17th April 2006, 12:15 PM
There are already some units who stress working to deadlines as one of their prime requirements when advertising on this site. They tend to pay more and have bad reputations for quality of work.
I can not see how any routine task in field archaeology can be given a set 'standard' time. There are too many variable factors ranging from weather conditions, type of soil you're shifting, access and spoil dumping difficulties, not always having the best tool for the job, digging while carrying a slight knock etc. Not to mention the relative complexity of the archaeology.
A set 'standard' time for digging a post hole for example would lead to rushing, stress and mistakes.
I can also see people making a huge rush for the one or two good mattocks and barrows first thing in the morning. I personally find having good tools is a great benefit to speed and efficiency, but the general standard of tool quality on most sites does not reflect this need (another issue perhaps).
I could perhaps even see myself, a normally sunny tempered digger always happy to lend a colleague a mattock I'm temporarily not using, becoming a bitter money obsessed tool hoarder if performance related pay was forced upon us. This sort of small interaction between collleagues is very important for good site morale. It would turn what is essentially (in both uses of the word) a team effort into individuals competing for limited resources.
Performance related pay always comes across as punishing the (minority) of lazy workers rather than rewarding the vast majority of hard workers.
I wouldn't know about this but there must be early completion bonus clauses in some site contracts already?
I can not see how any routine task in field archaeology can be given a set 'standard' time. There are too many variable factors ranging from weather conditions, type of soil you're shifting, access and spoil dumping difficulties, not always having the best tool for the job, digging while carrying a slight knock etc. Not to mention the relative complexity of the archaeology.
A set 'standard' time for digging a post hole for example would lead to rushing, stress and mistakes.
I can also see people making a huge rush for the one or two good mattocks and barrows first thing in the morning. I personally find having good tools is a great benefit to speed and efficiency, but the general standard of tool quality on most sites does not reflect this need (another issue perhaps).
I could perhaps even see myself, a normally sunny tempered digger always happy to lend a colleague a mattock I'm temporarily not using, becoming a bitter money obsessed tool hoarder if performance related pay was forced upon us. This sort of small interaction between collleagues is very important for good site morale. It would turn what is essentially (in both uses of the word) a team effort into individuals competing for limited resources.
Performance related pay always comes across as punishing the (minority) of lazy workers rather than rewarding the vast majority of hard workers.
I wouldn't know about this but there must be early completion bonus clauses in some site contracts already?