Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: No Schedules, No Meetings, No Joke--the Simple Change That Can Make Your Job Terrific [Hardcover]

Cali Ressler (Author), Jody Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 29, 2008

Do you hate cramming all of your errands into the weekend?

Do you resent having to beg permission to watch your kid’s weekday soccer game?

Are you tired of seeing people who aren’t very good at their jobs get promoted because they arrive early and stay late?

There’s got to be a better way—and there is! Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson show that everyone benefits when we change the focus from hours to outcomes. It’s just that our traditional definition of work—Monday through Friday, nine to five—doesn’t 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 isn’t a place you go, it’s 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!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you work, you need this book! Cali and Jody share the secrets of the most radical workplace experiment the Fortune 500 have ever seen. Want 35% greater productivity while going to the movies on a Wednesday afternoon or taking Fridays off? Make the switch from hours to outcomes."
-Timothy Ferriss, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek

"ROWE is a chance for everyone to learn a better way to work. It encourages people to contribute rather than just show up and grind out their days."
-Brad Anderson, CEO, Best Buy (from the Foreword)

"Now, this changes everything. Buy this book. Act on what you read."
-Cindy Froggatt, author of Work Naked

"This is like TiVo for your work."
-BusinessWeek

"It is a fundamental shift away from 'face time' or 'chair time' to just one consideration: Did the employee get the job done?"
-Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"The freedom, employees say, is changing their lives. They don't know if they work fewer hours-they've stopped counting-but they are more productive."
-Time

"A remarkably persuasive and mind-bending book. Family-friendly, too."
-Joan Blades, cofounder MomsRising.org and Moveon.org --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson are the founders of CultureRx, a company that promotes their belief that there is a better way to work. They met at best buy, where they first created the Results-Only Work Environment. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover; 1 edition (May 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591842034
• ISBN-13: 978-1591842033
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.8 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #724,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Cool Productivity Concept, Quick Read June 15, 2008

By EMM

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Solid concept, well-written in an entertaining style, but the content is pretty straight-forward and could have easily been 25 pages versus 180 pages. For those from the traditional workplace, you'll find fear and reassurance alternately as you make your way through the stories of the ROWE environment. Ultimately, the book provides emotional reassurance to people ready to take up the mantle of this new style.
The book is simply 'Work wherever, whenever and however you want as long as you produce the desired results. The hardest part being Sludge, the desire to judge co-workers by how long or how much they are in the office working.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I can not recommend this book highly enough June 3, 2008

By Joseph Wehr

Format:Hardcover

I can not recommend this book highly enough.

Cali and Jody have a done a wonderful job of sharing with us what the "work environment" should and can be.

I had the good fortune of starting my own consulting/training at 25. My three partners and I grew the company to 180 employees. Like in Cali and Jody's Results Only Work Environment (ROWE), a key was TRUST. My partners and I trusted each other, we trusted our employees, and our employees trusted us and each other. Everyone worked hard, had fun, and, for the most part, thrived professionally and personally. We were a family.

At the beginning of the book I thought a ROWE sounded wonderful, could work in small entrepreneurial organizations, but I was skeptical a ROWE could develop in larger organizations. As I progressed though the book my skepticism diminished.

Cali and Jody clearly state their case;
* the importance of RESULTS over time worked
* the power of INDIVIDUAL CONTROL
* the impact of negative comments, aka SLUDGE
* the 13 GUIDEPOSTS that make a ROWE
* stories and insights from Best Buy employees working in a ROWE.

You owe it to yourself, your coworkers, company and family to read this book. I suggest you read it with a "why not" attitude. You may want to read it quickly, think about it for a week or two assimilating the benefits of a ROWE and then read it again when the concept seems less radical.

As Jody and Cali point out, a ROWE can't be mandated from the top down, it comes from the bottom up and grows organically throughout an organization. You could be the Jody and Cali in your organization.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ideas to Help Start a Revolution at Work August 3, 2008

By Robert L. Stinnett VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.