While today’s premium wage systems are much more modern, we still manage a large number of piecework systems in the industry. The changes in processes and products require constantly adapted lead times. It is not uncommon that we find average performances of 140% or more. If you look at a person’s ability to perform, it quickly becomes clear that an achievement of more than 130% is not actually possible in the long term, and that at a certain point it can be damaging to a persons health. The adjustment of target times to normal performance is a difficult process, as the additional earnings taken for granted have been factored into the private financial plans of the employees. For these adaptations, we have developed measures and plans in a wide variety of projects that allow a socially acceptable transition.

Another problem with many chord systems are the “red bills”, which are often issued when there are gaps to be bridged or when there are no default times. In extreme cases, this proportion can exceed 50%. Additionally, there is the wage drawer in old piecework systems. Here “surplus” default times are being collected for bad times, which then flow back into the operation, should chord minutes be missing to reach the known billing level. Here, not only the functionality of the incentive wage system has to be questioned, but there is also a lack of operating data for planning, control and calculation. In these cases, quick remedy is required. We have developed the “electronic drawer” for this special case and have already successfully implemented it several times.

When it comes to the introduction of a new incentive wage system in companies, we now basically implement premium wage systems. If feasible, we then develop combined quantity and quality premiums. Whereas in the past the quality aspect tended to focus more on reacting to increasing error rates through the quantity incentive of a premium, today quality standards and consistent supplier evaluation are becoming increasingly important.