Another thought on the same topic as my earlier post – I just found out that there’s going to be a “ROWE Event” in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 3.  If making that event is anywhere near realistic, it might be worth checking out.

In thinking more about the success of the ROWE phenomenon, I realize that some businesses have to live and die by the clock, but in no way does every workplace require such strict punctuality. One of my pet peeves is business cultures that take their lessons from Ebenezer Scrooge and are totally subservient to the clock when they don’t have to be.

Along these lines, I recently I heard a story about a corporate culture that demanded everyone be in the office between 8 am and 5 pm. This was a corporate office. Almost everyone who worked there was salaried. Yet, if you weren’t physically in your office by 8:00 am on the nose you were “sluffing off.”  (Just so you know, nothing but embedded culture dictated this unwritten policy.)

One manager at this company was viewed as outstanding by his peers because he always went the extra mile. He made sure customers were satisfied and coworkers had what they needed. But once while coming home on a business trip, he ended up on a late-night flight that didn’t get him home until almost 3:00 am. He called the office and left a voice message about what had happened and that he would be arriving to work late.

Even though he arrived to work at 8:30 am, it wasn’t but a few minutes and the boss was heading for the manager’s office. He walked in, closed the door, and said, “you’re going to have to decide just how dedicated you are to this company.”

Excuse me?

I don’t know about you, but that kind of hogwash rigidity is over the top. Here’s a guy who’s probably the most productive manager in the entire office, but their values are misplaced. They are somehow blind to his productivity while they place an illogical importance on punctuality.

FYI, this particular manager thought all this was over the top, too. Within six months he had moved on.

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Filed in Work, Business, Opinion, Motivation, Management, Leadership, Team Building, Workplace