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Title:

Results Only Work Environment (ROWE): Why It Works

Your vote:
Yes No
Organizer:
Jeff Gunther, OpenSpace Coworking
Description:
Imagine a work environment where people do whatever they want whenever they want as long as the work gets done. At midnight or 3am or on Sunday. Whenever and wherever. It's called a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), and companies around the world are starting to adopt the ROWE philosophy.
Questions
Answered:
  1. How is the workforce changing?
  2. What is coworking?
  3. What is a Results Only Work Environment and how did it come about?
  4. Who is working in a Results Only Work Environment?
  5. How can I hire employees I trust?
  6. How does technology lend to the success of a ROWE environment?
  7. What's wrong with the traditional work environment?
  8. How can I improve my employees' productivity?
  9. How does ROWE differ from telecommuting?
  10. Why is the concept of coworking necessary?
Level:
Beginner
Category:
Branding / Marketing / Publicity, Career / Work Concerns, Community / Online Community, New Technology / Next Generation, Social Issues
Type:
Panel
Event:
Interactive 2010
Julia Wiseman
on 17/8/09
The workplace is in SERIOUS need of an overhaul. We're stuck in the 1950's when we have the tools to move into the 21st century. Managers are wasting lots of time babystting, making sure everyone is "putting in their hours" (itnstead of making sure they are meeting the company's goals!) and employees are miserable and disengaged.
A few smart companies have gotten with the program and seen increased productivity and retention. Please help bring ROWE to the masses. We're tired of hating our jobs! We want to do work, not "do time".
Heather Jensen
on 17/8/09
ROWE's everywhere would change the way we live. More people must be exposed to these revolutionary ideas.
Katie Kacich
on 17/8/09
They HAVE to get this word out!!! I hate not having freedom to take control of my own schedule. We are not babies-we are reliable, dependable individuals who just CRAVE balance!
Joni Doolin
on 17/8/09
Rock on ROWE and Cali + Jody - this is not even NEWS - it is the intersection of work + life in intelligent ways that make it possible for us to actually love our work - and HAVE a life. I have seen both of these ladies in action, read their book, know their work, and it would be fabulous to have them present this year. Joni Doolin, CEO People Report
Susan Lang
on 17/8/09
You'd better add more seats in the ROWE conference room!
Maryanne Perrin
on 17/8/09
ROWE is an amazing story and it is what today's workers crave. Spread the word and help our workplace move into the 21st century!
Mary Aho
on 17/8/09
ROWE is a beautiful combination of simplicity, common sense, and unbridled performance. How every business hasn't already moved to a ROWE, and how every employee hasn't demanded a ROWE must only be a function of "they haven't heard of it, yet." Hopefully, this forum will change that for everyone for the better. Rock on!
Mark Laska
on 17/8/09
Work should be measured by performance not by roll-call.
John Casey
on 17/8/09
As a contract programmer I think ROWE is long overdue. Programming is a creative process. If you are not "in the mood", your work shows. I do far better work when I feel like working. Unfortunately with a 9-5 schedule, if I am not in the mood, I browse the web, go for smokes on their dime. I could force myself, but I would and have produced crap in this situation.

The only issue with ROWE is unions will NEVER go for it, and they are the work environments that need it the most.
Karl Staib
on 17/8/09
It should be all about the results!
Izatul Reduan
on 17/8/09
PErgh. My workplace sucks. Worrying too much on huw much time spent in the OFFICE. Try to introduce it but nobody can seem to bend their mind around it, especially those in the MANAGEMENT. ROWE is long long overdue. I will use my annual conference allocation to attend SXSW and bring my managers along and secretly pull them into ROWE session.

Lets live ROWE life!
Michael Barata
on 17/8/09
Cali and Jody are not only super cool, but they are pioneering what traditionalists refer to as radical and common sensers simply think should be the way.

Kimberly Kelly
on 17/8/09
It wasn't the work I disliked, it was the 9 - 5 schedule. It's time to work in the 21st century - who created the 9 - 5 schedule any way, I'm sure it wasn't a working Mom.
Ed Dodds
on 17/8/09
ROWE is absolutely necessary if rural economic development, enabled by the global broadband build out, is ever to occur. If management doesn't "get" ROWE they hold their corporations, persons with disabilities and society in general hostage to business models over 50 years out of date.
Paco Nathan
on 17/8/09
This information is urgent and vital. Hugh, et al., put Cali and Jody onstage and make some waves in a way that matter!

BTW, for a great, recent example of ROWE put into practice, check out the "Netflix Culture" presentation on SlideShare http://shar.es/QxjC
M Thomas
on 17/8/09
Get the word out, Cali & Jody -- we need more employers thinking about ROWE, implementing ROWE, preaching the good news about ROWE!
David Mech
on 17/8/09
ROWE is amazing. Just look at the Best Buy case study: http://www.culturerx.com/about/case-study/

Sherri Millner
on 18/8/09
where is the place where you can vote. this is so bogus.
Sherri Millner
on 18/8/09
It seems to me that Rowe is a good idea but there are some organizations where Rowe won't work like a county government. How can Rowe work where an organization will move their employees to outreaching areas without respect to the employee's home locations? Our county claims to be implementing Rowe and then we are moving teams of employees away from the metro area and requiring clients to come to a location that may be closer geographically but requires three times the amount of time to reach the location since most busses go to downtown and then branch out to outlying locations. Our county claims to support Rowe but will soon increase clients bus time to quadruple and will ask employees to travel to locations five times as far away from their home.
Bernice Mirrilees
on 18/8/09
Happy employees = superior results. Period. I will never again work in a 9-5 culture that rewards presenteeism and punishes those who can get their job done without being in the building! ROWE transforms a workplace and the bottom line.
Julia Wiseman
on 18/8/09
ROWE is not a work from home program. It's simply focusing on results rather than hours. The point is to do the best possible work and get the results in the most efficient way possible - and we all work differently, so making people sit in cubes for 8 hours is not necessarily the best way. Even if ROWE doesn't work for every workplace, the concept can still be used, it's still a good idea, because it will help MANY companies increase productivity and retention and will improve quality of life for MANY people. So maybe you can't fix them all, but why not work on the ones we can improve?
John Larson
on 18/8/09
I have friends who work at Best Buy and this really is a better mouse trap. It is simple, but simple is never easy. I would welcome learning more about how this system of work is being adapted, and how large, long-term demographic and technology trends are going to make getting paid for what you DO, as opposed to qty. of hours worked more common and compelling.
John Larson
on 18/8/09
Sheri,

ROWE IS working in County Government. Lots of interesting side-effects (intended and unintended) when you start implementing a ROWE.
Jennifer Blanchard
on 18/8/09
ROWE is the answer to what's wrong with the workplace. ROWE revolutionizes the way people live and work. It's going to put this country back on top and help pull us out of this insane recession.

Thank you Cali and Jodi for being such fantastic leaders and role models.

ROWE has my full support...100 percent.
Ben Hansen
on 18/8/09
ROWE is one of those amazing concepts that is amazing because it is so fundamental in addressing human needs. While it requires courage from management to implement, it will yield results that could never be achieved in the locked-down cubicle, over-the-shoulder, environment.

I am looking for my own ROWE Rebellion soon!
Angela Crawford
on 18/8/09
ROWE has done amazing things for us!!
Melissa Graner
on 18/8/09
ROWE has been nothing short of the best thing that has ever happened to me in terms of work/life balance! This needs to become the norm in our culture - treating employees as adults is a win/win!
Aaron Shively
on 18/8/09
I am all about ROWE, just voted, hope it makes it as a topic!!
Brett Legree
on 19/8/09
ROWE would completely turn around my current workplace.

Sadly, there is a new management team taking over, and it seems like they are doing the exact opposite (as in, we are *this close* to having a punch clock at work, even for professionals).

*sigh* perhaps they will figure it out after all of the talent has left!
Keith Privette
on 19/8/09
ROWE and Social Media along with great innovative spaces to work in companies would be taken into new heights by their employees! The ROWE culture and behaviors are the catalytic mechanism to helping unleash the power of innovation! Thanks Cali and Jody for being the driving force and keeping this alive, kickin and ready to take on the that ancient control Time!
Armando Coronel
on 19/8/09
ROWE is working in many areas like Government and Industry. It is a way of the future.
Nikki Haffey
on 19/8/09
Wow - thanks for the vote of confidence and kind Cali and Jody words everyone! We adopted ROWE in our local Charlottesville, VA companies (www.meddius.com, www.intalgent.com, and www.openspacecoworking.com) back in January and have experienced very positive, productive results. Not only do we all have a better work/life balance...people feel like they have careers, not cubes to sit in from 9-5 Monday-Friday.

I hope you can all make this panel...not only will you get to discuss the idea with its creators, but we can share these experiences and lessons learned with you. We've certainly drank the ROWE kool-aid!

Thanks for all the votes!

nikki
Vivian Londos
on 19/8/09
Flexible work options are here, even if many places don't formally acknowledge the concept! Let's make this the way MOST people work, not just the lucky few, whereever possible.

It's all about treating each person like an adult. Everyone has complete control over their time every day. Work gets done and lives are richer.

Waking2 Kindness
on 19/8/09
"Flexwork will _the_ work protocol of the Future*..."
{OK, a slight exaggeration there, but maybe only slight?}
--------
*: A future of 99 billion billionaires, filling the Solar System & beyond?
Cali Ressler
on 19/8/09
Wow - we are in awe. Thanks to all of you for your comments and votes. We believe, to the depths of our beings, that ROWE is the way all workplaces should operate. We've seen firsthand how focusing on ONLY results affects businesses and people's lives. We've heard people say "This will never work here" and "This could never happen", and then experience increases in productivity that they never could have dreamed of. And all because trust was given to employees to make common sense decisions about how to approach their work.

And, not only are employees' lives made richer by ROWE, but so are the lives of everyone around them...children, friends, parents, the community.

People that are in a ROWE right now say they would never go back to the way it used to be...and they want everyone to experience what they have.

Let's make it happen.

ROWE = the status quo!

Cali & Jody
Jessica Lawrence
on 19/8/09
Girl Scouts loves ROWE!

Our organization of 48 staff switched to a Results-Only Work Environment a year ago and we would NEVER go back to the our old way of working! I never believed in forcing employees to put their butts in their seats between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and Cali & Jody gave us the framework to make ROWE a reality. Our employees are happier, more productive, and work better as a team.

Go ROWE! I'm thinking about coming to SXSW just for this!
Martin Campbell
on 21/8/09
So many employers are focused on the bottom line only and not the employee's. If they only new and understood if they focused on their most valuable asset, 'the employee's; there bottom line would skyrocket.

Alexandra Levit
on 24/8/09
Good luck, Cali and Jody! The conference would be lucky to have ROWE as a featured panel.
holly varpness
on 25/8/09
As a new mom, I need more flexibility in the job that I love... If only my company used ROWE!
Sue Davis
on 28/8/09
I've worked this way for over 20 years and have always been regarded as a "git-er-done" sort of a person. But Big business is too afraid of losing control. Cali & Jody have gotten Big Business's attention Slackers and time-wasters exist in any type of organization, rigid or flexible. Lets give the high-producers the environment they need in which to produce.
Bert DuMars
on 29/8/09
Love the ROWE concept and am a true believer where it fits. High expectations for this panel.
Jeffrey Lin
on 3/9/09
If you haven't seen Cali and Jody in action, it's definitely worth your time.
John Majerus
on 3/9/09
There appears to be serious momentum building behind ROWE, which is no small feat.
John Fenech
on 9/9/09
This is about so much more than working hours. If this catches on the implications for people all over the world would be phenomenal. I hope this idea flys!
free online games
on 24/10/09
I have friends who work at Best Buy and this really is a better mouse trap. It is simple, but simple is never easy. I would welcome learning more about how this system of work is being adapted, and how large, long-term demographic and technology trends are going to make getting paid for what you DO, as opposed to qty. of hours worked more common and compelling
Convert MTS Files
on 27/10/09
This would be a great asset to your programming schedule!
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Developed for SXSW by Lindsey Simon