Forget 9 to 5. These experts say the time has come for the results-only work environment

A management strategy known as the results-only work environment (ROWE) has seen a surge in interest during the pandemic, says one of the architects of the system.

"I think based on the pandemic … companies are more ready now to look at something bold, look at something progressive," said Jody Thompson, who first developed the concept in 2004 with co-founder Cali Ressler when they both worked for electronics giant Best Buy.

LISTEN | Jody Thompson makes the case for a workplace where the clock doesn't matter:

In a results-only work environment, employees have complete control over when, where and how they work. Instead of being tied to a particular location or set of working hours, staff are held accountable for the outcome of their efforts, whether that means meeting a sales target, customer-satisfaction rating or productivity goal. 

While a ROWE doesn't necessarily mean employees will opt to work from home — that wouldn't suit every job, task or personal preference — in many cases, it does involve some degree of freedom about location. 

"If I'm clear with somebody about what their measurable results need to be, whether they're in an office or on the moon, it doesn't matter," Thompson told Cost of Living producer Danielle Nerman.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up the world of work, particularly for office employees who were compelled to decamp to makeshift home offices when public health measures first went into effect in March 2020. Since then, numerous companies have embraced remote work, many making plans to downsize office space.

Because of the juggling people have had to do during this time as they coped with things like school closures and elder care, some employees have been given a bit more autonomy over their working hours.

Thompson said this has translated into a measurable increase in inquiries at CultureRX, the Minneapolis-based consultancy she runs with Ressler, mostly from Canadian companies interested in implementing ROWE in their organizations.

The approach hasn't always been well received. After being lauded on a 2006 cover of Businessweek for smashing the clock, an article in Maclean's in 2013 declared that ROWE had "flopped." It noted that new leadership at Best Buy had actually scrapped the policy earlier that year, saying that it gave employees too much independence and created a two-tier between the corporate employees and store employees who did not enjoy the same freedoms.

But because COVID-19 has forced "a global experiment" in working from home, the idea of ROWE is no longer ahead of its time, like it was when it was first introduced, said Souha Ezzedeen, an associate professor of human resource management at York University in Toronto, who teaches a graduate-level course on work-life balance.

"It is a lot more feasible, possible, imaginable, accessible because we've practised so much working from home," said Ezzedeen, who holds a PhD in organizational behaviour and development.

"And people have developed ways of working from home — setting up their home office, figuring out how they're going to talk with a team, investing in the technology to support it. So there's no going back."

Thompson said a results-only work environment requires a shift in thinking about what it means to manage.