I Want to Work for the Tribune Company!
By Kevin
That was my gut reaction to the new lay-person-written Tribune company employee handbook.
“Because it’s always been done that way” and “because it’s a rule” and “because I said so” aren’t reasons for doing anything unless you’ve thought about it and it makes sense. There are many old rules and regulations and handbooks and manuals that will no longer be relevant to those working at the Tribune Company of today and the future. As we replace those, we consider this a fresh start.
Well, one of the old rules was, "Lawyers write employee handbooks." Breaking that one permitted breaking the rest. But "because it's a rule" is a reason for doing one thing: discovering why the rule exists, and how it fits into the complex culture built out of manners, morals, and laws.
I've long believed that Hayekians should scrutinize the processes by which social rules are formed and reformed. This is one of those signal events that subtly shift social rules, though we'll see if lawyers force a hasty retreat.