Why does work suck?
If you ask people why work sucks, they will usually give one of two answers. They will reach for something vague—it’s a hectic world; people are busy; that’s life. Or they will latch onto something specific to their workplace—a controlling boss who clocks every minute of every break, an unfocused management team that creates a constant state of emergency.
But we would argue that the answer is both deeper and more widespread. There are symptomatic problems that every workplace shares. The details change from person to person and place to place, but the underlying problem is the same. And it’s a bigger problem than life being hard or that business now travels at blinding speeds.
Work sucks in corporate life today because we have time all wrong.
So begins the book “Why Work Sucks and How To Fix It” by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson. The Jobacle slogan has always been “Make Work Better,” and these two ladies are doing their level best to make every workplace a ROWE. Let me back up a bit.
A ROWE is a Results-Only Work Environment. To skip all of the technical points, a ROWE basically boils down to this: you can do what you want, whenever you want, as long as the work gets done. If you feel like going to a movie this afternoon, you go. If you’re sick, there’s no pressure to go to work to save sick days for later. If you prefer working from a coffee shop or your very own bedroom, there’s no problem with that. Here’s a mental stretch for you. If it’s called a results-only work environment, then what is the only thing that matters? Results.
Does a ROWE sound interesting? Personally, I would give my right arm to be in a ROWE, because even with one arm, I would have more free time to do things I enjoy other than work. I’d also take on more challenging projects at work, because I have a good time trying to solve a puzzle or crack a riddle that is stumping everyone else. If you’d like to learn more about a ROWE, check out the book or see CultureRX, Cali and Jody’s site.
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