“At most companies, going AWOL during daylight hours would be grounds for a pink slip. Not at Best Buy. The nation's leading electronics retailer has embarked on a radical--if risky--experiment to transform a culture once known for killer hours and herd-riding bosses. The endeavor, called ROWE, for "results-only work environment," seeks to demolish decades-old business dogma that equates physical presence with productivity. The goal at Best Buy is to judge performance on output instead of hours.
“It seems to be working. Since the program's implementation, average voluntary turnover has fallen drastically, CultureRx says. Meanwhile, Best Buy notes that productivity is up an average 35% in departments that have switched to ROWE. Employee engagement, which measures employee satisfaction and is often a barometer for retention, is way up too, according to the Gallup Organization, which audits corporate cultures.”
Does anybody see this idea taking root? How woud it apply in a modern-day architecture firm?
If this were to be incorporated into architectural practice, I could envision the typical firm being set up more like a studio in architecture school: An open workspace where employees are free to come and go at any hour to meet with people or get work done in a collaborative environment, but where people would also have the option of working from home or from the coffee shop down the street.
Seems like a good idea to me, since I'd rather sleep in most mornings and do my work late at night... I also work for a firm where you get chewed out for leaving 10 minutes early, even if you've finished all the items on your to-do list for the day.
hourly is ok if you get OT. i read this article a little earlier. the idea is right on with what needs to happen. quality not quantity. both of the firms i have worked for are pretty easy going. i come in the am and leave in the pm.
firm i just left was pretty lax about hours too. it was so big no one really knew who was doing what where and for whom so if you got the work done nothing was ever said about the amount of hours on your timesheet or when you rolled in or out unless it was extreme and continual. as long as the hours worked out each quarter when they divied out OT. that was for the professionals anyway. the drafters and admin were hourly so they had to make the time up every 2 weeks.
i can get more done at night than during the day...both in build and in design..... the problem i have with working during the day is all the distractions...... calls/b.s/etc.......
i agree with j. best buy is a sales environment. there are too many parties who need to be able to get a hold of you when they need you, and you need to be available.
my last firm was flexible like you describe. It was wonderful. I would imagine the key would be good hiring practices... you have to have tremendous trust in your employees, because they need to be able to show up for meetings they're supposed to be at, and they need to get their work done, and you have to trust that the hours they report on their timesheet are really hours they've worked.
Salaried, office-type firms don't have to know their employees so well, because it doesn't really matter.
Actually, I really think the hourly, flexible approach is best for architecture firms. Works really, really well, and we tend to be the guilt-ridden, responsible types anyway, so it's actually more likely that we'll get more work done rather than less if given the flexibility.
J makes a good point why a ROWE approach might not work for somebody doing construction administration work, or even a marketing-type person who needs to schmooze prospective clients all day. I could see it working well for other staff, though.
Having now worked for a number of firms, though, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon. The firms with the most liberal flex-time policies were invaribly the ones that were the most financially secure and had the most satisfied employees, the happiest clients, and the best projects. The firms that were most anal-retentive about office hours, dress code, headphones, etc. were invaribly the sinking ships with the lowest morale, the highest turnover, the most angry clients, and the crappiest projects. I think the lesson is clear that if you take care of your staff, they'll take care of you.
"guilt-ridden responsible type" is going on my resume. My previous office was pretty flexible too. Very small, so no one really cared where you were unless they were looking for you. Mini breaks to the coffee shop/bookstore was the norm and sometimes included the whole office I really miss that place.
And when you feel like you have the office's trust to be a professional and responsible person. It actually makes you more professional and responsible.
Living in Gin, if I give you their email addresses, will you send the paragraph in your post above to my bosses? Because they won't listen to us. I've tried.
I think the check on the ROWE process is in it's title: Results. Are there any for, say, Brian over there? Even though he wears 37 pieces of flair, don't be fooled...have him show you the work he accomplished. Pretty obvious if he's slacking and just watching Oprah.
Anyone's office tell them lunch is at 12 pm, only.
I get some funny looks because I just can't eat that early, so I leave for an hour and then come back and eat at my desk. I'm not a morning person at all so I eat breakfast rather late. I'm basically still digesting breakfast at 11:30.
the way i see it architects have it pretty easy, what with 8 year old children sewing nike's for 1$ a week in india, i don't mind working whatever schedule the bossmen say. It's their business after all.
also, clients usually only ask for professionals to be professionals, which includes being available during acceptable business hours. i don't really see a problem, like the QofE says, when you work 70+ hrs/wk., flex time doesn't really mean much.
...now COMP time, that's an animal we should all attack. if i got comp time, i would be on vacation for the next six months.....
Punky -- the point of "ROWE" and/or flex time is certainly not to become "[un]available" as you suggest.
Don't assume that the fact that since certain stages of overall architectural project delivery are less "flex-time-able" than others, that this must preclude any and all flexibility. It doesn't -- in this sense we're no different than most professions. Phone, fax, and email take one pretty far.
But you have bigger fish to fry...70hrs/week? How are you compensated for that effort?
I worked for 6 years as a web designer and worked whenever I wanted and was largely compensated by the work done, not the hours worked. I think the IT industry started this and other sectors are finally realizing that it makes sense.
My only fear with a program like ROWE is the blurring it creates between business and personal time. I like the fact that once I walk out of the office in the evening or when I'm away on vacation I don't have to deal with work responsibilities and don't have to be available to coworkers, clients, contractors, etc. For the most part my work is confined to a nice 40 hour a week box and I'd like it to stay that way at least until I have more control over the projects I'm working on and the clients I'm working with.
Other than that, I'm all for it. I can't tell you how many times I've sat at my desk seething on a beautiful day knowing the weekend was going to be miserable. I also believe that the school studio system is a better envoronment for creativity than a traditional office setting, hands down.
Whats more interesting to me is how this will alter the work and urban environment in the next 50 years if it really catches on. Like people have said, it still makes sense to have a central headquarters to consolodate the face-to-face stuff, but it doesnt make sense to have a 100 cubicals for 100 employees when only 20% of them are there at any one time. I know Nox has looked at this, but we could be looking at a radical alteration to the whole urban scheme. Suburbia and commuting, the blur between living and workspace, sedentary life in general could see rapid alterations. Am I ignorant to think not enough architects have played with this idea?
I think this is an interesting thing, and that those who are against it may be misunderstanding. The point is not necessarily to work only a few hours a day every day, but that if you want to take a long weekend or pick your kid up from school, you don't have to worry about whether it's equal hour-for-hour to the evening meeting you went to the other night. You just do it and don't worry about it as long as your work gets done.
The only thing I can see being a problem is the implementation with younger workers. More experienced people who have a project to run and know every step of the process could pull this off fine, but a younger worker who is given work one piece at a time might abuse the system, either intentionally or accidentally, because they don't know everything that's expected of them in a week yet.
You all should really read the book, "Rise of the Creative Class" by Richard Florida.
I'm just about halfway through it and it addresses many of the gripes that we architects are always talking about - schooling, employment, salary, overtime, office environment, telecommuting, community building, etc...
Fascinating stuff. Sheds a lot of light onto why we think the way we do and the values we hold as designers.
Smashing the Clock
You're off the clock
From the article:
“At most companies, going AWOL during daylight hours would be grounds for a pink slip. Not at Best Buy. The nation's leading electronics retailer has embarked on a radical--if risky--experiment to transform a culture once known for killer hours and herd-riding bosses. The endeavor, called ROWE, for "results-only work environment," seeks to demolish decades-old business dogma that equates physical presence with productivity. The goal at Best Buy is to judge performance on output instead of hours.
“It seems to be working. Since the program's implementation, average voluntary turnover has fallen drastically, CultureRx says. Meanwhile, Best Buy notes that productivity is up an average 35% in departments that have switched to ROWE. Employee engagement, which measures employee satisfaction and is often a barometer for retention, is way up too, according to the Gallup Organization, which audits corporate cultures.”
Does anybody see this idea taking root? How woud it apply in a modern-day architecture firm?
If this were to be incorporated into architectural practice, I could envision the typical firm being set up more like a studio in architecture school: An open workspace where employees are free to come and go at any hour to meet with people or get work done in a collaborative environment, but where people would also have the option of working from home or from the coffee shop down the street.
Seems like a good idea to me, since I'd rather sleep in most mornings and do my work late at night... I also work for a firm where you get chewed out for leaving 10 minutes early, even if you've finished all the items on your to-do list for the day.
I have to say that where I work, while its not totally open clock, it really flexible. We all get our work done, and everyone is happy...
I think one key to it is to get paid hourly...
hourly is ok if you get OT. i read this article a little earlier. the idea is right on with what needs to happen. quality not quantity. both of the firms i have worked for are pretty easy going. i come in the am and leave in the pm.
firm i just left was pretty lax about hours too. it was so big no one really knew who was doing what where and for whom so if you got the work done nothing was ever said about the amount of hours on your timesheet or when you rolled in or out unless it was extreme and continual. as long as the hours worked out each quarter when they divied out OT. that was for the professionals anyway. the drafters and admin were hourly so they had to make the time up every 2 weeks.
i can get more done at night than during the day...both in build and in design..... the problem i have with working during the day is all the distractions...... calls/b.s/etc.......
:
i agree with j. best buy is a sales environment. there are too many parties who need to be able to get a hold of you when they need you, and you need to be available.
Le boss -- the article refers to the ROWE concept as incorporated by Best Buy headquarters staffers, not sales floor employees...
my last firm was flexible like you describe. It was wonderful. I would imagine the key would be good hiring practices... you have to have tremendous trust in your employees, because they need to be able to show up for meetings they're supposed to be at, and they need to get their work done, and you have to trust that the hours they report on their timesheet are really hours they've worked.
Salaried, office-type firms don't have to know their employees so well, because it doesn't really matter.
Actually, I really think the hourly, flexible approach is best for architecture firms. Works really, really well, and we tend to be the guilt-ridden, responsible types anyway, so it's actually more likely that we'll get more work done rather than less if given the flexibility.
J makes a good point why a ROWE approach might not work for somebody doing construction administration work, or even a marketing-type person who needs to schmooze prospective clients all day. I could see it working well for other staff, though.
Having now worked for a number of firms, though, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon. The firms with the most liberal flex-time policies were invaribly the ones that were the most financially secure and had the most satisfied employees, the happiest clients, and the best projects. The firms that were most anal-retentive about office hours, dress code, headphones, etc. were invaribly the sinking ships with the lowest morale, the highest turnover, the most angry clients, and the crappiest projects. I think the lesson is clear that if you take care of your staff, they'll take care of you.
"guilt-ridden responsible type" is going on my resume. My previous office was pretty flexible too. Very small, so no one really cared where you were unless they were looking for you. Mini breaks to the coffee shop/bookstore was the norm and sometimes included the whole office I really miss that place.
It's amazing how much more work you get done when you're happy.
And when you feel like you have the office's trust to be a professional and responsible person. It actually makes you more professional and responsible.
Must be a nice feeling... My current firm treats us like children, to the point where we even half-jokingly refer to the principals as "mom and dad".
Living in Gin, if I give you their email addresses, will you send the paragraph in your post above to my bosses? Because they won't listen to us. I've tried.
TOTALLY agree, Gin.
I think the check on the ROWE process is in it's title: Results. Are there any for, say, Brian over there? Even though he wears 37 pieces of flair, don't be fooled...have him show you the work he accomplished. Pretty obvious if he's slacking and just watching Oprah.
Anyone's office tell them lunch is at 12 pm, only.
I get some funny looks because I just can't eat that early, so I leave for an hour and then come back and eat at my desk. I'm not a morning person at all so I eat breakfast rather late. I'm basically still digesting breakfast at 11:30.
I can work whenever I want, as long as I put in my 80hrs/wk.
the way i see it architects have it pretty easy, what with 8 year old children sewing nike's for 1$ a week in india, i don't mind working whatever schedule the bossmen say. It's their business after all.
also, clients usually only ask for professionals to be professionals, which includes being available during acceptable business hours. i don't really see a problem, like the QofE says, when you work 70+ hrs/wk., flex time doesn't really mean much.
...now COMP time, that's an animal we should all attack. if i got comp time, i would be on vacation for the next six months.....
Punky -- the point of "ROWE" and/or flex time is certainly not to become "[un]available" as you suggest.
Don't assume that the fact that since certain stages of overall architectural project delivery are less "flex-time-able" than others, that this must preclude any and all flexibility. It doesn't -- in this sense we're no different than most professions. Phone, fax, and email take one pretty far.
But you have bigger fish to fry...70hrs/week? How are you compensated for that effort?
I worked for 6 years as a web designer and worked whenever I wanted and was largely compensated by the work done, not the hours worked. I think the IT industry started this and other sectors are finally realizing that it makes sense.
My only fear with a program like ROWE is the blurring it creates between business and personal time. I like the fact that once I walk out of the office in the evening or when I'm away on vacation I don't have to deal with work responsibilities and don't have to be available to coworkers, clients, contractors, etc. For the most part my work is confined to a nice 40 hour a week box and I'd like it to stay that way at least until I have more control over the projects I'm working on and the clients I'm working with.
Other than that, I'm all for it. I can't tell you how many times I've sat at my desk seething on a beautiful day knowing the weekend was going to be miserable. I also believe that the school studio system is a better envoronment for creativity than a traditional office setting, hands down.
Whats more interesting to me is how this will alter the work and urban environment in the next 50 years if it really catches on. Like people have said, it still makes sense to have a central headquarters to consolodate the face-to-face stuff, but it doesnt make sense to have a 100 cubicals for 100 employees when only 20% of them are there at any one time. I know Nox has looked at this, but we could be looking at a radical alteration to the whole urban scheme. Suburbia and commuting, the blur between living and workspace, sedentary life in general could see rapid alterations. Am I ignorant to think not enough architects have played with this idea?
it would solve "rush hour"
I think this is an interesting thing, and that those who are against it may be misunderstanding. The point is not necessarily to work only a few hours a day every day, but that if you want to take a long weekend or pick your kid up from school, you don't have to worry about whether it's equal hour-for-hour to the evening meeting you went to the other night. You just do it and don't worry about it as long as your work gets done.
The only thing I can see being a problem is the implementation with younger workers. More experienced people who have a project to run and know every step of the process could pull this off fine, but a younger worker who is given work one piece at a time might abuse the system, either intentionally or accidentally, because they don't know everything that's expected of them in a week yet.
You all should really read the book, "Rise of the Creative Class" by Richard Florida.
I'm just about halfway through it and it addresses many of the gripes that we architects are always talking about - schooling, employment, salary, overtime, office environment, telecommuting, community building, etc...
Fascinating stuff. Sheds a lot of light onto why we think the way we do and the values we hold as designers.
They're talking about Best Buy's program on NPR right now. Can't tell what program it is yet.
Apparently the motivation for the company to do it was that, and I quote, the employees said they "felt like children".
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