Page:The museum, (Jackson, Marget Talbot, 1917).djvu/244

214 a problem. The best administrators deplore the use of any sort of machine control like a time-clock, though with a large staff of janitors and attendants this is necessary. By far the best system, if practical, is that of appointing the men in turn as monitor for a week to keep the time of the others. The superintendent, of course, must see in a general way that the monitor is doing his duty. For the administrative staff the use of a time-clock has been tried and found undesirable. No highly intelligent worker will shirk,—if they do, they are not wanted in a museum. The time when the staff comes to the office and the time that is taken off for lunch is a matter to be controlled by the observation of the director and the conscience of the employee. Any other system breeds discontent and laziness. Unless every member of the staff is so devoted to his or her work that dilatoriness and shirking are impossible, the museum should look elsewhere. There are times of stress when the museum must keep the staff overtime, and the response will be instant from the devoted workers who feel themselves independent, responsible human beings. Time-clock service is greatly to be deplored. It is undependable and unintelligent and must be constantly watched. In these days when the idea of individual responsibility is being used even in