Re: Mosler Sem.: Wray - Workfare, Motivation, Inflation

["James R. Olson, jr." <jhavok@xxxxxxxx>]

At 09:54 PM 3/3/97 -0800, John Gelles wrote:
>
>	The worker who fears the sack, on a scale of 1 to 10,
>	at the 10 level, may fear the sack at only a 7 score.
>	A 3 point drop in fear might translate into a 2 point
>	drop in productivity -- and output (not made up for by
>	technology).
>

This is the most blackhearted aspect of the conservative attitude toward
work.  I've done blue-collar all my life, and I can tell you from
experioence that fear of the sack reduces efficiency, perhaps becuase it
reduces commitment, perhaps becuase it increases resentment.  When I ran a
crew, I found that simple attention to each person, without threats or
emotional load, kept teamwork high and production at maximum levels.  I
found that even the worst drunk on my crew wanted to be proud of what he
was doing, and would do it as well as possible given the chance.

I feel that an ELR program has to recognize the desire for pride in
production, and that's one reason that I suggest beautification projects.
Put people in charge of the parks and roads of their community, and most
would be take pride in what they could do, especially if there was a
concerted media campaign to recognize its value.