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Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: No Schedules, No Meetings, No Joke--the Simple Change That Can Make Your Job Terrific | 
 enlarge | Authors: Cali Ressler, Jody Thompson
Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $12.54
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Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 8142
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.7 x 1
ISBN: 1591842034
Dewey Decimal Number: 658.314
EAN: 9781591842033
ASIN: 1591842034
Publication Date: May 29, 2008
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Product Description
Do you hate cramming all of your errands into the weekend?
Do you resent having to beg permission to watch your kids weekday soccer game?
Are you tired of seeing people who arent very good at their jobs get promoted because they arrive early and stay late?
Theres got to be a better wayand there is! Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson show that everyone benefits when we change the focus from hours to outcomes. Its just that our traditional definition of workMonday through Friday, nine to fivedoesnt make sense in the always-on global economy.
So, Ressler and Thompson created the Results-Only Work Environment. In a ROWE, you control when, where, and how long you work. As long as you meet your objectives, the way you spend your time is entirely up to you.
Suddenly, work isnt a place you go, its a thing you do. In a ROWE, there are no mandatory meetings or fixed schedules. You stop doing any activity that wastes time, and no one criticizes you for leaving early or coming in late. If you do your best work at midnight or on Sundays, go for it!
ROWE sounds like a fantasy, but Ressler and Thompson have already made it a reality at Best Buy, a Fortune 100 company. They have proven that ROWE not only makes employees happier but also delivers better results. And now the authors are helping companies implement ROWE nationwide.
Infused with passion and common sense, Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It will change the way you think about your job, your company, and your quality of life. Read it and join the revolution!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Amazing book. Working example in the REAL world. August 25, 2008
It's not often that I have written a review for one of the books I have purchased on Amazon, but I felt compelled to write one for this book.
This books take the old adage that everyone must work 40 hours a week and stands it on its head. Why work 40 hours a week?
- Isn't what you get DONE during that time more important than how many hours you put in?
- How much time do you spent WASTING time?
- If you could work from home would you?
- How about working from ANYWHERE?
This book shows how working when you want, going to movies in the middle of the day, taking vacations without asking, and doing just about ANYTHING you want IS possible.
Best of all, the authors don't just TALK about how you can do this they SHOW you were it is already working. Besy Buy's corporate headquarters where 3,000 people are doing exactly this!
BUY THIS BOOK!
ROWE's are awesome! August 14, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am a recent college graduate who has been a full time employee now for 11 months. I find that my experience in my office relates in an almost uncanny way to many of the testimonials from other employees appearing in this book.
In college I was free to complete my assignments on my own time as long as they got done by a particular deadline. I was also free to attend only the classes I felt would better help me understand, assimilate, and interact with the subject matter of those classes. When I had to complete assignments, I produced some of my best work on a couch, in the English department building, at two in the morning (those were the essays that received A's). This wasn't because I procrastinated or didn't want to do the work, it's because that was the time and place where I was at my best. And nobody judged me on how I got the work done, just by what I produced as a final product. Entering the work force took me out of my element, and forced me to work in an environment in which I was unaccustomed and uncomfortable: between the hours of 9-5, in an office with millions of distractions, and not on a couch! Why wouldn't my employer want me to work when and where I'm at my best? One of the metrics they undoubtedly used to measure my worth and make the decision to hire me was my GPA. I achieved my 4.0 GPA, by working at 2 a.m. on a couch! This is just one example of how the workforce by its current nature, limits my ability to produce great work.
This book reveals what so many of us haven't been able to put our finger for as long as we've been full time employed: that we all (many of us at least) are working in a system that is out of date and holding us back from realizing our true potential as employees. What really concerns me, is that there aren't companies lining up around the corner to begin to implement this new way of working. Any generation Y'er who reads this book is going to be hunting for companies that have embraced a ROWE. If I had a choice between a company whose employees worked in a ROWE, and another company that forced me to conform in ways that limited my potential and overall handicapped my life inside and outside the company, there's no question which company I would work for.
As soon as this catches on, my generation is going to start fighting for jobs much like the baby boomers did. Only we won't be fighting for just any job, we'll be fighting to secure our spot with companies embracing ROWE's, and thinking twice about job offers with companies living and working with the paradigm!
Employers beware! If you want Gen Y's cooperation; if you want our loyalty; if you want us to give you the best we can possibly give you, then it's time to let go of the old, and embrace the new. ROWE is going to become the status quo, so get with it!
The Ideas to Help Start a Revolution at Work August 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've seen a number of reviews that say, in a nutshell, "The book doesn't tell me HOW to do this". This book was not meant to tell you how -- it was meant to get you thinking, talking, sharing and collaborating with your co-workers and management to take action in your workplace. The authors are giving you ideas; it is up to you to get the dialog flowing with co-workers and management. ROWE is not something that happens overnight, it is something that develops. ROWE is a perfect example of "bottom-up" change; time has shown again and again some of the worst, most ineffective change, comes from the top-down.
Having said all that, after reading the book (and visiting their blog) I ended up ordering 8 additional copies of the book. I'm lending them to co-workers, and even upper management, for them to read. I'm not influencing them whatsoever, but simply state they are free to read the book and form their own opinions.
Guess what? So far, the ideas and discussions are flowing non-stop!
A good deal of us work in jobs where we put in "face time". We all know people who got promoted because of face time and not because of results. We are entering a period where the global economy and the fast pace of change in the world are not going to let companies get by with this. Why? Because the new generation of workers (Gen X and Gen Y) aren't going to put up with it. They will simply leave for greener grounds.
As a company, you can either be scared of what is happening and do nothing and go out of business, or you can adapt to the change and not only survive -- but THRIVE. ROWE is one of those changes. It won't be easy, and some of the "good ol' boys" will no doubt be the first ones out of the door -- but in the end it will make your company better, and your employees dedicated and productive like you wouldn't believe.
As an employee, you can see how good things can be. You can see why you don't need to BEG for an hour off to see your kid's soccer game. You don't have to feel guilty for staying home with your spouse and having a relaxing day off. You don't have to make up excuses for being 1 minute late and getting talked-to by the boss, despite the fact you added more to the bottom line than anyone else.
In short -- ROWE rewards the employee for producing and it rewards the company for giving their employees the freedom to work!
This book will walk you through examples from Best Buy; introduce you to actual people who are enjoying the environment; and tell you about the good and bade side of ROWE -- yes, some people will be terminated, because, quite frankly, they shouldn't be in the company to begin with.
It's a wonderful book that will open your mind to what can happen when you trust your employees. I have high hopes it becomes the new "Employee Manual" of the 21st century.
 Very close to being a great idea August 1, 2008
In short, this book offers a review of how the authors instituted a meritocracy at Best Buy - no small feat, to be certain, and their accomplishments are praiseworthy. In my opinion, the book spends a little too much time restating the benefits to the employee, and only occasionally reference the flip side of the coin - what the employee is signing up for.
It would be easy to draft a version of this same text, without the superfluous curse words and with a bit more attention to punctuation, that is targeted toward managers and executives. For example, I'd argue that this book should be required reading for aspiring CIO's - you cannot get where these ladies are heading without good technology and good systems. If you combine the operational aspects of their model, with a sound technology platform designed to enable it, you can address a lot of very important and timely issues that have nothing to do with why work "sucks".
Think about the ramifications of location independence from the standpoint of "going green", for a minute. When location doesn't matter, why drive in to the office unless you have to? Why do commutes take so long to begin with?
Until the advent of information technology, proximity to work and shopping centers was mandatory. In a knowledge based economy with ubiquitous internet access, location is irrelevant. Imagine what traffic and "cities" would look like, if you designed them under the premise that people work out of their homes, or away from a centralized office 80% of the time.
The practical application of a true meritocracy in corporate America will probably require another couple of decades to gain mind share and widespread acceptance; excepting of course that the benefits to the environment and to companies are emphasized over the nearly selfish employee-centric tone of the book, which despite itself, remains a fascinating subject for consideration by everyone who works for a living.
You could sell ANY idea on how to fix work using this title, description, and the heavy emphasis on mid-day movie going and golfing. Replace even half the paragraphs of that embarrassingly simple and repetitive cheerleading with more meat for people above the first rung on the ladder, and you'd have a winner.
Thanks for the help in making Daves Painting a better place to work July 31, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book was given to me by a employee. After reading this book and using the ideas Daves Painting is a better place to work. And I no longer have to baby-sit my employees. Thanks Cali & Jody. Dave / Daves Painting
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