---
id: "action-explicit-saved-time-norms"
type: "action-item"
source_timestamps: ["§ What Leaders Can Do"]
tags: ["policy", "workload-management"]
related: ["concept-efficiency-tax", "claim-efficiency-tax-causes-hiding"]
action: "Create and communicate explicit rules allowing employees to reinvest AI-saved time into high-value work or recovery."
outcome: "Eliminates the 'efficiency tax' fear, encouraging employees to reveal productivity gains."
speakers: ["Eric Anicich", "Jeslyn Brouwers"]
sources: ["execution"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-execution"
originDay: 8
articleStem: "hbr-cl-76-employees-not-transparent-ai-usage"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/06/why-employees-arent-transparent-about-their-ai-usage"
sourceTitle: "Why Employees Aren’t Transparent About Their AI Usage"
---
# Establish Explicit Norms for Saved Time

**Commitment #2 — 'Stop taxing efficiency gains.'** Part of [[framework-leadership-commitments-for-disclosure]]; directly counters [[concept-efficiency-tax]] and its claim [[claim-efficiency-tax-causes-hiding]].

**Do:** Create *explicit* rules for how AI-saved time will be used. Clearly communicate whether saved hours can go toward deeper analysis, higher-value projects, professional development, or recovery. Employees must see the *upside* of efficiency, not just the extraction of their time.

**Action:** Create and communicate explicit rules allowing employees to reinvest AI-saved time into high-value work or recovery.

**Outcome:** Eliminates the efficiency-tax fear (the **Workload Cost** in [[framework-costs-of-ai-visibility]]), encouraging employees to reveal productivity gains rather than hide them.