"The secret is to gang up on the problem, rather than each other."
Thomas Stallkamp
Years ago, I had the opportunity to participate in two ROWE presentations. ROWE stands for Results Only Work Environment. In essence ROWE means that we need to throw out the time clock at work and pay employees based on the results they produce. The two main ingredients for this to work are clear, measurable expectations that are well communicated to employees and trust in letting go of controlling employees.
The concept originated out of Best Buy with a CEO who believed that productivity would increase if employees controlled their hours and turnover would decrease. A new CEO has taken the helm of Best Buy and they have reverted back to standard hours and ROWE is lessened or not as prevalent. I believe ROWE has merit and may well be the workplace of the future. However, I think we are a long way from getting there. As the saying goes, we need to crawl before we can walk and walk before we can run.
Baby boomers (born between 1946-1964) have a tendency to be willing to work longer hours in the workplace until the job is finished. We grew up in an era where the best way for 80 million of us to compete at school and in the workplace was to work longer and harder than everyone else. We have a hard time understanding the need of a younger generation to want so much work/life balance. Many Boomers believe life rotates around our work. Generations X (born between 1965-1981) and Gen Y believe work rotates around life.
It is this major difference in philosophy of work that has caused a large riff in the workplace between these generations. As the economy improves, it becomes more imperative that Boomers begin to "see the light" that the world of work really is changing. Let me give you an example of the differences in definition of workplace flexibility:
From a Boomer:
"It is the needs of the customer and workload that must be the focus of how work gets done." I understand that we need to take care of our most valued asset, our employees, but we must also focus on what needs to get done. By offering the following, we are being flexible;
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Flexible start times between 6-8 am .and leave times between 3-6 pm.
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Paid time off for personal issues or emergencies in hourly increments, i.e., family concerns, dentist/doctor appointments, etc.
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PTO- paid time off that accrues each month as vacation and sick time and may be taken in advance with proper notice.
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Paid time off to volunteer in the community for meaningful causes
From Generation X and Y:
"We need to be trusted to get the work done without physically being at work. With technology we can work more efficiently and effectively from anywhere. By offering the following, we see flexibility:
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Work and personal life balance
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Flexible schedule with options
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Shift hours-7-4 or 9-6
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Project based work with time off at the end of project
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Not being required to be here during "core business hours"
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Remote work-working from home a couple times a month
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Bring able to work within your team to flex hours.
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Being able to leave the office without making an official request
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Space to be free to change, explore, be creative
According to Dan Schawbel of Worlplacetrends.com
"Technology has expanded the 9-to-5 workday into the 24/7 workday, which has made it extremely difficult for employees to have personal time. Companies are being forced to react to this work life dilemma by investing more in their programs in 2015. In the future, every company will have a flexibility program and those that don't will lose the battle for the top talent."
The Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM) 2014 Survey of Workplace Flexibility, reveals the following options as being explored by companies to increase employee engagement, productivity and reduce turnover, especially of younger generations.
Sabbaticals, paid time off for volunteer work, part-time reduced hours schedule, compressed work week, job sharing, part-year work, flex time during "core" hours, transitioning between full time and part time work, telecommuting from other locations, i.e., home on a regular basis and shift arrangements.
The key to working through these generational differences is understanding that both groups are correct. By coming together to create a more progressive flexibility plan while keeping the workload and customer demands in the forefront, you organization will be seen as an employer of choice.
The question to be asked is...
How do we meet the demands of our customers while meeting the flexibility demands of our employees?
Question for You:
Are you an employee who is seeking more flexibility in your work day? Are you a manager who is concerned about how the workload will be accomplished with the increased demand by younger generations for more flexibility in their day?
Action for You:
If you are an employee who is considering leaving your company because of their lack of flexibility, make sure you have made your needs known in a respectful way to human resources and your supervisor. Have you clearly defined what flexibility means to you and shared this with others? If you are an employer who is concerned you may lose talent because of your company's culture and inability to change. By bringing together a cross section of generations together to answer the question posed above, you will be on your way to attracting and keeping the talent you need to meet the ever increasing demands of your customers.
