almost in full.

"1. Pick young, married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious [and] they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it...

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a harder time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy...

3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.

4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions... [to reveal] whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

5. Stress at the outset the importance of time... until this point is gotten across service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.

8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest allowances during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidy, apply fresh lipstick, and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy."

*****
By the way, photo credits: The great pic above is from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum, online on Wikipedia Commons. The caption for the photo is, "Two sisters who left the farm to keep our airmen flying. NYA trainees at the Corpus Christi, Texas, Naval Air Base, Evelyn and Lillian Buxkeurple are shown working on a practice bomb shell." I just have to say, the pic is great, but the last name is AWESOME. Buxkeurple. I couldn't make that up!