Work Measurement Definition

Measuring work is an important part of management.

A key part of managing or owning a business is measuring the work done by your staff: how much are they working, how effectively are they working, and what could be done to make them better? This allows a manager to see who is doing well, who is not and what the standard should be. The method of measuring varies from one workplace and industry to another.

Quantitative Data (Numbers)

Some industries define work measurement through numbers. For example, a call center may measure its staff's work by keeping track of how many calls each person answers. Using numbers can show, using objective data, how hard each employee is working.

Management by Objectives

Another method of measuring work is management by objectives. This is done by periodically sitting down with an employee and going over his personal objectives. These can be qualitative or quantitative and are effective because they apply to individuals---if someone has individual objectives, then measuring his work in relation to his strengths and weaknesses is much easier.

Creativity

Finally, there is the extremely qualitative method of measuring creativity. This is particularly prevalent in higher level, white-collar jobs. Looking at how creative someone is can show how much value she offers to a company; if one person works a 12-hour day but does nothing creative while another works a 6-hour day but creates three new policies, each of which save the company millions of dollars, it is the latter employee who is more valuable, in spite of the numbers (time in the office) saying the opposite.

References

• Zigon Performance Group: Measuring the Hard Stuff
• HR World: 16 Ways to Measure Employee Performance