Introduce Your Employer to ROWE in 12 Easy Steps

Think the “Great Resignation” ended in 2021? Think again. A November 2022 report revealed that 46.6 million Americans quit their jobs in 2022 alone. As employers struggle to fill openings, many are becoming more open than ever before to a new, results-oriented approach to the workplace.

According to a study conducted by Pew Research Center, many Americans who handed in their notices pointed to reasons directly connected to their old work environment. Of those surveyed, 63% complained of no opportunities for advancement, 57% said they felt disrespected at work, and 45% pointed to a lack of flexibility in choosing their work hours.

Now is a great time to fill your leadership team in on why the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) can be the game-changer your company needs. Check out these tips on how to introduce your boss to ROWE.

Step 1: Understand What ROWE Is and How It’s Different

Before you consider investing in an implementation of  ROWE to your employer, it’s essential to understand what it is and what it isn’t. ROWE isn’t about dressing up outdated workplace norms or offering more “flexibility.”

It’s a revolutionary new approach that offers your employees the autonomy and accountability they need to focus on producing great results. Instead of being measured by the number of hours they put in at the office or from home, ROWE employees are assessed purely on their performance and results.

Step 2: Enlist a Fellow ROWE Advocate

Finding the right approach is the key to many situations in life, and introducing your employer to ROWE is certainly one of them. Rather than inciting an employee revolution around the water cooler, instead focus on finding the right advocate for your cause.

Not only should this person be an innovative thinker who is likely to hear you out, but they should also be someone with the power to make decisions.

Getting even one advocate on board can go a long way toward increasing your confidence – and, in some instances – your chances of getting your message in front of the right people.

Step 3: Remember to Speak Data

Did you know that a ROWE can increase on-time project delivery by 20% and lead to 15% annual business growth? Because your employer probably doesn't.

That‘s why it’s important to collect data that supports this game-changing idea you’re about to drop in their laps.

Remember – ensuring that your company remains profitable is a core component of your leadership team’s job. Fact-based evidence and data from other ROWE-certified organizations are the languages of their people.

Step 4: Present a Results-Only Solution to Your Company’s Goals

Imagine that two different employees both learn about ROWE and decide to share it with their bosses.

Employee #1 breezes into the conference room on Monday and says, “Hey guys, want to completely overhaul everything you think you know about workplace culture, so this place doesn’t suck so much?”

It doesn’t take a master linguist to figure out that this guy has not stacked the odds in his favor.

Then there’s Employee #2. She leads with questions such as, “Would you agree that our organization is focused on attracting and retaining the best talent?”

See what Employee #2 did there?

By starting at the macro level, she demonstrated that she understands the company’s concerns about the bigger trends reshaping the future of work. She’s now placed herself in a position to present solutions to actual workplace challenges for which her employer is trying to solve.

Step 5: Emphasize the Business Value of ROWE

ROWE comes with plenty of benefits for employees, employers, and customers. But the icing on the cake is that adopting the Results-Only Work Environment is also a great business move.

This is where you’ll want to demonstrate the value of ROWE in terms of things like:

• 168% ROI of increased productivity
• Competitive advantage in attracting top talent
• 50% ROI in turnover reduction
• Elimination of unnecessary practices
• Lower expenses
• Top line growth

Step 6: Work In the Human Element

Even the best leadership teams can sometimes suffer from ivory tower syndrome. In their quest to keep the company up and running, it can be easy for some employers to lose touch with what’s happening on the ground floor.

This is why it can be valuable to share your own insights into what you feel ROWE could help you and your fellow employees achieve. It’s one thing to hear about a new type of work environment on paper but quite another to hear how it could actually benefit real people.

Step 7: Be Prepared to Field Common ROWE Objections

We get it - the idea of a Results-Only Work Environment is revolutionary. So, it’s only natural that you should be prepared to field a variety of statements that begin with “Yeah, but...”

By taking the time to think through common objections beforehand, you’ll be able to reframe problems as solutions, like:

• “Yeah, but people will slack off.”

Unfortunately, sitting at a desk doesn’t guarantee an employee is working. In fact, a recent Gallup poll found that only 32% of employees were actively engaged in their jobs. ROWE is all about results, which can help identify and address slackers very quickly.

• “Yeah, but how will we know if work is getting done?”

In a Results-Only Work Environment, everyone clearly knows their goals, expectations, and deadlines. This will actually make it easier to see who is getting their work done and who isn’t.

Step 8: Share What Others Are Saying About ROWE

ROWE is not just a utopian concept of what work could be but an active revolution backed by top social scientists. Daniel Pink is a top career analyst and the NYT best-selling author of books like Drive and A Whole New Mind. In his Puzzle of Motivation TED Talk, he had this to say about ROWE:

“The Results-Only Work Environment is one of the biggest ideas in talent in the last decade. ROWE is more than a nudge in the direction of more flexibility and autonomy—it’s a radical shift in the way we think about work, responsibility, and success.”

A list of expert quotes can be a great asset to any ROWE pitch. For more great quotes and resources, check out our press coverage and case studies sections.

Step 9: Sign up to attend the Tale of Two Hybrids

While many companies are now adopting a new hybrid work model, this move alone does not a ROWE make. Policy-driven business models can strike anywhere – even at companies that have implemented a hybrid work policy.

Find out why when you sign up to attend our Tale of Two Hybrids webinar. We’ll break down what distinguishes a true performance-driven hybrid work environment from a policy-driven hybrid work environment (not ROWE).

Some of the other things we'll discuss include:

• Workplace insights from the world of social science
• The fundamental issue with “flexible scheduling”
• And more!

Step 10: Read the Results-Only Books

Learn just how powerful ROWE can be straight from the creators who developed it. CultureRx co-founders Jody Thompson and Cali Ressler authored two great books, in which they share their personal journey to today’s most revolutionary workplace solution.

• Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It
• Why Managing Sucks and How to Fix It

Get your copies for the inside scoop on the benefits of a ROWE workplace. Maybe even grab a few extras to leave casually lying in your boss's office. We won't tell.

Step 11: Evaluate Your Current Work Environment

Does your organization currently operate in a way that empowers employees and puts customers at the center of everything you do? Do you currently evaluate employees based on results-oriented performance or simply by the number of hours they spend at their desks?

Get valuable workplace insights in minutes when you take our free company culture quiz...and then encourage your boss to do the same!

Step 12: Let’s Get to Know Each Other

Ready to take your business to the next level with ROWE? We’d love to help!

Head over to our ROWE questionnaire and fill out some basic info that will help give us a better view of your business and where it’s at. From what’s working to what could use some improvement, we want to hear it all.

This will help put us in a better position to have an in-depth conversation about how we can help you make your workplace awesome. And don’t worry – whatever you say on the questionnaire stays between us.