“It’s not the hours you put in your work that counts, it’s the work you put in the hours.” — Sam Ewing
I often find myself pondering this question – Why is my workplace more concerned with how many hours I sit at my desk as opposed to measuring my productivity? Take a moment and think about the way the majority of the industrialized world deals with work. For years, millions of people have awakened at the crack of dawn, rushed to get to work and punch a time clock, skipped lunch or a break to make sure their manager would catch them in their cube on a walk through, and stayed late so they could be the last person seen leaving the building. The majority of working people do all these things and a host of other silly activities to demonstrate their “work ethic”, all at a detriment to their personal and family life. Why? It’s been all about the hours, not the work!
Why not focus on results? Our current culture has produced millions of mindless clock punchers that have one goal – 40 hrs per week. These people are stressed out – worried about picking up their kids from school, how they are going to find time to take their mother to the doctor and still hit the magic 40 hour number. Who in the hell decided that 40 hours a week should be the standard anyway? Is there some scientific reason this number was chosen – some equation that states I will be able to pay all my bills if I work 40 hours a week? HA!
Some companies are catching on. Best Buy has adopted a Results Oriented Work Environment, or ROWE. ROWE is a new way of thinking about work that emphasizes pay for results as opposed to pay for time. The basic premise of ROWE is that employees are allowed to do whatever they want, whenever they want, as long as their assigned work is completed. Placing the emphasis on results instead of hours allows employees to take control of their own schedules, leading to lower stress and higher performing, more satisfied employees.
ROWE also gives your stars a chance to really shine, and those that don’t perform are easier to get rid of. This leads to better retention because your hard workers will know that everyone else is being held accountable for their results. You can let go of the clock burners that aren’t producing results and use that money to hire some more stars!
If you are in a management role: I beg you to consider focusing on results instead of time. Our work culture needs to change, and there is no better time than now! Your employees will love you for it and you will get better results in return.
If you are an employee, consider this: We really are a bunch of cowards, don’t you think? We constantly complain about our long hours but continue to conform to the system. Time to get off the fence. Either you own your labor or you are owned by it. What’s it going to be? Who really controls your life, your time, your happiness?
