Results Only Work Environment

Balancing work and home life has become a big issue with employers today, namely because some places are losing employees because they need more flexibility.  When I worked in marketing, I was expected to be at the office by 7:30 (after a 45-minute commute), work through lunch most days, and stay late.  Yet if I had a dental appointment or needed to come in late some morning, my boss would glare at me as if it was a regular occurance.

Some places have always been better about understanding that just because an employee would like some flexibility, it doesn’t mean they are lazy or don’t want to work.  There are, of course, people that say they will work from home and really get nothing done.  However, those same people are probably horsing around at the office, too. 

A better option might be the “results-only work environment” (ROWE), like the one adopted at the Wisconsin insurance and investment firm J.A. Counter & Associates.  Apparently “ROWE goes several steps beyond standard flexible work arrangements. Instead of face-time at the office and punching the clock, employees set their own schedules, come and go as they please, and work in the office or from home.”

This wouldn’t work in every field, of course, but I like the idea of working from home or work and getting away from the 8-5 mindset.  The key in making this work is increased communication between manager and employee.  A good manager knows what his employee is up to, regardless if he or she is at home or work.  And let’s face it, if an employee wants to be unproductive, they could easily do it at work just as much as home. 

ROWE combines the freelance mindset with corporate security and benefits. The people that started the ROWE movement say it will be the wave of the future.  What do you think?

Image from Morguefile.