Solo: How to Work Alone (and Not Lose Your Mind) by Rebecca Seal

Author:Rebecca Seal
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3, epub
Tags: Non-Fiction, Self Help, Psychology, Business
ISBN: 9781982180928
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 2020-09-17T01:00:00+00:00

Judging by results

Results Only Work Environments (ROWE) were invented in the mid 2000s by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson at Best Buy in the US (they went on to write the best-selling Why Work Sucks and How To Fix It and subsequently set up a consultancy which helps other companies become ROWEs). The premise is that if businesses do away with the requirement to be at work nine to five, and let staff be completely autonomous, then effectiveness and productivity goes through the roof. No more tug of war between the needs of home and work, freedom to work whenever and wherever and to take unlimited time off, as long as the work gets done. There’s not a lot of data on the approach, but what there is suggests ROWE employees sleep on average almost an hour more on working nights and exercise more, and ROWE businesses have reduced employee turnover and improved morale. Ressler and Thompson reckon productivity on ROWE teams they worked with went up by 41 per cent.

I like the ethos for soloists because it can liberate us from the idea that a traditional routine is most effective. The only question is: did the work get done?

In a ROWE, arriving at your workplace at 2pm is not considered coming in late, just as leaving the workplace at 2pm is not considered leaving early. It is OK to shop on a Wednesday morning. You don’t need to sit at your desk for eight solid hours. You can take unlimited time off, as long as the work gets done.

I adopted my old office’s schedule when I started working on my own. While routine is a good thing, whenever my 9.30am to 5pm-ish routine gets disrupted because of life or if I want to take some time off, I feel guilty. (Thanks, Calvinist work ethic.) What am I feeling guilty for? I don’t have an organisation, breathing down my neck. The only person who knows when I start work and when I finish is me. Hauling a big sack of guilt about, just because I made two cups of coffee, or was still in the shower at 9.42am, is a waste of time.

Whether the work gets done is not, in fact, the only thing which matters. I think we can apply whatever measure we want here. It could be: did the project get completed this week? Did I earn my target this month? Or it could be: did I manage to cut my hours enough that I saw my friends? Did I spend enough time with my family this month? Did I manage to take a week off work this month and still get everything done?

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