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By Root 709 0

as important, there are managers out there who have built their identity on showing that they care. “I need to be there for my people,” they say. “My people count on me.” But there is more to being there for someone than physical presence. You can still be there for your people by giving them clear goals and expectations. You can be there by coaching their development, removing obstacles that fall in their path. Perhaps the best way to be there for them is to leave them alone and trust them to do their job.

“What if I get stuck with more work than anybody else?”

In a traditional work environment people can feel unsupported and underappreciated. You look around and see people who don’t produce and get paid more. It’s easy to feel like a victim. On the practical side, a ROWE gives you the right to question the work you’re doing. If your manager sets unrealistic expectations or piles on too much work, then that isn’t good for anyone. In a ROWE it’s your job to stand up for what best serves the business and the customer. On the emotional side, you find yourself not focusing on how other people spend their time. You do your job and you enjoy your freedom, and what other people do becomes their business.

“We’re already doing this; this isn’t anything new.”

Show us one work environment that doesn’t have Sludge in it and we’ll eat our book.

“If everyone becomes more efficient are there going to be lay-offs.”

Some people can sense the enormity of a ROWE and it scares them. People at all levels fear that they will find out the truth about their organization: that a team is bloated; that there are managers who have no business managing people. But is the fear of the truth a good reason to resist what is otherwise positive change? If your organization is bloated and top-heavy or overstaffed or undertrained or misguided, then yes a ROWE could reveal those truths. But most people know what’s wrong with their company already; there just isn’t any incentive for change. There can be some growing pains with a ROWE, but isn’t a sane work environment ultimately worth it?

“How can you advance your career if no one sees you working?”

This sounds like the kind of worry that keeps people from participating in current flexible-work arrangements. People fear that if they’re not putting in enough face time, then they won’t get credit for the work. First, a ROWE doesn’t mean that no one ever sees anyone ever again, or that everyone works at home. Don’t worry—people will see you do your thing. But more important, you will be measured more for actual performance than perceived performance. If you’re given a goal and you meet that goal, then that is what will advance your career whether anyone sees you (with their eyes) do it or not. You get ahead through actual achievement, not by simply looking like you’re an achiever.

“Isn’t it unprofessional to answer a customer’s question while you’re shopping?”

First of all, they don’t have to know. This is Sludge Anticipation. You’re worried that people are going to judge you because a person who is out shopping can’t also be working. If you answer the person’s question in a professional manner then why tell them where you are? Honestly, they don’t care. They want your help, not an update on your personal life.

“What if somebody is out of the office for a whole month? Isn’t it just common courtesy to let people know where you are?”

A funny thing happens when we talk about a ROWE. We’ll say to people, “You can do whatever you want, whenever you want, as along as the work gets done,” and it’s like their brains get all fried by the first part of that sentence and they don’t even hear the “as long as the work gets done” part. If you go to Hawaii for a whole month and you fail to deliver your outcomes, then you will be fired. If you don’t do your job, you don’t get to keep your job. But if you want to be out of the state or out of the country for a month and you can still meet your deliverables, then that’s fine. You have to tell people where you are so they can conference you in for a meeting, for example.