Home? Office? Both?
January 12th, 2008 by Cali & Jody
Charming piece by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who writes a workplace trend blog for TIME. She talks about the gossip you miss by working at home. (She is also working on her snack-hoarding problem . . . wink.)
One thing we’d like to add to the conversation is the following prediction: there will come a time when we won’t have a debate about whether it’s better to work at home or work at the office.
Of course there are pros and cons to both, but there are so many variables (nature of the task, personal work style, etc.) there will never be one answer. The point is that people need to have the power to choose between the two.
The nature of that choice is important. Right now, most people have to make one commitment to an alternate schedule. (For example, you have to commit to four ten-hour days.) What’d we’d like to see is people being able to choose between working in the office or out of the office on a daily, or even hourly, basis. Work at home from eight to ten, then go into the office for two hours, then go to a coffee shop for another two hours, then back to the office for a quick meeting, then home again.
If people are delivering outcomes, there will be no need to talk about where they are being delivered. As people who work in a Results-Only Work Environment will tell you, after awhile you don’t even notice.
What puzzles me most is the failed attempt by organizations to breed an “entrepreneurial” atmosphere by only talking about it. To me, ROWE seems to be closely linked to entrepreneurialship in that organizations want so badly for its employees to care more about their work (their company), but the only justifying means of doing so is through working harder.
The more I learn about ROWE (and I try to read everything you put out), the more I see the philosophy is less and less about the amount of work one has and more about giving an individual the freedom (and yes, responsibility/accountability) to structure their schedule (life/work/play/etc.) to achieve company goals/objectives, spend time with their families/friends, go shopping, have coffee and read a book, exercise, etc….
It just seems as if this is the way it should be!
Cali & Jody,
Your idea of a time when deciding that working at the office or from home will no longer be an issue will occur. It isn’t a question of if it will happen, just how long it will take companies to realize the benefits of allowing the choice and then implementing a program like ROWE.
I’ve always provided a clear path to success by letting those who work and collaborate with our ventures have total freedom to make the choice of when and how they work. By defining key milestones, tasks and then utilizing the right tools… teams perform exceptionally well and productivity soars.
Everyone feels compelled to do their best when their success is based on accomplishments, as opposed to a time clock.
The ultimate key is for companies to keep track of the accomplishments of delegated activities and responsibilities. This requires establishing a “base-line” understanding of what is expected and required to keep the system working and creating an overall fiscal benefit to the organization.
For us, this is accomplished by utilizing the Internet as a tool to keep everything interconnected via advanced project management and collaboration software suites.
How other companies implement these concepts will differ widely as time progresses… (using different CRM & ERP solutions). Embracing an organized methodology like ROWE is definitely a step in the right direction for most organizations.
Keep up the great work Cali & Jody!
Good call. I am a big believer in quality of work life and creating an environment that is conducive to getting the most work done at the highest level of effectiveness. And that means different work patterns for different people. I look forward to your future posts on the subject of quality of work life.
I think this is naturally happening at the grass roots level. I did independent consulting for about 10, and I’m back in the workforce at a salaried level for the past 6 years. Even though I’ve worked for two Fortune 500 companies in that time, and I set my own schedule and balance. Which generally means I come in early, leave early (sometimes disruptive as I work with people who like to work in the evenings), have family time, then back to wrap up some work after the kids are in bed. And so far there have been no complaints as “I get the job done.”I know others who do the same, without asking permission. And their managers support them.
It seems to be that at the upper levels of management (or the “control of the workforce by the few” as you call it) seem to have an inherent distrust of concepts like ROWE. Which is ironic: most (all?) organizations compensate the group responsible for revenue (sales/business development) by results already.
I imagine at some point in the future orgs are going to realize that most people are doing this already, and it will simply become part of the corporate culture… if it hasn’t already.
Everyone has a different definition of the ideal work environment. Some people prefer a quiet office while others are most productive in a buzzing, lively setting. A comfortable couch may work for some, while a stiff chair is what another person needs to be on their A game.
What is important to recognize is that employees will perform their best when they are most comfortable. Most companies operate on the model that has everyone working in a central office one cubicle over or a couple doors down the hall from the people with whom they need to interact. It works, yes. But when everyone has email and cell phones and Blackberries, couldn’t corporate structure be more flexible?
As you stated, there are hundreds of arguments supporting both sides. Your individual opinion should be enough to determine where and how you work.