Gobble Gobble and Weeble Wobble
December 1st, 2008 by Cali & Jody
We were gathered with our families, watching the evening news, the night before Thanksgiving. There were the stories about the Presidential Turkey Pardons, the heartwarming stories about families reuniting for the holidays, and…the depressing story about how, at least in the Twin Cities, the night before Thanksgiving is the worst for drunk driving (even worse than New Year’s Eve). The reason they cited? Because people have the long-awaited 4-day weekend ahead of them.
It’s true. In a traditional work environment (and yes, we lived that pain for many years!), you are zoned in on those four days. They can’t come fast enough. The stress and frustration from incompetent bosses, annoying coworkers, inefficient processes, mundane work that you consider a waste of time, and being punished for coming in “late” or leaving “early” take their toll, and that 4-day weekend is the beacon of light that keeps you going. Then it’s here. Wednesday afternoon rolls around and the boss sends out an e-mail:
“Team: Thanks for your commitment to our work over the last months. As a token of my appreciation, you have my permission to leave at 3:00 this afternoon. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families. Have a wonderful weekend.”
And the angels start singing. You are released from the jail cell. Now - we’re not, by any means, condoning drinking alcohol as a means of dealing with the stress and frustration of the workplace. But according to the statistics we recently heard, people do their fair share (and more) of imbibing once the jail door closes behind them. During 2005 to 2007 in the Twin Cities, 23 motorists were killed (13 of these deaths occurred in alcohol-related crashes) and 63 were injured during the holiday travel period of Wednesday through Sunday.
Granted, in a ROWE, people still have their glass of wine every now and then after a stressful day (we are both Chardonnay lovers). But our guess is that ROWE folks are less likely to overdo it on the cusp of a 3 or 4-day weekend because they’re creating the time they need for rejuvenation and relaxation whenever they need it. We’ve had countless ROWE teams tell us “We didn’t even realize Labor Day weekend was here” or “I don’t even think about 4-day weekends anymore.” When the on/off switch is yours to control, it’s amazing how those engrained times of the year that are full of anticipation and jubilation eventually go away. And instead, you get those moments all the time - whenever you want them.
So here’s our toast: To more teams going ROWE to help in the effort of drinking responsibly.
No, we haven’t proven that yet, but we think it’s a solid theory 
SOMETHING UNBELIEVABLE HAS HAPPENED TODAY
I just saw a memo released by our CEO to VPs and directors that has made me so happy.
Starting January 2009, no monthly salaried workers will be required to maintain minimum hours or track threir time in a timesheet!
The memo mentioned focusing more on results and providing better work-life balance, so it feels like a ROWE is starting to develop here. Based on other references in the memo to the FLSA, I also think my company is trying to act ahead of changes that might be coming under the new presidential administration. Who knows? Maybe my CEO visited Best Buy’s CEO at some point.
Now, I was disappointed that others that saw the memo said people who came in from 9 to 4 would get into trouble. I tried to emphasize that even though the memo said everyone should expect to have 45 hours worth of work a week, there is no requirement to work 45 hours. So, if the company can’t guarantee me work to take up 45 hours, why should I be there with nothing critical to do? The ROWE culture is still not fully here, but it’s coming…
Cali and Jody, I know you understand what I am feeling right at the moment just from personal experience at Best Buy. This probably equates somewhere between being released from prison for a crime you didn’t commit and paying off all your debt. I feel such a wonderful relief now!
I might drink in celebration tonight! (But in my home and in moderation!!!)
@Matt - we are so happy for you! This announcement does show that there must have considerable conversation about focusing on hours vs. results. And RESULTS was the winner. The door at your company is opening to the future - and as you say, the ROWE culture isn’t fully there yet, but it needs to start with a seed. That seed has been planted - now it’s up to you and others to hold the company accountable for their words and help move things forward.
It’s definitely a night for celebrating - go for it!
Matt - who do you work for and where do I send the resume? I hope you all need an accountant.
I want to mention a small correction on the changes here at my company. As I said, not quite ROWE, but getting there. There is still the concept of minimum hours (nobody can have them set higher than 45 and the company still expects to have the work to average that), but there will be no way to track it as no one is keeping a general timesheet. There are also core hours and project time tracking (outside of personal accounting), so the stinging tentacles of the Old Way still are embedded in us. It’s a little frustrating because at the beginning of the memo, they define monthly workers as those paid for work completed regardless of time or place.
This change is scaring my director because there’s already lamenting about people not being available, blah, blah, blah, blah… We have a meeting on Monday, so I will try to be as encouraging as possible (with a ROWE in mind) for people to embrace this change and make the most of it for the good of the company AND ourselves.
@DC Guy Sorry, but I prefer discretion as a method of job retention
Unfortunately, we are also in a hiring freeze, so even if I did tell you, it might not help 
[...] Gobble Gobble and Weeble Wobble by Cali & Jody [...]
RE: Culture change indicators -> from the Gates Foundation requiring an “open” approach to health research http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=719 and the recent presentation from the Internet2 members meeting that research is moving more and more toward virtual teams {social networking} http://edodds.blogs.com/conmergence/2008/12/kim-solez-provides-fall-2008-internet2-member-meeting-presentation-pointers.html to the suggestion that municipalities adopt extensible business reporting language (Chris Cox’s interactive data at the SEC) http://www.bondbuyer.com/article.html?id=200812054CCU1SAF , there is a general move toward data driven justification of work processes. What still needs to occur is the creation of collaboratories for individual stockholder|stakeholders to hold CSuites, Unions, Salaried Workers, “FTEs” {bleh} accountable for the alignment of resources to stated goals — although given the economic downturn it looks like institutional stockholders might actually be waking up to their fiduciary responsibilities.
‘Nuther trendicator: Outsourcing and Flexible Office Space Going Mainstream
http://blogs.openforum.com/2008/12/08/outsourcing-and-flexible-office-space-going-mainstream/