Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: No Schedules, No Meetings, No Joke--The Big Idea That's Already Transforming the Way We Work by Cali Ressler, Jody Thompson

The Barnes & Noble Review

While you may not always be able to evaluate a book by its cover, you certainly can judge this one by its dedication. The authors -- who helped implement a new way of working at Best Buy, the consumer electronics chain -- wrote this for “people who work, and know there’s a better way to do it.” Ressler and Thompson say they have found that better way. Companies need to create a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), a way of working where employees can do whatever they want, whenever they want, as long as their job is done. The 40-hour work week is, they say, “outdated, outmoded, out to lunch.” There is precedent for this, of course: ROWE is how freelancers and many salespeople do their jobs. And the book is filled with short testimonials from Best Buy employees, as they tell how they love this new way of working. However, Ressler and Thompson never quite show how the work gets done within a ROWE. If we saw how a representative sample of employees -- say someone from HR, IT, finance, marketing, and purchasing -- met their goals, it would be a much more compelling case. As it is, we have to take the authors' argument on faith. Still, intuitively, the idea of treating employees like grown-ups, people responsible enough to get their jobs done well and on time, is appealing. And if the book does nothing more than start a series of discussions about how work gets done, it will be a worthwhile accomplishment. --Paul Brown

From the Publisher

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!

Time

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.

Brad Anderson

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))

Joan Blades

A remarkably persuasive and mind-bending book. Family-friendly, too. (Joan Blades, cofounder MomsRising.org and Moveon.org)

BusinessWeek

This is like TiVo for your work.

Cindy Froggatt

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

Timothy Ferriss

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)

Minneapolis Star–Tribune

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

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents