The following is an excerpt from the July 1943 issue of Transportation
Magazine. This was serious and written for male supervisors of women in
the workforce during World War II - a mere 57 years ago! Obviously, the
intent was not to be "funny," but by today's standards, this is
hilarious! For those of you with efficiency issues, pay attention to
#8.
Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees:
There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire
women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage
has
settled that point.
The important things now are to select the most efficient women
available and how to use them to the best advantage. Here are eleven
helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties:
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, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they
still
have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public
efficiently.
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 hard time adapting themselves and
are
inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress
upon
older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.
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. This step not only
protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but
reveals 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; the fact that a minute
or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. 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 periods 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
tidied, 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 operator's uniforms so that each girl
can
have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping
women happy.
Magazine. This was serious and written for male supervisors of women in
the workforce during World War II - a mere 57 years ago! Obviously, the
intent was not to be "funny," but by today's standards, this is
hilarious! For those of you with efficiency issues, pay attention to
#8.
Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees:
There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire
women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage
has
settled that point.
The important things now are to select the most efficient women
available and how to use them to the best advantage. Here are eleven
helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties:
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, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they
still
have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public
efficiently.
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 hard time adapting themselves and
are
inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress
upon
older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.
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. This step not only
protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but
reveals 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; the fact that a minute
or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. 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 periods 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
tidied, 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 operator's uniforms so that each girl
can
have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping
women happy.
