Work sampling. Analyzing nursing staff productivity.

Most managers have only a vague idea of how their employees spend their time. Work sampling is a technique that can identify the types of activities that staff perform and the amount of time that they spend on each activity. With this information, managers can make decisions regarding allocation of staff and activities, thereby increasing efficiency and effectiveness of personnel. This paper describes the use of work sampling as a technique to study employee time allocation and productivity. It offers suggestions for planning, implementation, and utilization of the results of a work sampling study. A work sampling study conducted at the University of Michigan Medical Center's Psychiatric Nursing Department is used as an example.