Napping on the gorilla
October 2nd, 2007 by Cali & Jody
This recent piece in BusinessWeek is about lawsuits involving overtime, but we can’t help but read it as an example of the 900-pound gorilla that’s in the room whenever our culture talks about work. Even though the article talks about “archaic workplace stereotypes”, it stops short of the real point: We still approach the flexible, fluid, 21st Century global market with the same 19th Century attitudes about time.
Just look at this:
“The issue of when the workday begins can get complicated. Delivery truck drivers, utility workers, and service technicians, for example, now regularly download their route assignments or appointments from their homes by computer each morning. Should they be paid for this time? Should this be the start of their workday?”
In a Results-Only Work Environment the answer to these questions are “No” and “Who cares?” The real question we need to ask ourselves is this:
Why are we still measuring outcomes in terms of time? Now that technology lets you work wherever and whenever you want, why do we still use the clock as a way of measuring performance?
Work has changed. In a 24/7 global economy, the idea of an 8-5, 40-hour week is silly. So let’s start acknowledging the gorilla in the room. Or, at the very least, let’s stop using it as a warm, hairy place to take a nap.
