Go to Work Only when You Want

I have always been a little leary about how the workplace operated. I have been doing some kind of work since I was a kid. I had a paper route, lemonade stand, cut grass, raked leaves, and shoveled snow. As early as I could I got a job at a fast food joint and have been working ever since. But when I started working for someone else I noticed how backwards the workplace seemed to me. It seemed particularly strange in this fast-paced world of technology to have to always be at work.

My first job at a Human Resources consulting firm, my client team worked exclusively from home. Everyone did their jobs from home and nobody missed a beat. It really just seemed right, yet there was still the problem of having to justify if you were actually working while you were at home. We used a program that we had to always type on our computer what we were doing at the time. Kind of like Instant Messaging. I was a bit defiant because I would not type in when I went to lunch or that I was available. I eventually left that company and was back working in a corporate environment where whenever someone came in late people had snide comments and everyone was pretending to work and putting in their time. You know, like where you work, people come in early and go home late to impress the boss.

Then I read it. The Results Only Work Environment. It started at Best Buy Corporate where they were trying to improve on their flexible work arrangements. The Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) is a management strategy where employees are paid for results (ouput) rather than hours worked. According to the website of the creators CultureRx, ROWE is means each person is free to do whatever they want, whenever they want as long as the work gets done. Employees control their own schedules and calendars and are not required to be in the office if they can do the tasks elsewhere. When I first read about this, I thought it just made really good sense and it was my personal dream come true.

I was so interested. I was interested because I worked in HR and was fascinated with the whole relatively new concept of work-life balance. I went out to get this book which I recommend everyone read. It was written by the creators of ROWE, Calie Ressler and Jody Thompson. The book is called Why Work Sucks and How To Fix It. The concept focuses around the fact that companies should change the focus from hours to outcomes and that our traditional definition of work- the whole Monday through Friday, nine to five- doesn't make sense in our always-on global economy. It's where work isn't a place you go, but it's something you actually do. I at first questioned the credibility but that is before I renewed my mind to the concept. Best Buy Corporate has been using it for years and says that productivity has increased almost 40%. It's employees are happier and more engaged. And they are actually able to get rid of the dead weight because you can actually see who is not really productive when you focus on results rather than criticizing how many hours people are working.

ROWE debunks the myth that Time+Physical Presence=Results. How come on the weekends when we have our to-do lists that we don't judge our productivity by the fact that we ran the streets for 8 hours. Instead we judge our productivity on how much we actually got done...whether it takes up 2 hours or ten. ROWE allows you to have a true work life balance. You never have to miss out on your child's recital. You don't have to burn yourself out. You are able to spend time with your family, enjoy life, and at the same time get work done. It removes the problem of being at work and finishing work and pretending to work every time the boss comes around. ROWE ends the culture of having to come up with the excuse of why you are late or leaving early. Think about it... If you are ten to fifteen minutes late you spend the entire drive trying to figure out an acceptable excuse when in reality whether you come in at eight or at ten is really not a life or death matter.

ROWE treats its employees like adults, trusting them to do their jobs. It makes the managers no longer feel like they have to baby sit you. It creates trust (unlike the culture of telecommuting where you are not trusted.) It gives you back control of your time and ife.

I believe that ROWE will extend beyond Best Buy Corporate. (Otherwise I am moving to work for them) Once Generation Y finds out about this, they may never work anywhere else. It makes sense for the world that we live in. Talk to your HR department today and get your life back.