speed-up system
- Noun (countable):
- A management technique designed to increase productivity by forcing workers to work faster without a corresponding increase in pay: The term "speed-up system" refers to a method of labor exploitation where employers demand higher output in less time, often through intensified work pace or reduced breaks, while maintaining or decreasing wages.
- (A management practice that pushes employees to work faster without additional compensation.)
- (An exploitative method of increasing productivity at the expense of workers' well-being.)
- "speed-up system" can also be used metaphorically in non-labor contexts to describe any process or system that accelerates activity without proportional benefits.
- The university's new grading speed-up system forced professors to evaluate exams in half the usual time, compromising accuracy. (A system that increases the pace of work without adequate resources.)
Speed-up (n): an act of increasing the rate of work or activity.
- The speed-up in production caused several machinery breakdowns. (An acceleration of work pace.)
System (n): a set of connected things or parts forming a complex whole.
- The speed-up system is just one part of the company's overall management system. (A structured method or procedure.)
Sweatshop: a workplace with poor conditions and low wages, often associated with speed-up practices.
- The garment factory was notorious for its sweatshop conditions. (A place where speed-up systems are common.)
Work intensification: the process of making work more demanding without extra rewards.
- Work intensification under the speed-up system led to high turnover rates. (Increased workload without compensation.)
Taylorism: a scientific management theory that emphasizes efficiency through time-and-motion studies, often criticized for promoting speed-up.
- Taylorism is a precursor to modern speed-up systems. (A management approach focused on maximizing output.)
"Speed up the assembly line": to increase the pace of production, often in a factory setting.
- Management decided to speed up the assembly line, ignoring worker safety concerns. (To accelerate work without regard for consequences.)
"Work like a dog": to work very hard, often under exploitative conditions.
- Under the speed-up system, employees had to work like a dog for minimal pay. (To labor intensively.)
The term "speed-up system" is primarily used in labor relations, economics, and historical discussions of industrial exploitation. It carries a negative connotation, implying unfair treatment of workers. Avoid using it to describe neutral or positive productivity improvements; instead, terms like "efficiency program" or "productivity initiative" are more appropriate for such contexts.