652 PARKS 



tenance work is the inevitable result. This system also may result in the 

 employment of more workers than the necessities of the work require. 



Personal Relations. 



The general subject of the relation of executives to subordinates has 

 been discussed briefly in the Chapter on the "General Executive Organiza- 

 tion," pages 542-547. Every maintenance employee is entitled to have from 

 his directing executive specific instructions as to duties to be performed. 

 These instructions should not only include specific directions as to the 

 details of the work but also the relations which the employee bears to the 

 executive heads of other divisions (in large systems), and to the general 

 public. Inasmuch as maintenance employees come more or less into con- 

 stant contact with operative executives and employees and the work of the 

 latter depends largely upon the condition of the areas and all the facilities 

 thereon, there must be the closest possible harmony between these two 

 classes of employees. Likewise park caretakers, gardeners and foremen are 

 more or less in constant contact with the public and the- impression that 

 the public will gain of the quality of the park service will likely be much 

 influenced by the attitude, diligence and efficiency or lack of efficiency of 

 these employees. It is not expected, of course, that maintenance employees 

 give a great deal of time to the visiting public, but whenever the occasion 

 arises the attitude of the employee should be courteous and helpful. 



Reports Relating to Personnel. 



Time reports. A careful time record of the work of each employee should 

 be kept. In the small systems this is usually done by the superintendent 

 of the department. In the larger systems time report records are kept by 

 foremen or other responsible persons in charge of men. These time reports 

 should be recorded daily, but the forwarding of them to the administrative 

 office may be daily, weekly, bimonthly or monthly. The better practice 

 is to turn them into the administrative office daily so that there will be no 

 delay in making up the payroll. Some systems use an ordinary post card 

 with the blank form or forms printed on the back, which the foreman can 

 fill out at the close of each day and mail to the office. The form should 

 show the date, name, rate of pay, hours of work, location and character of 

 work. They may be on a card as indicated above, on single form sheets, or 

 in bound book form. These time reports are the basis of the payroll com- 

 pilation and of cost distribution. 



Payroll reports. These are compiled in the office by the superintendent, 

 the secretary or by a time clerk from the time reports. The compilation 

 may be made weekly, bimonthly or monthly. After the payroll has been 

 passed by the governing authority, payment of wages or salaries due 



