In Cal Newport’s book “So Good They Can’t Ignore You”, he mentions the ROWE approach workplace philosophy. I’ve never heard of ROWE. For anyone else not in the know, ROWE stands for Results Only Work Environment.
The long and short of it is this, employees are evaluated on results and goals met only. They have complete freedom to structure their workday however they see fit. Time in the office is not considered. Phone calls made is not considered. Total hours worked isn't considered. Workers are granted full responsibility of when, where, and how they complete their tasks as long as those tasks are met. Complete focus on what gets done. Not when, where, or how.
Some more digging revealed that apparently quite a few organizations have had some good returns when implementing the ROWE philosophy. These companies report increased productivity and higher revenues due to high employee motivation and better employee efficiency. Employees with more flexibility can have more work life balance, reduced stress, and an enhanced overall job satisfaction. Employees may also save time commuting and save money in vehicle expenses. Business owners who implemented the ROWE philosophy reported lower rent costs since fewer employees reporting to the office calls for less square footage of office. Lastly, ROWE can be used as a recruiting tool to attract and retain talent.
BUT (always a “but”), ROWE has drawbacks as well. Fewer people in the office means less face to face interaction among associates and team members. This may cause a reduction in quality collaboration, comradery and teamwork. Change resistant managers may prickle when they figure out they have to make the adjustment. Before ROWE, managers may have based their evaluations (wrong or right) on time logged, billable hours, or meetings held concerning the projects they oversee. With ROWE implemented, those managers will have to shift their evaluating eye to outcomes and performance. If an organization includes team members whose position requires a physical presence, like front desk personnel or other direct customer interaction, those associates are likely to feel as if they’ve been given the short straw. And they’d be right.
So, ROWE is not a good fit everywhere. How would it fit in a Social Work Professional setting? Interesting possibilities and unique challenges.
Obviously social work is a profession that calls for a client centered tact and flexibility in meeting times and locations. ROWE would be beneficial in these instances. ROWE’s hyper focus on outcomes and client impact lends itself well to social work. Social workers not expected to be seen in the office have the latitude to accommodate client needs and schedules more easily, potentially leading to better results. Given what we already know about the high burnout rate of social workers in the field, ROWE’s flexibility would work to reduce turnover and save agencies the cost it takes to backfill those positions. Retaining talent is way less expensive than replacing it.
On the downside, ROWE could make required in person meetings a little dicey. Meeting clients in public spaces like libraries or coffee shops can make it hard to adhere to important regulations such as HIPPA. Some agencies require a command center where clients can come by in times of crises or simply to pick up their mail. With a “work anytime” policy that command center won’t always be manned and clients will lose faith that we have their best interests in mind. As mentioned earlier, collaboration can be hindered in a fully flexible environment and collaboration is an important aspect in agencies who move clients from program to program as they complete them.
Workarounds could be challenging, but not impossible. Potentional benefits in productivity, employee satisfaction, and work life balance are worth giving ROWE a day in court. It’s full implementation may not be workable due to the challenges presented, but partial adoption may be workable and still enhance our profession.
CV19 forced the hand of many reluctant managers into looking at alternative work place philosophies. Social work wasn’t immune, and so that cat is out of the bag. Since it is, we either evolve and explore new approaches like ROWE, or we die. By carefully considering the needs of our specific agencies, professionals, and clients, we can pick and choose which elements of ROWE make sense. Take those elements for a test drive and see if employee satisfaction and client outcomes improve. Keep the ones that rise to the occasion and throw away the ones that don’t. Finding the Goldilocks zone between flexibility and essential onsite, time sensitive tasks can serve to enhance our client’s quality of care as well as employee satisfaction.
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