HUMAN FACTOR.

Grey River Argus, 13 January 1927, Page 6

HUMAN FACTOR.

IN BUSINESS. Air S. Rowntree, chairman of Rowntree and Co., Ltd in a lecture on ‘ ‘ The Human Factor in Business” said: — “Employers were apt to regard their workmen as stupid people, who did not understand the economic problems of industry. That might be true, or it might not. There is no doubt the employer was not doing his job in industry properly. An employer’s job was to organise his industry and lead his men, just as a captain’s job was to lead his men. There was something wrong if he did not have co-operation, and that something could be set right to the advantage of the worker and the community. The question arose, however, as to what terms he might expect to deserve peace in indutry. Employers should ask themselves what sort of conditions they would require as workers in order to be induced to give of their best. Five things were necessary to ensure industrial contentment —(1) reasonable wages, (2) reasonable hours, (3) reasonable economic security, (4) reasonable status in industry, ami (5) a share in the pro- . sperity of an industry. An employe I should not wait until forced by his ’ employee to take the initiative in de < manding a reasonable wage. As an employer, you must constantly seek to put yourself in the position of ’ your workmen. In meeting any problem * you must ask yourself how you would f feel as a workman if ? certain courseft were taken. Above all, you must try ? to forget the ideas that have been hand- \ ed down to you by your forefathers. [

We, as employers of today, have to pay for the sins of the employers of the ’o’s and 40’s, who brought children into the mines to work 16 hours a lay. The memory of those days has brade union leaders, and has built up ourned itself into the minds of the i bitterness of feeling which we must oreak down. Then can we make the ;rade union leaders our best friends, tnd allies, and that having been done ve are on the high road to industrial | irosperity. ’ ’