Rework jason fried

They're not thirteen 
 
When you treat people like children, you get children's work. Yet that's exactly 
how a lot of companies and managers treat their employees. Employees need to ask 
permission before they can do anything. They need to get approval for every tiny 
expenditure. It's surprising they don't have to get a hall pass to go take a shit. 
 
When everything constantly needs approval, you create a culture of nonthinkers. 
You create a boss-versus-worker relationship that screams, "I don't trust you." 
 
What do you gain if you ban employees from, say, visiting a social-networking 
site or watching YouTube while at work? You gain nothing. That time doesn't magically 
convert to work. They'll just find some other diversion. 
 
And look, you're not going to get a full eight hours a day out of people anyway. 
That's a myth. They might be at the office for eight hours, but they're not actually 
working eight hours. People need diversions. It helps disrupt the monotony of the 
workday. A little YouTube or Facebook time never hurt anyone.  
 
Then there's all the money and time you spend policing this stuff. How much does 
it cost to set up surveillance software? How much time do IT employees waste on 

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monitoring other employees instead of working on a project that's actually valuable? 
How much time do you waste writing rule books that never get read? Look at the costs 
and you quickly realize that failing to trust your employees is awfully expensive.