Rowe and Flexible Work and Success at Best Buy

ROWE and Flexible Work and Success at Best Buy I. Point of View: Consultant II. Statement of the Problem: ROWE program has a difficulty of implementation for retail employees compared to employees in corporate offices and nonretail jobs. III. Objective/s: 1. To identify what are the factors that the ROWE program for retail employee is more difficult to implement. IV. Areas of consideration: 1. With increased productivity, as claimed by the ROWE program, employer expectations of outcome by employees may rise. 2.

Retail industry is usually dependent on when the costumer wants to purchase their product, so if the person at the retail store isn’t there when the costumer is there because of “flexible time schedules” then potential sale could be lost. 3. Employees would want only certain times of the year to meet results. 4. Features of ROWE program. a. No timetables. b. No compulsory meetings. c. No impression-management hustles. d. Work no longer a place to go. Work is something to be done. e. Performance would be based on output, not hours. 5.

The basic premise of ROWE was that productivity was the cornerstone of work, and work meant the achievement of results and not presence at the workplace. Accordingly, employees working under ROWE were allowed to work when they wanted and where they wanted, as long as they achieved their targets. 6. Implementing ROWE is not easy. In the first place, it requires a complete overhaul of people’s attitudes towards work. Traditionally, employees were programmed to think that displaying a commitment to work by coming in early and leaving late could ensure them success. But this was eliminated as a criterion for judging performance under ROWE.

Several employees who were working with ROWE admitted to having misgivings about whether they would be able to cope with the new system. Some people reportedly felt confused about what would be expected from them at the workplace. Staying longest at the office was no longer a guarantee of success. 7. In theory, ROWE program would work for anyone whose work is project or task based, regardless of whether the employee is an individual contributor or part of a team. 8. After two years, Best Buy saw a 77 percent increase on average in involuntary turnover across three ROWE departments.

Meaning, the number of people the company fired for underperformance soared 9. As to legal issue is concerned. ROWE program is complicated when it comes to issues such as nonexempt hourly workers. Law requires that hourly workers log the time they work so that they can be paid overtime if necessary. V. Conclusion & Recommendation: ROWE had several kinks that needed to be ironed out before the program could become a workplace standard. One of the biggest concerns about ROWE was that the difference between the work and personal time of the employees could become blurred. ROWE requires manager to set clear goals and objectives.

It requires manager to plan ahead and clearly communicate. The new design required a system in which all employees’ schedules could be accounted for and that everyone is in communication with one another. Invest in technology so that it’s easy for employees to work remotely. This was done through the use of cell phones, since they never knew when or who was in the office and by the managers being informed of their employee’s schedules for that week. The new emphasis placed upon managers trusting their employees is the most crucial change. Trust helps not only improve morale but can also be a strong motivator.

When you take the time to trust the people on your team you give them the opportunity to prove themselves. If they succeed it helps twice over, in that not only does the manager know they can do the job but also the employee now knows they can, which strengthens their self-confidence. The beauty of ROWE makes employees accountable to each other, not their managers. It is great to work remotely, but employees lose that sense of unity and teamwork due to the lack to interaction. Implementing ROWE varies on a case to case basis. Whether ROWE or onsite, both options have their pros and cons, so there is no right or wrong options.