I think it is unrealistic to set an overall productivity standard.  To be fair
it should be measured specifically for your lab, your equipment, your
workload.  The standards created by techs who are used to cutting 100 blocks a
day should not set the standard for techs who are used to cutting 35 blocks a
day.  Those who cut on old microtomes shouldn't set the standard for techs who
cut on new, smoother operating microtomes.
I started this before I left my clinical position.  We did months of
timestudies, timing ourselves on embedding, sectioning, staining and
coverslipping.  (The results helped us justify an automatic coverslipper and
stainer.)  I did a workshop on this at the last NSH meeting.  If I can be of
some help to you, Email me.

Dawn M. Truscott, HT(ASCP)
Carl Zeiss, Inc.