• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

b. they will receive some questioning looks.

c. coworkers will say “Hello!”

24. If an employee at my company sends e-mail at 2:00 AM:

a. their manager will ask them why they were up working so late.

b. their manager will wonder why they were working so late, but not say anything about it.

c. their manager will not notice what time the e-mail was sent; they will only pay attention to the content and effectiveness.

Answer key:

If you answered all or mostly A’s: You are not alone. You are in a typical work environment. Employees may often complain about lack of control over work-life balance. Work is getting done, but not always in the most efficient manner. Top performers may be leaving the organization in search of a healthier balance between work and life. ROWE can infuse your organization with tremendous energy and focus, improving business results. Focus on removing Sludge from the environment. The language most often used in a traditional work environment is focused on time. Focusing your language on results and outcomes will kick-start your organization into becoming a Results-Only Work Environment.

If you answered all or mostly B’s: You are in a work environment with some flexibility. You may have programs available (job sharing, telecommuting, flextime, etc.) to help provide a level of flexibility, but people are still complaining about a lack of control. ROWE will take your organization to the next level of productivity and improve the employee experience. Focusing on only results by creating results-based job descriptions, goals, and performance development creates the opportunity for people to be fully engaged, invested, proactive, productive, and passionate.

If you answered all or mostly C’s: Congratulations! You work in a forward-thinking environment, dedicated to working productively and enjoying life outside of work. Continue to focus on results and help spread the word!

APPENDIX II

Yeah, Buts

“People will take advantage and slack off.”

First, people are taking advantage and slacking off now. The reason you can’t tell is that you’re measuring them with a combination of results and time. In a ROWE, if you don’t get results then you don’t get to keep your job. The slackers either shape up or they get fired. Meanwhile, the good employees work even harder because they are being rewarded with control over their time.

“How can you ever reach anybody if they’re not in the office?”

People are more reachable now than they ever have been in human history. People have cell phones. They are on e-mail. They don’t need a workstation. They don’t need a phone with a cord that plugs into the wall to be reachable. In a ROWE if you need to reach someone you e-mail them or you call them. But here is another thought: When you’re clear about timetables, outcomes, and expectations, a lot of those spontaneous requests dry up. You start to anticipate your own questions. You plan better so you have fewer emergencies. You don’t casually stop by someone’s office and interrupt their work so you can get the answer to one question. You work with more purpose.

“But what if you really, really, reallyneed to reach somebody?”

Have you tried their cell phone? Have you sent them an e-mail? Have you tried someone else on their team? Is it a question you can answer yourself with a little more effort? We’re so used to filling the hours that we can’t think for ourselves. It’s like when someone asks you a question about what’s going on in the news when they could go online and get the answer for themselves. Your coworkers and colleagues aren’t there to be your search engine/file cabinet/dictionary. If it’s a real emergency, then there is probably more than one person you need help from. And if there is only one person who can answer any question in an organization, then that is an organizational problem, not the fault of the person who isn’t available.

“A manager needs to be there for people.”

There are a lot of managers who genuinely care about their employees. Just