Why we're stressed at work (a unifying theory)

This blog is taking a new direction, starting today. There's a central theory that I need to explore around work stress that will need some time and attention. For better or worse, here it is.

1. In a normal functioning group or society, in order to get something produced, people must "pay" something (ie. incur a cost) for that service or product.

2. When we agree to work for an organization as an "employee", we agree to be paid more or less a fixed price, for an unspecified type and amount of labor.

3. In the workplace, the people who ask us to do work (ie. coworker, boss) do not actually pay us directly for completing that work.

Due to the above, we are frequently asked to:

- do things that are inefficient

- do things that are repetitive

- do things that are not well thought out

- do things at a moment's notice

This is because asking people to do these things is "free" for the asker, so the short and long term "costs", measured in time, do not need to be factored into the decision to ask for the work. What this means is that we, as employees, do not own our time. As a result, employees who are able to do more things, more capably, will be penalized for their abilities.

This is defined as "Time Slavery".

I hold these truths as self evident.