Rethinking how we work: ROWE or 'Results Only Work Environments' beginning to pop up
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - How would you like to work when and where you want to and the only thing you have to worry about is getting the results your bosses want when they want them?
It's a growing trend called "Results Only Work Environment" or ROWE for short.
There's one cardinal rule: No results, no job.
To understand it, you have to be willing to forget every conventional rule of working, the only expectation is the result.
"Where every single person is 100-percent autonomous and 100-percent accountable," said Jody Thompson, the founder of the results-only work environment and now CEO of CultureRx.
Now, it's not the work-from-home model we've seen during the pandemic.
"We think of work as, you know, clock-in, clock-out, but that's old thinking," explained Thompson. "Autonomy is much different because I'm self-directed and I make the decisions every day about how I spend my time, I own every second of my time, not the company."
While it's a seemingly easy shift, it's not - because Thompson said that management has to let go of traditions.
"It's about a control thing and having a deeply-held belief system that says 'when people come together they do better work,'" she said.
However, completely abandoning a workspace and meeting is not what ROWE is about, Thompson said it's you can get people together but it's all on your terms and based on the work.
The idea is catching on in Canada, the UK, and smaller companies here in the U.S.
"Stop controlling the people and start managing the work," Thompson said. "Manage the work, not the people."
She said ROWE leads to employees who are more productive in their work life and happier in their personal life because they are in control.
Now, this isn't really connected to the "Right to Disconnect" laws that have passed in some countries - the laws that protect workers who don't want to be forced to answer the phone, texts, or emails at all hours but Thompson does say that those laws are unnecessary with ROWE because you are already in control of your hours.
It's a freeing concept but there's a critical element involved.
That element is making sure the employer communicates the result needed and when it's needed.
"It might be Tuesday at 3:00 or Friday at noon, but everybody's clear, so when you have that, you can plan your life," Thompson said. "[Employees] do perform better and here's why: They're clear about what they need to do, so if I'm clear about the number I need to hit or whatever that is based on my role, I don't waste time on activities that don't help me get there."
In this model, she said that teamwork flourishes and so does corporate productivity.
"It makes the organization more planful instead of fact-react-fact-react," she said.
Plus, without normal workplace distractions, the transformation in employees is notable.
"It's amazing what people can do if they can own their time and own their life," Thompson explained. "In a result-only environment, we like to weigh this and it's kind of harsh. No results, no job, it's that simple."
Thompson said gone are terms like "ASAP" which raises stress but doesn't set an achievable time. You may fill out a timecard but only for legal reasons.
As long as the work gets done when expected.
She left us with a fun fact: Every time you're interrupted in an office setting, it takes your brain 25 minutes to fully refocus on what you were doing.
