306 EMPLOYMENT PSYCHOLOGY 
on the basis of their degree of honesty. We usually think 
of a man as either honest or dishonest. And we generally 
assume that a man is honest until evidence to the con 
trary appears. Therefore, it is unnecessary and even 
wasteful to include on a worker’s record the virtue of 
honesty. It is only the occasional exception who must be 
recorded. 
Before discussing the methods of recording comparative 
productiveness, we may briefly summarize the discussion 
preceding. The chief purpose of an industrial organiza 
tion is to produce. Therefore the chief factor in the rela 
tion between the individual worker and the organization is 
comparative productiveness. Productiveness and attend 
ance can be mathematically measured on an impersonal 
and uniform basis. A periodic record of these factors, 
practically independent of all personal opinions, can be 
kept. 
The moral qualities as described by the terms patience, 
reliability, industry, carefulness, neatness, determination, 
etc., can not be measured mathematically or impersonally. 
The attributing of these qualities depends largely on the 
personal likes and dislikes of the foreman or other personal 
factors. The moral qualities are relative, rather than 
absolute, depending for their character and intensity 
upon the degree to which the tasks of the worker are suited 
to his abilities and preferences. Therefore, it is more 
just to praise or find fault with a worker’s productiveness 
than with his moral characteristics. Finally, most moral 
traits work themselves out in productiveness even before 
they become apparent in a general way. It is best from 
every point of view to make the production record an 
index to a worker’s characteristics. Such a method will, 
to a great extent, remove the unpleasant necessity of