more interesting for the crew. Another good reason to rotate work assignments is to prevent a situation in which only one person is capable of doing a certain type of work. This specialization could be a severe disadvantage if that person were to be transferred, hospitalized, or to goon leave for a lengthy period of time.

Give special consideration to work assignments for strikers. They should be assigned to jobs of gradually increased levels of difficulty. Strikers may be useful assistants on a complicated job, but they may not fully understand the different phases of the job unless they have worked their way up from basic tasks.

In assigning work, be sure to give the worker as much information as necessary to do the job properly. An experienced worker may need only a general statement concerning the finished product. A less experienced worker is likely to require more instruction concerning the layout of the job and the procedures to be followed.

Often, you may want to put more workers on a job than it really requires. Normally, the more workers you use, the less time it will take to get the job done. Remember, there is a limit to the number of workers that can successfully work on one job at any given time. You should not overlook the advantages of assigning more crews or crew members to a project when their services are needed or when presented an opportunity to learn a unique phase of the rating. Teamwork, versatility, and new skills can be learned from a variety of work assignments.

TIMEKEEPING

In battalions, and at shore-based activities, your duties will involve the posting of working hours on time cards for military personnel. Therefore, you should know the type of information required on time cards and understand the importance of accuracy in labor reporting. You will find that the labor reporting system used primarily in Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCBs) and the system used at shore-based activities are similar.

A labor accounting system is mandatory for you to record and measure the number of man-hours expended that a unit spends on various functions. In this system, labor usage data is collected daily in sufficient detail and in a way that enables the operations department to compile the data readily. This helps the operations officer manage manpower resources and prepare reports for higher authority.

Although labor accounting systems may vary slightly from one command to another, the system described here can be tailored to record labor at any command.

Any unit must account for all labor used to carry out its assignment, so management can figure the amount of labor used on the project. Labor costs are figured and actual man-hours are compared with previous estimates based on jobs of a similar nature. When completed, this information is used by unit managers and higher commands to develop planning standards.

The labor accounting system covered in this section is based upon the procedures and guidelines established by both Naval Construction Brigades (NCBs) for NMCB use.

TIME CARDS

Time cards are the basis of your situation reports (SITREPs) input; therefore, it is imperative that time cards are filled out correctly and accurately. COMSECONDNCB/COMTHIRDNCBINST 5312.1 is the instruction that governs time-keeping procedures. Figure 1-4 is an example of a time card used for the prime or lead company for keeping labor. Subcontractors also use a similar type form for accounting their time on a project. A sample of these time cards can be located and copied from the Naval Construction Force Crew Leader's Handbook.

LABOR CATEGORIES

All man-hours will be recorded under a specfic code in one of three labor categories. There will be no time-keeping requirements for Headquarters companies and Details (DFTs) which perform administration type functions. The categories are listed below:

Direct Labor

Indirect Labor

Readiness and Training

Labor Codes

DIRECT LABOR includes all man-days expended (ME) directly on assigned construction tasks, either in the field or in the shop, which contributes to completing the project. Remember, man - days are computed on the basis of an eight hour day, regardless of the length of the scheduled workday.