Well, not really. I read this book by Cali and Jody about a unique work environment called Rowe (Results Only Work Environment). In it, workers are only concerned about one thing: Results. Less than delivering results is not tolerated and people are measured by what they produce and not how long they are in their chairs.
The interesting thing to me is this: some of us are lucky enough to work in a Knowledge based field. My greatest asset is being able to solve problems and/or bringing together the right people to solve problems. It is also beneficial if we can make the company more money - we call it making the car go faster. Anyway, there is no reason that I couldn't log into work, open up the project I need to work on, do some research and get the project done. The reason I don't is that my bosses are measuring most of us - me included - by how long we are at work. If my work isn't visible to them by being at the office, then I don't get credit for that work and my incentive pay will not be adjusted for the extra effort I put into my work.
Back to the point; Cali and Jody really put the idea of the outdated notion that you need to put in, at minimum, 40 hours to be successful. Most of us in knowledge based fields do what we do because we like it. We do not put in 40 hours because we live this stuff. We are constantly pushing the limits of technology and looking for ways to make our lives and our jobs easier. We don't make a distinction between work and life because there is no distinction. I say, every manager needs to read the book and maybe, just maybe, more than a few managers will let their people shine in this new environment.
1 comment:
Had to chuckle at your comments about you being the problem solver. You did that when you were a little guy. You were always the peacemaker. It follows that you would have a job that PAYS you to do what you are so good at doing. Hooray for you for reading about Rowe. I haven't read it, but have heard about it. Maybe the challenge here is to find a way to convince your bosses to read it. I'm not sure how the incentive pay could be changed, but I bet you can figure that one out, too. Or maybe you could start a business of your own. Then you could write your own rules. Just a thought.
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