ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with an analysis of the problems as management defined them, together with the findings of the various studies made in the factory. To minimize the disruption caused by absence rates at such levels, firm was careful to keep off key jobs those women whose domestic circumstances were likely to lead to considerable absence. Their work, too, was so arranged that the burden on regular workers of carrying on when absence was high was reduced to a minimum. The need for money was the woman’s most frequent explanation for choosing to work at Peak Frean’s, and it is a reasonable assumption that she was attracted by prospect of high piecework earnings. On the employees’ side, the conventional criticism of management was mild. As this tolerance was an outstanding characteristic of part-timers, it could be concluded that the efforts made by Peek Frean’s to attract women with domestic responsibilities led to favourable comparisons with other employers in the district.
