Earned Discretionary Time (Background)

Abstract

EDT (or Earned Discretionary Time) is a simple solution to a complex problem which has been frequently manifesting itself in the modern workplace (especially in companies which find themselves thought lagging or leading).

Background

As the demographic of the average workplace continues to skew younger, it appears as though the expectations of the average worker proportionally rises. This complex phenomena is usually attributed to the “selfishness” of millennials (a surprising number seem to take no issue with this flimsy argument).

The problem is significantly more complex than the popular opinion implies yet we live in a world where popular opinion is dominated by popular media; the majority seem to dismiss this issue without so much as a passing glance.Restating the problem in more concrete terms: our current economic system was built during the industrial revolution and is based off of the notion that human beings ought to be a type of (semi) conscious commodity labour; well-being is, especially in “profitable” corporations, of secondary concern.

Extreme Cases in which Dogma prevails over Employee Well Being:

• The 9am-5pm work day concept is a ludicrous concept; unsurprisingly, less fortunate economies, whose labor forces tend to disproportionately depend on manual human labor, have proportionally longer workdays. We live our (relatively) wasteful lives at the expense of others.
• Workers who view work as a necessary evil (a trait common in <= B players) will form social alliances which ensure personal safety (and sustained low output) by simply outnumbering and conspiring against those with no interest in office politics (a trait common in A players); this encourages lazy behaviour and toxic cultures which can lead to the implosion of those affected. 

Here are a few second order effects (I personally) find interesting:

Office Politics emerge as bonds form between individuals more concerned with stability and personal gain (i.e. those who spend more time strategizing about keeping their jobs than actually working). These are usually individuals who have fallen prey to either the sunk cost fallacy or a strong belief that they are incapable of finding another job; therefore they strike deals with other low performers to “cover for each other” (so to speak).

The “Performance Plateaus” which struggling companies (& complex bureaucracies) seem to always experience can be explained via this model. Mega-corporations (& governments) are often defined by the steady slow introduction of “accountability loopholes” by these low performers; the consequences of these loopholes compound massively as a function of both time and scale hence the semi-predictable churn of established market giants (even monopolies fall apart on a long enough time scale).

Construction projects over-promise and under-deliver because those most qualified to work in a physically demanding, outdoor, fraternity like environment tend to be testosterone driven men as well as those with a history of not doing well in traditional social settings; since these jobs represent a “last chance”, so to speak, even these slightly less post ape beings are eventually forced to form social structures. That does not mean that they are in any way interesting in carrying out the work set out for them. In fact, in many cases, they will often struggle under a much greater burden attempting to “cover their tracks”.

Those who understand what it means to create work of value tend to all underscore major precursors, one of the most common being: hard work. It seems as though those who are the most vocal are also the ones who fail to put in the effort required to succeed.As a result of these rising standards, some employers are struggling to keep up; as usual the majority of businesses, last to the party & often struggling to get by as a result, are also the most vocal.We are in the midst of a major market correction. 

Only those companies which generate real value will make it through. Meta.

to be continued (if you want to be the first to know when I post the followup to this, or if you have any feedback, please reach out on twitter &|| sign up for my newsletter)