Parkinson's Law

In 1955, C. Northcote Parkinson published an essay in The Economist titled “Parkinson’s Law”.

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

The adage has stood the test of time. It questioned the need for the growing number of civil servants. Instead, it suggested that organizations became plagued by bureaucracy and inefficiency ensued. This theme is familiar and still visible today.

A timely essay in The Economist titled Slackers and Stakhanovites is a fun take on the changing dynamics of workplaces.

An alternative law for the slackers,

For the unconcerned, when unobserved, work shrinks to fill the time required.

For the Stakhanovites,

For anxious home workers, work expands to fill all their waking hours.