My company is small.  We make non-conventional current and voltage sensors for transmission applications, and we have a very good product, technologically, but we are small.  There are people who recommend running a business lean, and they have some valid points: people contribute more and better when they see their actions have impacts, fewer hours are squandered by people in demanding roles, less money is spent overall, etcetera.

The concept of reductio ad absurdum is a logical argument of mild strength, but many uses.  Take an inconsistent or flawed premise and exercise it consistently until it breaks, then rub the broken pieces of argument into your opponent's eyeballs.  For example, my company takes the lean approach to the point of cachexia.  Because each individual is contributing at 90-95% of their breaking point, they all have a great deal of vacation time available.

Vacation time shouldn't ever be a worrisome budget line item.  Unfortunately, it troubles us.  If everyone in the Phoenix office (the second largest of the three offices, 15 people) were to cash in their vacation, the doors would lock for about two weeks (the newbies), with the three senior persons returning after nearly a quarter. 

This is ridiculous, in aggregate, but completely understandable as it happens.  An order needs to be filled, a few technical problems crop up, somebody comes in on Saturday to oversee the qualifying tests, planned holidays slip by in the day to day business, and nobody thinks about it when their nose is on the grindstone.  Two years later, they realize that they could take a paid safari a la Ernest at his best. 

Nuts.  It is absolutely nuts.  I am just an intern, and I do not get benefits, but I see my benefited colleagues every day.  Thankfully, my boss is having paid shoulder surgery and recovery time this winter.  After that, he still has two months of vacation.  I told him to spend October and November hunting.  I think he thought about it.  When the time comes, he won't.

Living lean extracts the greatest value-per-employee, but at the greatest cost-per-employee.  My boss has a son in the Boy Scouts, they go on campouts.  He doesn't always make it.  His boss has seven kids (eighth on the way).  He often doesn't get home until dinner is halfway over.  The manufacturing supervisor can give a solid 11 hours every day because his family hasn't moved out from Georgia yet.  Nobody rests.  Nobody is allowed to get sick.

I do my best to remain calm.