Friday, January 16, 2009

Imagine having a job where you get to choose when to go into the office, when to leave or if you even want to show up at all. A strategy called Results-Only Work Environment is growing in popularity nationwide, and one local CEO says less time at the office can actually lead to more productivity.

“In the last 14 or 15 days, we've really identified that this is the way we want to move forward and do business,” said Jeff Gunther, CEO of Charlottesville companies Intalgent and Meddius.

Starting Jan. 1, 18 workers employed with Intalgent and Meddius began implementing ROWE in their workplace.

“Say at 4:00, I’m completely burnt out and I’m working on a creative project. It's hard to come up with interesting creative ideas when your complete burnt, so maybe I’ll go home, walk my dog and do a little bit more work when I’m refocused,” said Senior Designer Megan Read.

Read says the feeling of not being tied down to her office is liberating.

“In a place like this, where we have ongoing projects that you know we might work on for a month or two at a time, so much of what we do is online,” said Read.

ROWE gives employees the freedom of doing their work from home, a coffee shop or even on the Downtown Mall.

“The office environment is good for collaboration, but maybe there are times where you want to go sit on the Downtown Mall and you've got your laptop and you're still accessible, so why not? You’re still working,” said Marketing Director Nikki Haffey.

“At the end of the day, we want the employees to do what they want to do. As long as they deliver the results, it’s a win for the employee, and we think it's a win for us,” said Gunther.

Gunther said ROWE attracts top talent, eliminates wasteful practices and increases productivity. Gunther said it is a matter of trusting your employees.

“No results equals no job, and so it really focuses and helps the company be more profitable and more productive. It also helps the employee find that balance of what they want in their lives,” said Gunther.

Best Buy Corporate was among the first national companies to use the ROWE strategy.

A Fortune 50 company is consulting with the creators of ROWE. They will pilot the strategy by this spring.

For more information on ROWE, visit http://caliandjody.com/.