All You Can Do Is 3.5 x 103
I know that I have written a lot lately on legislation affecting children, the rights of children (or lack thereof), and children’s services based on research. Recently though, I have been focusing my attention on those of us working in this field. It seems the more the economy turns downward the more we hear the phrase that employees will have to ‘do more with less.’ Let me be perfectly clear in expressing my opinion on this concept: the laws of physics say you do less with less and that’s good enough for me.
We can use a simple equation to prove this point. Let’s say “W” represents the total amount of Work we need to perform. In order to achieve the desired amount of work, we need an expenditure of Effort (E) and sufficient Time (T) in which to accomplish it. In mathematical terms this may be conceptualized as W equals E multiplied by T. Such a formula in proper notation may be written W = ET with the multiplication being understood. In order to quantify our Effort, since individual accomplishment is affected by many qualities, let us assume that Effort (E) can best be represented by the number of tasks assigned, or cases in a workload, or number of clients in placement – you get the idea. Time we will measure in units of hours. So our equation can also be expressed as Work equals the total number of tasks assigned multiplied by the number of hours available. Okay so far? Here’s an example:
A particular organization has one-hundred (100) children assigned and ten (10) staff members. Each staff member is expected to perform their job up to but not exceeding forty (40) hours per week. No one likes to pay overtime in this business. Accounting for travel and training, annual and sick leave, holidays, and other legitimate reasons, each individual worker devotes on average only thirty-five (35) hours per week on their assigned tasks. Our basic formula then for ten employees looks like this: W equals 100 (E) times 350 (T) (ten employees working 35 hours each), or W = 35,000. Each worker is responsible for 1/10 of the total Work. Therefore Individual Worker Effort, represented by the Greek symbol lambda (λ), equals Work (35,000) multiplied by 1/10 (0.1); or, (3.5 x 104) times 0.1; or, λ = 3,500. The amount of effort expended by each staff member per week may now be numerically expressed as 3,500, or 3.5 x 103. Now, let’s see what happens during an economic downturn.
Our organization decides it must reduce its workforce by one (1) position or ten (10) percent because they just don’t have as much revenue as they once had. A memorandum is issued and one day in walks a Human Resource person and soon only nine (9) employees are reporting for work. Work (W) remains at 35,000 units, or 3.5 x 104, since we know the number of cases has not declined. If W = ET, by multiplying each side of the equation by the reciprocal of Time (one (1) divided by Time, or 1/T), it is also true that Work divided by Time equals Effort, or W/T = E. The nine (9) remaining employees can only work 315 hours (number of employees (9) times the average number of hours (35) in a work week). Since the caseload remains the same, it follows that 35,000 units of Work divided by 315 hours (T) will equal the Effort needed. E = 111.11. Are you still with me? Where we used to have ten (10) cases assigned per employee, we now have eleven point eleven (11.11) cases assigned per worker. What’s left remaining is to solve for Individual Worker Effort, or lambda (λ). In this example, λ equals Work (35,000) multiplied by 1/9, or (3.5 x 104) times 0.1111; λ = 3,888.88, or λ = 3.8888 x 103.
There you have it. Where each worker used to perform by the mathematical factor of 3.5 x 103, the amount of work now requires them to expend energy at a rate of 3.8888 x 103 - an increase of .3888 - in order to produce the same amount of Work the organization had accomplished before the economic downturn. So you can clearly see it is not possible to do more with less. All you can do is all you can do and, since that is true, all you can do is enough. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If they try just explain the math to them. It’s simple really. You have to do less with less with one exception.
Using logarithm graphs based on the sines, cosines, and tangents involved in the equation referenced above, we know there is an inverse proportional relationship established between work and human compassion. When we decrease our client contact hours, we may effectively do the same amount of work if we increase our compassion at an equivalent rate. This is not the same amount of work but it is the same amount of effective work. For those interested in reading more about theories on the atomic structure of human kindness, alas, we do not have time to dwell on that in this tome. Suffice it to say that compassion is self-communicative. Those who do not have it catch it from those who do. If you have less time to spend with another person, spend quality time with them. If you have less to offer another person, offer whatever you have. If you have less, compassion can make that more.
(Ron Telsch is a Probation Supervisor in the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice's
25th Court Service Unit (covering Lexington, Covington and Botetourt).
