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  contrary ­
  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  organization ­
  is  to  produce.  Therefore  the  chief  factor  in  the  relation ­
  between  the  individual  worker  and  the  organization  is
comparative  productiveness.  Productiveness  and  attendance ­
  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