Hills to Die On

· updated

A list of hills I think are worth dying on.

Organizations that require lying shouldn’t be supported

Secrecy is needed for various game theory dynamics, but lying should be avoided. If lying is required, the organization can not be trusted.

The only two exception I have to this are:

  • Lying to Molochian systems in a case where the individuals within the system would mostly agree.
  • When the alternative is violence; in normal life, that isn’t a real threat.

Don’t negotiate with terrorists

Metaphorically and literally. Having scenarios in which you’ll succumb to blackmail increases the chance of that happening. Just precommit and the world will be better off.

Private thought is still private even if ‘written’ on a computer

Moving from paper to microchips shouldn’t invalidate ‘The right of the people to be secure in their…’. This is mostly done by non-government organizations, which are not technically bound by the Security Clause, but rights shouldn’t be waived just because it’s a company instead of a government.

Permanent office hot desking

I understand why leadership teams reach for hot desking and hoteling. However, when a firm those costs show up as lost focus, extra friction, and higher risk of losing the people who already carry the hardest work.

Hidden Costs

Hoteling shifts time, attention, and coordination work onto billable staff. That burden is hard to measure and therefore easy to dismiss.

I think that dynamic of ‘shift costs to be hard to measure’ explains most of the gap between company actions and employee aggravation. (See ‘Seeing Like a State’ and general legibility issue for management)

  1. Perpetual Setup - A stable desk means you get to work, sit down, and work. Hoteling turns that into an extra sequence of small tasks every morning
  2. No Continuity - A fixed desk supports continuity. Ergonomics stay consistent. Work in progress can stay where it is. You can tack a schedule to the wall. The setup does not need to be rebuilt from every day. Something as simple as a sticky note reminder is no longer supported.
  3. Bureaucracy Creeps In - Hoteling adds reservation systems, recurring disputes over desks/offices, clean-desk rules

The non-negotiable parts for me

Migraines with aphasia

I get migraines, sometimes with aphasia. In that context, an assigned office gives me immediate access to medication and a place to recover for 20 to 60 minutes with fewer triggers from noise, lighting shifts, and constant movement.

The usual hoteling workarounds sound fine in theory but aren’t:

  • Lockers only help if they are close and easy to reach, and if I am not already impaired when I need them. Often I stay on a call as long as I can because sometimes the migraine auras go away by themselves. Sometimes they turn into me not being able to see (partially) or talk. Having to find a place to hide at the first sign is a frequent problem for something that often goes away on it’s own..
  • “Just find a room” fails when rooms are booked or I can barely see.
  • When aphasia shows up, I needs fewer steps, not more.

I do not carry a bag or laptop daily

I keep a computer at home and I do not haul my work laptop back and forth. I already have a computer at home anyway.