off the scales

[unpakwon]

Please set me clear on the following in bold.

If managers would begin thinking in terms of doing things for their people---instead of to them---we would see productivity increases off the scales.

Does "them" refer to "their people"? If so, I'm not sure what "instead of to their people" means. If it refers to "managers," it's also confusing. And what does "off the scales" mean?

Thank you.

[MrPedantic]

Hello Unpakwon,

You could paraphrase it as:

"If managers were willing to begin thinking in terms of doing things for their staff, instead of to their staff, we would see productivity increasing immeasurably."

(If something is "off the scale", it can't be measured in the normal way.)

Best wishes,

MrP

[unpakwon]

Thank you for the answer.

I can understand "doing things for them." But I'm not sure of "doing things to them." Is it saying "forcing (or ordering) them to work for their boss"?

[MrPedantic]

I think it refers to the infliction of schedules, targets, objectives, incentives, etc. on workers: coercive attempts to modify their behaviour.

But without the full context, it's quite difficult to say!

Best wishes,

MrP