Interesting and terrifying piece over at WSJ.com about office saboteurs. It never ceases to amaze us - how the traditional work environment allows (and even encourages) this kind of behavior:

Managers who protect their jobs by undermining their employees

Coworkers who take credit for your good work

Coworkers who lay blame for their bad work

Gossips who accuse innocent people of spreading rumors and gossip

The WSJ article gives some good advice based on the rules and norms of the current system. But we feel the very existence of this kind of article is yet another argument for getting rid of our old beliefs about work. A Results-Only Work Environment isn’t perfect. But it’s much harder to play these kinds of games in a ROWE. Here’s why:

1. Increased accountability

In a traditional work environment, workers serve two masters: time/physical presence and results. So even if you’re doing a great job, if you’re not always on time, or sitting in your cube, or putting on a good show in meetings, then you’re vulnerable to backbiting and gossip. “You ever notice how Jolene is never here? She can’t possibly be putting in 40 hours.”

In a ROWE, you are only accountable to results. What’s more, the entire culture supports this focus on the bottom line. If you try to undermine someone based on perception, others in the office will stand up for what really matters: getting the job done.

2. Increased communication

The old command-and-control model of business is based on orders. You do as you are told and you don’t question why. But this method institutionalizes silence and ignorance, which creates natural opportunities for saboteurs to work their dark magic.

But what if leaders, managers and employees were talking all the time? What if there were a healthy dialogue about the outcomes people were trying to drive? In a ROWE, that’s what happens, and it makes it much harder for office snakes to work the shadows.

3. Increased transparency

Isn’t it weird how an office full of people can all be working toward the same goal, and yet no one knows what anyone else is doing? Managers withhold upper-level conversations from their employees for fear of giving them too much power. Employees hide mistakes from managers for fear of retribution. This lack of transparency is another source of cover for saboteurs.

In a ROWE, work is transparent. People at all levels work very hard to make sure everyone understands both the desired outcome and the reasons behind that desired outcome. When the work is transparent, it’s hard for saboteurs to play the perception game, because people aren’t managing perceptions - they are working the results.

We’d love to hear from you on this topic. Can you think of any instances in your career where you or someone you know was sabotaged by another employee? If so, how did the culture of your workplace contribute to the sabotage? And what did you do to make it right?

As we wrote in a previous post, we are part of an incredible opportunity:

Thanks to a grant from the United States Department of Transportation, we have the funding to take a number of Twin Cities companies and transform their traditional work environments into a Results-Only Work Environment. The idea is to help reduce traffic congestion on the major highway corridors by giving people control over their time.

No 9-5 = no rush hour = pouring less concrete to meet traffic demands = no more smog/choked highways = happy planet.

Since we made this announcement, we’ve had a number of companies start to come on board, but we still have more openings. At first, we were surprised not to be deluged. After all, there is no financial risk for companies to get involved. There is a chance to do something for the larger good. And since the grant takes care of everything, it’s absolutely free!

But then we realized that there is more at work here than cost. It’s like when you put out a sign that says “Free Puppies”. Yes, the puppy doesn’t cost money, and yes, the puppy is cute and lovable, and yes, it will bring joy to your family. But puppies also bring CHANGE. Some of that change is good (”Just wook at da widdle guy!”) and some of that change is not so good (”Pick him up! Pick him up! He’s going on the carpet!”).

Of course, what we’re offering is much better than a free puppy, but we also understand that “free” and the greater good aren’t always the motivators we think they are. We humans have a way of calculating the hidden costs of our decisions (the puppy costs) that can influence our decisions in ways we might not imagine.

And so we’re going to make our case again. Not based on cost. Not based on the environment. We’re making our case for participation in our ROWE pilot because it will improve your bottom line.

Companies in a ROWE enjoy:

Increased efficiency

Increased productivity

Increased retention

Increased employee morale

Reduced stress

Just like you don’t want to get that puppy to teach your kids “responsibility”, don’t get in touch with us for abstract reasons. Ring us up because you’ll be making a good business decision. Yes, you’ll be making changes to your company’s culture, but that culture will reap concrete rewards. And in this economy, what could be better than that?

This summer, when gas was $4 a gallon, a number of state governments turned to telecommuting and compressed work weeks as a way of reducing costs. Since then, we’ve been tracking the happenings in states like Utah, where we found this post about the economics of Utah’s 4-day workweek. (Thanks, Utah Economist!)

The Utah Economist puts the idea of non-traditional work cultures in terms of self-selection. He notes that different people have different preferences when it comes to work. Some warm to the idea of a compressed week, while others prefer 9-5.

He then says that “[t]he more general lesson for management is that employees are going to self-select to any workplace feature you offer. As a result, your employees are going to like any feature you offer much more than the average person likes that feature.”

But the problem with preference and compressed work weeks is that even if the larger marketplace offers a wider variety of choices, these choices are still based on old-fashioned ideas about time. One company may offer four 10-hour days, or the opportunity to work 7-4 instead of 8-5. But even if you slice it differently, it’s still the same 40-hour loaf we’ve been eating for the past 75 years.

In our minds, there’s really only one common sense choice that should be out there in the first place: schedule control. You set your own schedule based on the needs of your job, the task at hand, the results you are trying to drive. As long as you the work gets done, your time is as your own.  Why?  Because we’re all adults.

Who wouldn’t self-select to have power over their lives?

We think the answer is that most people would choose to have power over their lives if they knew that this was the choice they were making. Unfortunately, we’re so bound up in the old paradigm of flexibility that we can’t always see opportunities to have control.

But the ROWE List is growing. You may not have a ton of choices of where to work today, or tomorrow, or the next day, but someday we hope you’ll be able to shop for a job on your own terms. You’ll be able to self-select for your Self.

For us, this is a very exciting day.  Six years ago in our cubes at Best Buy, we started dreaming up the vision for what we thought work should look and feel like.  As we daydreamed about the future, one of our far-reaching fantasies was that one day, people would be asking us where the ROWE companies were.  Every time we get an e-mail with that question, and every time we see it on this blog, we grin because we know we’ve reached an important milestone.  ROWE is standing on its own.  It has its own life.  And it’s something people want.

Today, we’re unveiling a few companies that are exploring ROWE.  These organizations have been utilizing the ROWE Launch Kit: Office Edition and have said they are far enough along in the process that we can share their information.  So without any further ado…here they are:

Yum Brands

SpinWeb

Dixie Iron Works

Brighton Bancorp

South Metro Human Services

Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council

And, of course, the companies that came before these: Best Buy Corporate and J.A. Counter & Associates.

There will be many more names to share as more companies begin utilizing their Kits.  We can also tell you that we’re currently consulting with a Fortune 50 company that will have a ROWE pilot completed by early Spring 2009.

And - for our Twin Cities readers - as part of the MNDOT project we’re involved with, there will be 3 to 6 more big companies in Mpls./St. Paul that will have completed ROWE pilots by the end of 2009.

The beginning of the ROWE List is in your hands - the next step is up to you.

And now…the second part of our interview with Pam Slim.  We hope her insights and stories are helpful to those of you that are wavering on the “Should I stay in my job or venture out on my own?” line.  She is one of the few folks that shoots straight about the entrepreneurial experience, and we love that about her.  Enjoy!

C&J: You’re writing a book, Escape from Cubicle Nation, due out in Spring 2009.  The title says a lot.  What are you hoping people will be thinking and doing after they read it?

Pam: Based on my own history, I hope two things: that it will give pause to the spontaneous job-quitters like me, and will give inspiration to the overly-pragmatic planners who stay stuck in an unhealthy situation for far too long.  The book details the whole journey from corporate employee to entrepreneur in a pragmatic, humorous and realistic fashion.  I hope to counter the nonsense that permeates the internet which says that it is fantastically easy to make six figures a year in your bathrobe  by just purchasing someone’s 12-part business system.  At the same time, I want to shine the light on a thriving, creative and interesting entrepreneurial world that many corporate employees don’t even know exists.  We are at a time in history when it is really possible to create a healthy, profitable business for minimal investment using existing technology.  The tools are not the hard part - discovering a great business idea that inspires you and solves real problems is the challenge for most people.  If I had to label myself, it would be “pragmatic optimist.”  I fluctuate between saying “Yes, you can do it!” with “Don’t fool yourself: it is going to take a heck of a lot of work.”

C&J: You’re very familiar with the concept of ROWE.  Thinking about your philosophy on the work world and people who have what it takes to start their own businesses, how could you see that mindset helping the ROWE movement?

Pam: ROWE is basically an entrepreneurial mindset.  One of the best things you can do before leaping out of your corporate job is to become much more proactive inside your job.  This will help you a lot if you do decide to start your own business.  Results are truly all that matter when you work for yourself; no one pays you to sleep through twelve planning meetings before doing something real.

The wonderful thing is that many people will find that by creating a ROWE where they work, their “job loathing factor” may decrease tenfold.  Who knows, they may find they actually enjoy their job!  Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, and all of us rely on some people continuing to work in large organizations for the world to function effectively.

My advice for many of my readers is “read Cali and Jody’s book - then if you can’t fix your own environment, come talk to me.”  Our work dovetails so nicely, you would almost think we planned it that way.

Big news: We’ll be posting some names of companies exploring ROWE on Monday.  Are you READY???!!!!!

C&J: You left Corporate America in 1996 to start following your own path. Tell us a little bit about your experiences and about the moment you made the decision to leave your job.

Pam: Many people assume by the title of my blog that I was a frustrated and disgruntled employee. Actually, I adored my last corporate job for most of the time that I was there. What changed, and what precipitated the move to entrepreneurship, is that my company went through a merger. My immediate management team all left and it felt like the incoming team was intent on dismantling every last part of the “old regime”, even though things were working well. The former leaders in my department were truly gifted mentors, so their absence left a gaping hole for me. I realized that part of what gave me great joy in my job was approaching every project from a learning perspective, and when that was gone, the job became just a way to earn a paycheck.

Another contributing factor to my departure was turning 30. As I looked ahead, I realized that I wanted to do something significant and interesting in my work life. So, against better judgment, I quit my job without any plan. In the ensuing months, I checked out a number of job openings and went on a few interviews, but nothing got me really excited. To bring in a little cash, I contacted my former manager, who had since gone to Hewlett-Packard, and asked her if she could use some contract help. Thankfully, the answer was yes!

As soon as I started working for myself, I felt like I got hit by a super-charged energy bolt. I was excited, motivated and on fire. I realized that I was actually wired to be an entrepreneur, and thrived with challenge, variety and lack of formal structure. I haven’t looked back since!

C&J: Who is your favorite example of someone who tried to find what they were looking for in the traditional world of work, but finally realized they needed to strike out on their own?

Pam: My dear friend, Jonathan Fields, fits this profile perfectly. He was a high-powered Wall Street lawyer who apparently “had it all.” Until, of course, he almost died of an ulcer after working on a particularly grueling 72-hour business deal. This major wake-up call caused him to examine everything, and eventually led to his abandoning corporate life to start a successful yoga studio, then yoga training program, then series of other entrepreneurial endeavors. He now guards his health and family time very closely, and offers great advice at his blog.

I know hundreds of other examples of everyday people who left their job to start a business. It is amazing to see what happens to people when they leave the cube environment. I think I can actually feel the spring in their step through email.

C&J: Our readers know that our message is not “If you’re unhappy in your job, quit”, but rather “If you’re unhappy in your job, the reason most likely lies in the culture of work. Don’t settle for it; you have the ability to make change.” We also want very much for our readers to find happiness and if they have an entrepreneurial spirit and drive to start something new, there could be an opportunity to create the environment they’ve always wanted - on their own. [Some of them have even hinted at banding together to do this!] What advice would you give them if they need a little “push”?

Pam: I totally agree with your philosophy. In my book, I say “hating your job intensely is not a business plan.” This shocks many people who think deciding to quit their job is the biggest decision to make!

For those who feel they have true entrepreneurial urges, I recommend lots of testing and trying. It takes quite a bit of playing around to figure out what you are really passionate about. Then you have to define a specific group of people you would like to work with, and really understand their struggles and challenges and pain points. Next comes defining an actual business idea, to be supported by a business model. To get the word out. you need a specific point of view, brand and marketing strategy. All of this takes testing and failing and trying again and experimenting some more. Somewhere in all that messy process, juicy business ideas, and actual businesses emerge.

I have found great support for my own endeavors in social media circles like blogs and Twitter and Facebook. If you grow your community outside of your corporate job, you can see that there are a lot of people who are indeed thriving in their own endeavors. A lot are suffering, too. You can learn from everyone, and let their lessons be your guide.

The worst thing you can do is spend months or years in a planning phase, build a business, and launch it with great fanfare to a market who has no idea who you are. If you do that, you will experience a whole lot of silence.

Pam’s thoughts on ROWE in the next installment…

We don’t know where to begin.  In fact, we’re a bit speechless, so this will be brief.

Japan, the country known for working its people to death (see our post on “karoshi” from earlier this year) now has pockets of people standing up to take their lives back.  The WSJ story that gives the scoop is here.

You know we’re all about groundswells - does this have the making of one?

We’re taking predictions on what will happen in Japan now that packs of hodo-hodo zuku (”so-so folks”) are taking over.  What’s in your crystal balls?

It should be no surprise, and yet we’re flabbergasted.  In traditional work environments where everything is dictated - when you need to be in your chair, when you can leave, whether you can spend an hour to go to the doctor - why wouldn’t voting time be part of the dictated rules?

In a country where democracy has been best described by Abraham Lincoln as “government of the people, by the people, and for the people”, a requirement is that the people decide who their leaders will be.  And the setup is a good one: On Nov. 4th, there will be voting booths ready for the swarms of people that will descend on them throughout the country.  We have a system set up for people who aren’t able to make it to their designated voting booths.  And yet one thing remains a gigantic roadblock: Employees being treated like children not capable of making decisions about when they vote.

There are specific state laws that outline how employers must respond to an employee’s desire to vote.  Find your state’s law here.

We were shocked to see our own state of MN’s law:

Minnesota - An employee has a right to be absent from work for the purpose of voting “during the morning of” election day.  This time off is paid.  (Minn. Stat. Section 204C.04)

So even if I decide, based on whatever else is going on in my work and my life, that the afternoon is a better time for me to vote, the law doesn’t cover that?

A couple other state laws worth mentioning:

Alabama - Employees are given “necessary” time off to vote, not to exceed one hour.  The employee must give reasonable notice to get the time off.  However, if the polls open at least two hours before the employee starts work and close at least one hour after the employee ends work, the employer doesn’t have to give the employee time off.  The statute doesn’t specify if the time off is paid.  (Ala. Code Section 17-1-5)

Wisconsin - Employees are allowed up to three hours to vote if the request for time off is made prior to election day.  The employer may specify the time to be taken by the employee to vote.  This time off is unpaid.  (Wis. Stat. Ann. Section 6.76)

We must add that we received a note from a Twitter friend that these laws are actually to protect employees, and that companies that would obstruct employees’ desire to vote probably wouldn’t be too into ROWE anyway.  Point taken.  However, it’s a sad commentary on our society when voting, the cornerstone to the sustainment of our democracy, is prohibited during “work hours” by power-hungry, ignorant managers and the companies they work for who support this tiresome patriarchal behavior.

Perhaps we should add Guidepost #14: Imagine a place where you can decide when you want to vote, don’t have to ask permission, and don’t need to stress out about whether or not you’ll get paid for the entire day.

We’d love to hear what you think of your state’s law and if you have stories about voting during “work hours”, do share!