THE  MEASURE  OF  COMPARATIVE  PRODUCTIVENESS  303
facturing  establishments  all  defective  work  is  rejected  or
sent  back  to  the  responsible  worker  for  repairs.  In  this
way,  the  quantity  of  a  man’s  work  is  made  directly  dependent ­
  on  its  quality.  By  comparative  productiveness  we
mean  both  the  quantity  and  quality  of  work  produced  by
an  individual  in  comparison  with  other  workers.
Another  factor  which  enters  into  the  productiveness  of
an  individual  is  attendance.  A  worker  may  be  a  very  fast
and  careful  operator  or  mechanic,  but  if  he  is  out  for  a  day
or  two  days  at  frequent  intervals,  his  work  stands  idle  and
his  productiveness  may  fall  below  that  of  another  worker
not  quite  so  fast  but  more  regular  in  attendance.  Attendance ­
  is  also  a  very  good  index  of  many  other  qualities
essential  to  a  good  worker  such  as  loyalty,  health,  industry, ­
  habits,  and  so  forth.  Indeed,  the  matter  of  attendance ­
  is  now  generally  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  serious
of  all  personnel  and  production  problems.
The  question  will  undoubtedly  be  raised  at  this  point:
But  what  of  honesty,  patience,  dependability,  cleanliness,
good  moral  habits,  term  of  service,  religious  convictions,
loyalty,  and  a  host  of  other  qualities  just  as  important  if
not  more  so  than  mere  ability  to  produce?  We  often  find
these  qualities  mentioned  on  interview  and  personal-record
cards,  and  attempts  are  frequently  made  to  describe
workers  in  such  terms.  However,  closer  analysis  will
demonstrate  that  all  of  these  factors  enter  into  the  productiveness ­
  of  an  individual.  The  worker  who  is  loyal,
industrious,  and  steady,  will  show  it  by  producing  more
work  than  the  one  who  is  not.  The  employee  who  is
neat,  conscientious,  and  honest,  will  produce  better  work
than  the  man  who  does  not  possess  these  qualities.  Indeed, ­
  it  is  very  difficult  if  not  impossible  to  attribute  such
qualities  to  a  worker  except  on  the  basis  of  comparative