As I get deeper and deeper into this social change affecting the world of work, I realize it is less about changing work and more about changing people. I have also realized this is less about a career and more about life. Most people separate their personal and professional lives as if one does not impact or influence the other.

So, when I inform people about ROWE, a progressive, common sense approach to work, supporters and objectors alike ask for stats, proof, research….that it works. And why do you think that is? Enter being controlled for years and the freedom to make decisions being almost completely stripped away. Seth Godin blogs about people’s desire for data over emotional connection.

Could you be [more] successful eating breakfast with your family in the morning, tending to that house project on a Tuesday afternoon, and getting work done at 10 o’clock at night? OK, how about successful and less stressful? ROWE allows you to decide when you are at the top of your game to be successful in whatever it is you choose.

Is ROWE right for you? Stats and studies may validate aspects of it, but a smile on your child’s face, feeling rested at 5pm, and re-discovering a hobby put off for too long might do the trick as well.

The workplace hierarchy most often resembles a top down approach to decision making. This process is typically driven (controlled) by people of rank in an organization. I’m sure that helps with all the rah-rah team building exercises organizations love to force upon employees.

The bigger issue created by this kind of power hording is people become less interested in the organization’s purpose. This happens because the purpose is “dictated to” rather than “created by” the majority of employees – non-executive, non-managerial.

People also become less interested in being proactive, innovative, or even successful. The ultimate goal becomes “doing enough” to not get fired and to collect that paycheck. Why? Well, shunning people from the decision making process creates a system which assumes certain employees are incapable of conceptualizing ideas. In essence, one’s title in an organization becomes less about ensuring progress and success and more about status.

End results may improve if an employee is empowered and encouraged to contribute and feel valued throughout the entire work process.

I fully understand the inclusion of every employee for every decision to be made seems crazy….but is it impossible? Organizations could always send out an email to collect thoughts, suggestions, recommendations, concepts, etc. Desired (sometimes demanded) employee “support” of an organizational goal, objective, or policy may increase if employees could participate in the creation, implementation, and adaptation of such things.

So, you have a good paying job, nice benefits, prospects for a promotion look dandy, and right off the entrance is the company gym.

You must be happy! But do you have freedom?

Can you come and go as you need to, want to, and sometimes have to at this fine company? Are you told how many days you are allowed to be sick by this thoughtful company? Are you allowed to vacation whenever you want or only after you are approved by that accommodating company? Are you measured by results or by physical presence at this fair company?

Happy maybe. Free? Nope.Think about what you give up and give into to have a job.

Imagine you could work wherever and whenever you wanted and you were measured by what you produced. Does that seem appealing? If so, see a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE). This is a common sense approach to how we [can] work, which was created by Cali Ressler & Jody Thompson.

The foundational principle is as long as you get the work done, nothing else should matter. Of course, little things like trust, defined expectations, respect, and measurable results also resonate in a ROWE. What is also discovered in a ROWE is freedom. Freedom to live your life as you think rather than how some organization allows or worse, dictates.

Unfortunately in the working world, organizations and even some employees, have come to associate having freedom to mean being “lucky enough” to receive a paycheck and be offered benefits. I appreciate the importance of financial solvency and health, but at the expense of your dreams, desires, interests, family, friends, FREEDOM.

How much money do you spend just to have a job? Ever think about it? Travel expenses (gas + regular vehicle maintenance), clothing, food (breakfast + lunch), etc. If you can’t seem to find the time, mental willpower, or physical energy to eat right and exercise, how will you ever not be unhealthy or sick? So maybe, just maybe, with more freedom to live/work as you feel, you may not rely on health benefits, but instead, sick provisions? I’ll work on that, but you get my point, right?

I’ll leave you with this quote:

Freedom is the right to live as we wish ~ Epictetus

Ever wonder about how many people commute to work? More often than not, when you think about a commuter, its that person who lives like an hour from their home or that IT person who gets to telecommute.

Well, I believe anyone who is required to be in an office is a commuter. I don’t care if you are using personal or public transportation or if your travel time is five minutes or two hours….you are still commuting.

And what value does commuting add to your professional aptitude? The belief work can only happen or must happen in an office is simply untrue.

But how do I communicate with coworkers if I am not in the office?

How do you do it now? I am pretty confident most employees already use the phone, email, text messaging, IMing, etc. to communicate. These same employees use these forms of communication with coworkers who are in a nearby cubicle or an office on another floor…..ummm? This technology allows coworkers to communicate with each other when in different cities, states, and countries. HELLO! Does it really matter where you are physically to communicate?

Commuting does not provide you the capability to exchange information. Your brain does. Technology helps too.

When I talk about what should be important within an organization, I drive home focusing on results and results only. With regard to work, results should be what drive an employee to succeed and should be what’s used to measure an employee’s performance.

However, a ROWE is not designed to be soulless. Within a ROWE, work does not take precedence over one’s life, but rather YOU gain control of your life. This is vital to remember. Essentially, results to an organization can be likened to balance in one’s life.

Have you ever had to deal with a wandering mind, illness, or personal trauma when attempting to accomplish something personal? Whether it be a mundane chore around the house or attending a social event or trying to enjoy a hobby, you simply do not feel “into” or focused on the moment. What do you do?

Now apply any of those circumstances to work. What do you do? What does your organization do to help you achieve results, but more importantly, support your well-being? Personal days, vacation days, sick days, and bereavement periods are the common, traditional work environment’s response to such situations. This approach is absurd because it is so mechanical. There is no distinction made among employees. The assumption is all employees enjoy the same amount of personal time, get sick for the same amount of time, and grieve the same way.

The employee is viewed as a commodity with allotted downtime instead of a unique person who may benefit from a variety of options. This is an example of how a ROWE truly separates itself from other cultures or feel-good strategies.

Awhile back, Brett Legree contacted Cali & Jody about his interest in ROWE and shared some personal stories. One event he shared was so moving that with Brett’s permission, I felt it necessary to share it with all of you. You can find the details of this event in his own words here.

I strongly urge you to read his story. What Brett and his wife endured was a very difficult pregnancy in which they lost two of three triplets to complications. Such a personal tragedy as this is not one that can be relieved through anything written in an employee manual. This is something that the unique person must deal with and overcome.

Brett went back to work, but he acknowledged his mind was elsewhere. His work was not suffering, but he admits his progress had slowed. He turned to the internet to seek some help for what he was going through. He would access the net while at work, which created an issue as Brett’s company had a policy clarifying surfing the internet at work must be for “work-related purposes only” and only for 90 minutes a month. He exceeded the allowed time and the sites he was visiting were deemed not “work-related.” This was addressed with him. Well, he was actually reprimanded for it and informed he could be fired for it.

Brett’s take on the circumstances surrounding why he was surfing the internet is brilliant. He asks, “One supposes that the sanity of an employee is work-related, right?”  I believe that is 100% right!

Brett forged on even after being written up for excessive internet use and his supervisor referenced “family trouble” as the reason. That did not deter Brett. As he dealt with his sadness, he got faster at his job and also added improvements. He even beat his target times for the year. Then came his annual appraisal. Though his accomplishments were noted, his abuse of the internet rang louder than anything else. His achievements took a back seat to a childish scolding about internet use.

That’s shameful.

This impersonal approach to how employees are treated is not only cold, but hypocritical, too. How often do you hear “We are family-friendly here.” or “Treat your coworker like your neighbor.” Yet, whenever you do engage in family or neighborly activities with coworkers, like a conversation about the weekend or sharing pictures of the latest family vacation, you typically get reprimanded for socializing or being out of your normal work area.

Brett experienced even more negativity when he moved on to another project and supervisor. This supervisor told him she would have never hired him if she had known about his internet abuses.

That’s just insulting. The guy was dealing with tremendous hurt AND exceeded expectations anyway.

Unfortunately, Brett is not in the minority with this kind of professional experience. This demeaning approach to managing people is experienced every day by countless employees. No one is asking for preferential treatment, but rather respect. No one is asking for less accountability, but rather more trust. No one wants a family or neighborly atmosphere at work, but rather the freedom to be with family and neighbors when they choose.

Brett realized what is most important to him and they are his interests and those of his family.

A ROWE empowers the individual to determine what is important – not a supervisor or an organization. So, what is most important to you?  And how are you going to make 2010 the year you start really focusing on that?