From the Dark Side of Productivity, Part 1 of 2

The Ann Taylor system tracks the usual productivity metrics: average sales per hour, units sold and dollars per transaction. The system schedules the most productive people during the busiest hours and, because it awards more productive salespeople with favorable hours, it gives employees an incentive to persuade shoppers to buy things. That’s worked, as far as the overall economic goals are concerned. The chain’s director of store operations said it’s helped turn more store browsers into buyers. But the article also noted that it’s resulted in the loss of some veteran salespeople who had developed long-term relationships with customers.