Saturday, September 22, 2012

pedometer - September 15, 2012

17,000 ish ; at work, 9-15-12
2,050 ; walking the neighborhood, 9-15-12

Saturday, September 15, 2012

September 15, 2012 - J

Today was a Saturday in a week without a holiday, and therefore was overtime, although J was probably well into overtime by today, anyway. Today both J and I worked on the same job, using the same type of machine.

[7:05 ; I arrive]
[7:25-ish ; I start working on The Job]
8:54 ; J arrives, see NOTE 1
[9:45-ish ; see NOTE 2]
10:00-10:19 ; wandering, see NOTE 3
11:20-11:31 ; wandering, see NOTE 4
[11:40-12:03 ; I go to lunch, I am not in the department to observe]
(12:50-12:53 ; management comes through, see NOTE 5)
12:54 ; see NOTE 6
1:20-2:04 ; wandering, does a pass-though at 1:34
[2:50 ; have finished another 132 pieces, 182 total]
3:20-3:26 ; wandering
3:55- ? ; wandering
[4:05 ; I finish working, total pieces: 215.] J's est. total: 60-ish.
[4:09 ; I go home, see NOTE 7]


If the terms used seem confusing, you might read this.


NOTE 1: Management says that J called saying he'd be late because of bus-related reasons. Which was odd, since J had been driving a car for the last couple of days. The same car he finally arrived in today. He later said something to me about being hungover.

NOTE 2: about this time I finished my fiftieth piece. J has finished one. He has spent an inordinate amount of time doing set-up, considering that the person who worked before him worked on the same job. He finishes his second board at about 10:00.

NOTE 3: J takes his Break, even though he only arrived an hour earlier. He obviously goes somewhere in his car, since he returns carrying fast food, which he then eats at his station as he works.

NOTE 4: J goes to the bathroom. Since each item in the The Job takes seven minutes to finish (and requires no actual supervision during this time), logically, he should have started a board, then left for the restroom. He does not.

NOTE5: Company VP chastises J on mess around his machine, compares it to my clean area. It should be noted that I clean the mess as I go, something no one else does, preferring, as they apparently do, to instead sit (and goof off) the entire time their machine runs.

NOTE 6: J spends about 25 minutes cleaning the mess he made around his machine.

NOTE 7: When I leave, J is sitting out in his car in the parking lot. Has he been there the whole time? Who knows.

Friday, September 14, 2012

September 14, 2012 - J

[7:07 : I arrive]
7:40 ; J arrives
7:40-7:48 ; wandering
[8:00-8:06 ; I am not in the department to observe]
8:10-8:12 ; phone
8:13-8:39 ; Note 1 @ 42% goofing off
8:42-9:36 ; Note 1 @ 51%
(9:15-9:19 ; management in area)
9:36-9:45 ; wandering
9:45-9:58 ; Note 1 @ 25%
9:58-10:18 ; wandering, see NOTE 2
10:20-10:24 ; Note 1 @ 50%
[10:24-12:20 ; my machine breaks down; I am repairing, not observing]
? -12:20 ; wandering
[12:25-12:48 ; lunch, I am not in the department to observe]
? - 1:40 ; wandering, with a pass-through at 1:23
1:40-1:53 ; Note 1 @ 58%
(1:54-2:01 ; company Group Photo)
2:01-2:05 ; wandering
2:08-2:12 ; Note 1 @ 60% - also, see NOTE 3
2:12-2:20 ; wandering
2:22-2:43 ; Note 1 @ 44%
[2:43-2:49 ; I am not in the department to observe]
? -3:00 ; wandering
3:03-3:36 ; Note 1 @ 11%
3:33- ? ; wandering
[3:39-3:51 ; I am not in the department to observe]
[3:53 ; I leave the building]
3:53 ; J leaves the building


If the terms used seem confusing, you might read this.


NOTE 1: Of late, J has begun to... not work more, but goof off smarter. He alternates between working and not, so that it becomes difficult to track him unless you watch him at all times. He's not goofing off non-stop, but he's not really working, either. I've struggled with how to document this, and I think I came up with a decent system: during a given time period, I look over at J at random and ask this question when I do - Is he working, yes or no? I am allowed to note this no more than once a minute, and at the end of a time period, I calculate the percentage of times I've seen him goofing off versus the whole number of observations within that time, which gives me a goof-off "rate". This eliminates (or at least lessens) the subjectivity of my estimates of the level of his malingering.

NOTE 2: left the building in a car. Returned with fast food.

NOTE 3: J was running his machine at about a quarter of the speed which it should have been running at, thus extending his time to goof while "legitimately" running his machine.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

September 13, 2012 - J

[7:15 - I arrive, J is already in]
NOTE 2 : 7:40ish
8:06-8:13 ; wandering, with a pass-thru at 8:10
8:31-8:34 ; wandering
8:25-8:40 Note 1 @ 43%
(8:40-8:50 ; management - NOTE 3)
8:55-8:59 ; wandering
9:02-9:35 Note 1 @ 42%
[9:35-9:50 ; I go on break, so I am not in the department to observe]
9:51-9:56 Note 1 @ 80%
9:56-10:27 ; wandering - left building grounds in car at some point
10:29-10:54 Note 1 @ 59%
10:54-11:12 ; wandering
11:12-11:15 ; phone
11:15-11:31 Note 1 @ 21%
[11:32-11:58 ; lunch, I am not in the department to observe]
? -12:10 ; phone, yakking
12:13-12:18 ; wandering
12:18-12:34 Note 1 @ 57%
[12:34-12:40 ; bathroom, I am not in the department to observe]
12:41-1:03 Note 1 @ 79%
1:03-1:39 ; wandering - presumed was lunch - 11 pieces left to do
1:40-1:56 Note 1 @ 17%
1:56-2:02 ; wandering
[2:07-2:25 ; company meeting, I am not observing]
2:37-2:45 Note 1 @ 67%
2:45-3:06 ; wandering - 3 pieces left to do
2:55ish ; 2nd shift arrives
3:09-3:18 ; wandering
3:20 ; J finished the job. See NOTE 2
[3:29-3:31 ; getting water, I am not in the department to observe]
3:31-3:38 ; phone
3:44- ? ; wandering
[4:03 ; I go home]


NOTE 1: Of late, J has begun to... not work more, but goof off smarter. He alternates between working and not, so that it becomes difficult to track him unless you watch him at all times. He's not goofing off non-stop, but he's not really working, either. I've struggled with how to document this, and today I think I came up with a decent system: during a given time period, I look over at J at random and ask this question when I do - Is he working, yes or no? I can note this no more than once a minute, and at the end of a time period, I calculate the percentage of times I've seen him goofing off versus the whole number of observations within that time, which gives me a goof-off "rate". This eliminates (or at least lessens) the subjectivity of my previous estimates of the level of his malingering.

NOTE 2: J receives the one order he will manage to do today. 60 pieces, each of which should take 2 or 3 minutes each. J manages to do it in 7.5 minutes each. I personally could have had it done by between 10:00 and 11:00 at the latest. At the end of the day, J records in the log that he did 100 pieces (he counted the 40 that had already been done), which still shouldnt have taken him all day (4.5 minutes each).

NOTE 3: The plant manager came through the department at this time. He spent about 5 minutes watching J's machine.

If the terms used seem confusing, you might read this.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

September 12, 2012 - J

[7:13 ; I arrive]
? -7:16 ; wandering
8:15ish-8:40 ; see NOTE 2
Goof-off Level 2; see NOTE 1
[9:47-10:03 ; break, I am not in the department to observe]
? - 10:20 ; wandering
[10:30-10:51 ; I am not in the department to observe]
Goof-off Level 4; see NOTE 1
[11:36-12:03 ; lunch, I am not in the department to observe]
? -1:07 ; wandering - pass thru @ 12:55
Goof-off Level 3; see NOTE 1
(2:45ish ; 2nd shift arrives - early, I might add)
3:05-3:12 ; wandering
(3:20 ; 2nd shift takes over)
3:30- ? ; wandering
[3:48 ; I leave work]



NOTE 1: Of late, J has begun to... not work more, but goof off smarter. He alternates between working and not, so that it becomes difficult to track him unless you watch him at all times. He's not goofing off non-stop, but he's not really working, either. I've tried to estimate malingering level between notable events using a 1-5 scale, but I'm not terribly happy with this system.

NOTE 2: J has review. Does not come back in foul mood, so must assume that management again is just letting his bad behavior coast, or is oblivious to it.


If the terms used seem confusing, you might read this.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

September 11, 2012 - J

[7:15 ; I arrive] - J is already in
[7:30ish-8:20 ; I am not in the department to observe]
Note 1 level est. @ 80%
[9:37-9:47 ; bathroom, I am not in the department to observe]
10:05-10:23 ; wandering
10:23-10:38+ ; phone
Note 1 level est. @ 70% ; (see NOTE 2)
[11:24-11:54 ; lunch, I am not in the department to observe]
? -12:04 ; phone
Note 1 level est. @ 90%
[12:48-12:58 ; I am not in the department to observe]
? -1:13 ; wandering
1:13-1:14 ; phone
1:14-1:34 ; wandering
1:34-1:39 ; yakking
1:39-1:43 ; sitting, phone
(1:42-1:52 ; management in area)
1:53-2:16 ; sitting, phone, yakking
(2:16-2:18 ; management in department
2:20 ; working! see NOTE 3
2:23-2:38 ; sitting, phone
(2:38 ; management in area)
2:39-2:52 ; wandering
[2:42-2:45 ; I am not in the department to observe]
2:45ish ; 2nd shift arrives
2:57-2::58 ; see NOTE 4
+3:15-3:18 ; wandering
Note 1 level est. @ 70%
[3:49 ; I leave the building}


If the terms used seem confusing, you might read this.


NOTE 1: Of late, J has begun to... not work more, but goof off smarter. He alternates between working and not, so that it becomes difficult to track him unless you watch him at all times. He's not goofing off non-stop, but he's not really working, either. I've tried to estimate malingering level between notable events using a percentage scale, but I'm not terribly happy with this system.

NOTE 2: The company VP was in the area sometime between 10:23 and 11:24 (I did not note the exact time), but still J continued to mess with his phone, which is a VP-directed no-no.

NOTE 3: Not sure (not noted, dont remember) whether it was before or after 2:20, but a piece of work sat on the machine for a half an hour after it was finished before J did anything with it.

NOTE 4: J did not approve of the pallet jack in our department, so he spent the time to swap it with another.