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Glite Dictionary
Parkinson's law

Parkinson's law

8.0
Work stretches to fill the time given
  • noun
  • /ˈpɑrkɪnzənz lɔ/
translation icon : ley de Parkinson
  • Many managers are familiar with Parkinson's law, noticing that employees seem to stretch their tasks to suit the time allotted.

Examples

  • According to Parkinson's law, projects often take as long as the deadlines allow, regardless of the actual workload.

  • According to Parkinson's law, work expands to fill the time allotted.

  • Planning shorter, focused meetings can help counteract Parkinson's law and improve productivity.

  • Have you heard of Parkinson's law?

  • According to Parkinson's law, the more time you give employees to complete a task, the longer it will take to finish.

  • The company discovered that Parkinson's law applied when they allowed employees unlimited time to submit their reports.

  • Many managers argue that Parkinson's law leads to inefficiency, as projects often drag on without strict deadlines.

Surface Forms

Parkinson's law singular

Morphology

Parkinson's + law

This is an eponymous name plus the noun 'law': knowing 'law' signals that the phrase names a general rule but the proper name 'Parkinson's' gives no information about the rule's content. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not be able to infer the specific idea that work expands to fill available time, so the expression is not compositionally transparent.

Etymology

Parkinson's law comes from a 1950s joke by writer Cyril Parkinson who watched offices and paperwork grow even when there was no more real work. He pictured work spreading out to fill any amount of time or money you give it, so the phrase means 'work expands to fill the time and resources available'.