# Prisoner's Dilemma in Overtime: Game Theory Explains Workaholism
Overtime in IT teams doesn't stem from manager tyranny, but from game theory mechanics akin to the Prisoner's Dilemma. Every developer or specialist faces a choice: leave on time or stay late. The optimal scenario is everyone leaves on time, preserving productivity. But the Nash equilibrium leads to the opposite: everyone stays, sacrificing work-life balance.
In the Prisoner's Dilemma, two accomplices decide independently: confess or stay silent. The payoff matrix shows that the dominant strategy is betrayal, even though cooperation yields the best collective outcome. Similarly, in the tobacco industry, companies lobbied for advertising bans: without it, both save money, but going solo without advertising means losing market share.
Payoff Matrices in Work Scenarios
Consider a simplified model for two colleagues (Me and Colleague). Assumptions:
- There's always enough work to justify staying late.
- Productivity doesn't increase with hours: fatigue reduces focus, while a balanced schedule delivers timely results.
Matrix for "Leave on time / Stay late":
| | Colleague leaves | Colleague stays late |
|----------------|------------------|----------------------|
| I leave | Both awesome (high productivity) | I'm a loser, Colleague is special |
| I stay late | Colleague is a loser, I'm special | Both average (fatigue) |
Here, "special" (status from overtime) outweighs "awesome" (from rest). The equilibrium: both stay late. Then escalation kicks in: to stand out, you work longer than everyone else, which doesn't boost output but actually degrades it.
In the tobacco market:
- Both advertise — high expenses, market split.
- One advertises — steals share from the other.
- Neither — both save.
A government ban introduces fines, stabilizing cooperation.
Escalation and Cultural Barriers
When everyone overworks, the individual loses uniqueness. The "solution" — log more hours, but with no real gains. The benchmark shifts to visible hours, not results. Key factor: guilt hits when your colleague stays and you leave — you feel like a loser.
Reverse case: if a colleague's early exit sparks contempt in you ("loser"), while you feel pride, overtime vanishes. Example: Shabbat in Israel. Rest isn't just tradition; it's a group identifier. Violations were harshly punished (death penalty under the Torah with witnesses).
Matrix for Shabbat:
| | Colleague rests | Colleague works |
|----------------|-----------------|-------------------|
| I rest | Both in group | I'm in group, he's an outsider |
| I work | He's in group, I'm an outsider | Both outsiders (fines) |
Rest becomes the dominant strategy.
Key Points
- Overtime is a Nash equilibrium where individual defection (staying late) dominates cooperation.
- Cultural shift alters payoffs: status from rest > status from hours.
- Collective harm: workaholism is contagious, dragging down overall productivity.
- New Year's holidays are chill because everyone knows colleagues are off too.
- Solution: external arbiter or norm where leaving on time boosts prestige.
Breaking Out of the Trap
To break the cycle, restructure values: make leaving on time "special." In teams, this is achieved via:
- Group norms: public encouragement of balance (shared calendars for off-time).
- Arbitration: KPIs on results, not hours; fines for burnout incidents.
- Cultural hacks: rituals like "Shabbat Friday" — forced off after 4 PM.
Your rest impacts the team: if colleagues are working, your guilty conscience won't let you unwind. Break the cycle first — become "special" for balance. Game theory shows: unilateral defection is stable until values shift.
— Editorial Team
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