The Donkey, the Foal, and the Farmer. A Children's Bedtime Story.

Farmer Dick had a farm, and on that farm he had a Donkey.

Every morning, Farmer Dick would lovingly caress the Donkey's neck, scratch its ears, and feed it with juicy Fuji apples from the Tree of Rewards. With time, the Donkey grew fat, lazy and useless, but for reasons known only to himself, Farmer Dick persisted in his routine, giving Donkey more apples as its girth expanded.

One day, Jockey Bond came by. He had with him an offspring of a Champion racecourse stallion, at this time a mere foal separated from its mother. This foal would one day gallop to glory, he promised. But it was still young, and so Jockey Bond would like Farmer Dick to take care of the young horse for the next 4 years.

Unbeknown to Jockey Bond, Farmer Dick saw the arrival of the Foal as a source of free labour. Everyday, he persisted in his tender loving care towards his Donkey, and because he was but a temporary caretaker of the Foal, he would crack the Whip of Slavery and force it to pull carts and jump through meaningless hoops. At the end of each day the Foal shared the same swill that the swine had. The Foal was malnourished, and growth was stunted. And although the swill left a lingering bitter taste, it ate just enough to survive.

At dusk, exhausted as the sun set, the Foal watched in poignant disbelief as the obese, repugnant Donkey munched on the sweet, crunchy, apples. The Foal was infinitely more productive than the Donkey, yet the rewards went to Donkey.

It decided that enough was enough, and put in less effort in the tasks Farmer Dick gave him. The Farmer threatened the Foal with less swill, and the Foal, though facing even more hungry nights, refused to buckle.

* * *

The above may sound exceedingly dumb and irrelevant, but it is in some ways a parallel to work. Sadly, this story does not have a happy ending. Yet.

When you can quantify and compare the value of work done between 2 people, and insist on rewarding the less qualified clown (who churns out less work) more, simply because the bugger has been there for 20 years, then think about what it does for workplace morale and ethic.

Would you buy mediocre tasting bread from the guy who's been at it for 20 years, or the better tasting one from the new guy, assuming costs and health standards being equal? In a free market those 20 years of experience don't count if you can't deliver a better product. You'd have to sell your bread for less.

The message some employers send is clear - When under Stupid Dicks, it pays (more) to be a useless ass. It baffles and defies logic, and I hope some sage would enlighten me as to why this is so.

Love to hear your comments and criticisms :)