In conditions of modern production, fierce market competition and the desire of manufacturers at any cost to achieve sales growth and profit by reducing the cost of a unit of goods, it is important to consider any factors - from primary to secondary. Today in our article we will talk about such an important indicator of the work process as labor intensity. What is this quantity, what properties and features does it have, can it be influenced, and how exactly?
The concept of labor intensity refers to the category characterizing the degree of tension of the labor force. In addition, it measures the amount of labor that a particular employee spends over a unit of time. The value of this indicator is directly dependent not only on physiological characteristics inherent in a particular person or group. It is influenced by the conditions in which the labor process is carried out.
Clarify the concept
Labor intensity is the degree of labor consumption per unit time. Moreover, not only physical costs, but also resources belonging to the category of mental and emotional are subject to measurement. That is, labor intensity refers to complex indicators that determine the impact that internal human resources have on production volumes.
The concepts of labor intensity and its productivity are interconnected. When productivity rises, its degree of intensity automatically tends to decrease (again, we are talking about a certain unit of time). The identification of the mentioned concepts is incorrect in connection with their mutually opposite orientation.
How to determine the intensity of labor?
It is calculated by dividing the amount of labor expended by the worker or group by the duration of the work process. To assess the intensity of labor, you can use a variety of characteristics related to organizational, economic, physiological and other aspects. Thanks to this assessment, the workflow can be analyzed from an objective point of view, shortcomings are identified and adjustments are made.
What is the norm in this case? What criteria should be followed in order to observe the middle ground between the requirements of production and the human factor? How to maintain the health of workers in the face of ever-increasing demands from management?
Such labor intensity is considered normal, in which the full range of skills, knowledge and physical forces working together with technological advances is fully used. With this optimal indicator of the severity of the labor process, the economic effect can be maximum. In this case, the physical and psychological state of the employee is not inflicted.
Main aspects
We list what characteristics of labor intensity exist:
1. It belongs to the number of economic categories due to the fact that the definition uses the concepts of labor and time.
2. This is also a physiological category, because we are talking about the expenditure of emotional, labor, mental and other human resources.
3. Its value depends on labor in each case. Productivity also depends on it. There are certain standards, the development of which was carried out at the state level. By assessing the intensity in the conditions of a particular production correctly and in a timely manner, it is possible to improve the working process conditions. Conclusion: this category includes both physiological and economic factors in relation to the volume of output.
4. The organizational factor should also not be discounted. Monitoring indicators of labor intensity with constant comparison with normative is very important. Without it, it will not be possible to respond in a timely manner to any serious deviations.
Intensity bonus
In the practice of production management, there is a system of surcharges accrued for a number of specific merits. They are envisaged either by labor legislation or by internal local acts of the enterprise. This also includes the so-called allowance for labor intensity. Its size is written in the text of the collective agreement and can be up to 50% of the salary.
All such issues are resolved by the Labor Code in the relevant sections on payment, regulations, allowances and surcharges. The direct form of accrual, as a rule, exists at each enterprise. For its development, management and a special certification commission are required to conduct an assessment of the severity of labor for each of the existing categories of workers. Having received the results of such studies, they determine the list of those posts that they occupy.
Most often, such allowances for labor intensity are provided to those who work on the production line or are engaged in hazardous or complex production. A collective agreement should reflect a number of necessary points: a list of these privileged jobs, production indicators that serve as the basis for the payment of the allowance, the procedure and amount of such payments.
The procedure for issuing allowances is duplicated in the relevant orders. Information on this in the form of a copy of the collective agreement should be handed over to each of the employees.
A similar surcharge for labor intensity can be considered as a stimulating factor, the meaning of which is to motivate the employee to apply more efforts in the labor process. On the other hand, it can act as a reward if, at the direction of the management, work of increased complexity is performed.
How to increase the efficiency and intensity of labor
By increasing the amount of labor per unit of time, we are sure to increase labor productivity. It is not surprising that any of the leaders strives to improve this indicator. There are two methods for this. Their conventional names are “carrot” and “carrot”. The first of these is coercion of workers. Most often, this phenomenon occurs in areas with high unemployment related to economically disadvantaged. The stimulus is the banal threat of dismissal. This method can take on a rather veiled character, for example, by increasing the speed of labor according to the movement of the conveyor.
Another situation is when superiors rely on incentives of a moral and material order. This refers to a salary increase or bonus for a good increase in the rate of intensity. More subtle tricks include announcing a competition for applicants for a vacant position at a rank higher with the need to demonstrate good performance in a particular time period.
How to achieve an increase in labor intensity? This is not easy enough. Each manager should approach the matter thoughtfully. This process necessarily leads to a deterioration in the state of working personnel, both physical and emotional. This negative phenomenon is associated with fatigue and nervous tension. In addition, it should ensure an increase in material compensation for the increased severity of the labor process in proportion to the additional energy costs.
The optimal and competent way is to introduce modern new technologies, which do not require an increase in physical and emotional costs.
What determines labor productivity
What is the difference between labor intensity and productivity? These concepts cannot be identified in any way. To some extent, they can be called opposite. The concepts of intensity are always mutually connected with the intensity (i.e., severity) of labor. Productivity is achieved mainly through the introduction of the latest advanced technologies that provide minimal interference in the production process of the human factor. With an increase in the volume of work and products in this case, wages can grow only on the personal initiative of management.
What should be increased in the first place - labor productivity or its intensity? It is most reasonable to focus on the first option. It is then that it is possible to reduce the cost of production and, as a consequence, increase net profit.
The main indicators of intensity
Researchers have identified the following:
1. The intensity factor is understood as the product of the employment rate of the active share and the share of a unit.
2. The number, called the rate coefficient, can be calculated by dividing the standard operation time by its actual duration, measured and timed.
3. The employment rate is found by dividing the amount of time actually spent for work on the usual duration of the work shift. The concept of a normative coefficient is also used, the meaning of which is different in individual industries.
4. The specific gravity of labor (or the coefficient of severity) is the ratio of the integral indicator to the maximum permissible minute duration of the shift. This standard number is 480.
Any of the above indicators should be regularly calculated wherever it comes to production management. The purpose of such monitoring is to constantly monitor compliance with legislative standards and to take timely corrective measures in case of any deviations.
What factors determine the intensity of labor
Despite all the achievements of scientific and technological progress, one of the conditions ensuring productivity growth is the same increase in labor intensity. After all, by applying a greater amount of effort, the employee can issue an increased amount of manufactured products in a control period of time. But, as already mentioned, these concepts cannot be identified in any way. Indeed, the intensity does not affect the factor in reducing the cost of production.
What factors of labor intensity can we talk about? The conversation is primarily about the physiological characteristics of the human body - age, gender, level of health, and other characteristics of an individual nature. Further, we can talk about the organization of the production process, the technologies used, the specific equipment used and the degree of debugging of the work process.
The third group of factors relates to socio-economic. Here it is worth mentioning the amount of wages, the standard of living, education, etc. In general, a wide range of different conditions and factors affect the intensity of labor. Of course, the main ones can be called those that relate to human physiology. After all, it is they who determine the ability to perform one or another type of work.
About the similarities and differences
Of course, the technological features of a particular production contribute to a large extent to the realization of the human factor. Or vice versa - its manifestations complicate. As for the third group of conditions, one cannot expect high results without satisfying the employee’s own social position.
A number of common problems and specific features are characteristic in this regard for industries of various sizes and types of activities. The physiological and economic categories, at the intersection of which there is a concept of intensity, are closely interconnected. It is sometimes quite difficult to take into account physical and mental costs. This complex indicator can be considered in the context of a number of categories.
Let's talk about labor intensity groups
We believe that labor intensity is the cost of labor per unit of time. It is possible to evaluate and adjust this indicator in different ways for different categories of duties performed. It is customary to distinguish the following groups in this matter:
1. The so-called mental workers. We are talking about employees engaged in labor activities that do not require physical effort (or those can be considered insignificant). Sometimes such work can be associated with a fairly serious stress of a nervous and emotional nature. It is usually referred to as sedentary.
2. Work from the category of light physical labor that does not require special stress or serious effort. This also includes the maintenance of mechanized processes. As an example, we can cite the responsibilities of health workers, representatives of certain sectors of light industry. Many options in this category can be found in the service sector, etc.
3. Work requiring serious physical exertion (sometimes despite the existing automation of the process - partial or even complete). Here we are talking about people working in workshops, on industrial machines, in the field of agriculture, etc. The work of medium or increased severity is considered to be the work of metallurgists, miners, drivers, managers of large vehicles, and many others. It is impossible to compare labor intensity for different groups of workers and various categories without special equalizing indicators.
How to classify labor intensity
This can be done by a combination of a number of features. If we focus on compliance with the subject, it can be individual (separately for each employee), aggregate (the entire list of employees is subject to assessment), the so-called intensity of the aggregate employee (we are talking about an average indicator). We can talk about the intensity of the employee in the service sector or the national economy.
If we try to arrange this concept according to the object, we can distinguish the following categories: the working intensity of the personnel in the preparatory work process, it is during the main stage of production, for workers employed at the completion stage.
Other classification principles
Classify this concept and by nature. The intensity can be normative, that is, established by law, optimal (the calculation of which was made according to the characteristics of production and the physiological data of a person), planned (calculated documented for future periods), actual or socially necessary (the level of which allows to optimize the production process).
If you take the time factor as the basis, you can calculate the intensity in a minute, hour, day, week, month, or year.
Based on the classification of the production level, we can talk about the intensity at a single workplace, at the whole work site, workshop level or the general enterprise. There are also indicators of it in the framework of a particular industry or the entire national economy.
conclusions
Labor intensity is a category that can demonstrate how labor is used for a specific period of time. Moreover, it implies not only the physical aspect, but also the totality of moral and mental stress.
The normal value of this indicator can be considered one in which all human resources are used to the full extent, provided that the work process is organized in an optimal way. The most important condition in this case is the inadmissibility of harming the health of workers, both physical and emotional. Otherwise, immediate action is required to reduce labor intensity.
Strengthening it necessarily leads to an increase in productivity, which is easily explained. After all, with an increase in intensity from any single employee or group, one can wait for more work to be completed in the same time period.
We repeat: we should not confuse these two concepts, much less identify them. Labor productivity is increased by the introduction of new high technologies and the minimization of the human factor in the production process. It is in this way that it is possible to reduce costs and achieve increased profits. Encouraging the employee to increase the intensity of his work, the employer must take measures to pay him decent material compensation.
Control is always necessary.
The labor intensity of workers should be constantly evaluated. This is the task of both the management of the enterprise and the representatives of the inspection bodies. The purpose of such an audit is the simultaneous observance of workers' rights and the implementation of established standards for labor intensity.
Why is a decrease in intensity possible? The list is quite large. It begins with unsatisfactory working conditions and ends with too little material incentive. Regardless of the reasons, a decrease in intensity decreases production volumes or freezes them altogether. Sometimes it comes to the refusal of employees to perform their own duties. That is why the employer should consider possible negative situations and provide for a number of measures to further stimulate subordinates in terms of increasing this important indicator.