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    Cover of Why work sucks and how to fix it

    Why work sucks and how to fix it

    Cali Ressler, Jody Thompson · 1970

    In a "Results-Only" company or department, employees can dowhatever they want whenever they want as long as business objectivesare achieved. No more pointless meetings, fighting traffic toget in at 9:00, or begging for permission to watch your kid play soccer.No more cramming errands into the weekend or waiting untilretirement to take up your hobbies again. As long as the work getsdone, you have complete control over your life.It sounds like a fantasy, but Cali Ressler and Jody Thompsonhave already made it a reality at Best Buy, a Fortune 100 companythat has embraced the Results-Only Work Environment. Theauthors have proven that ROWE not only makes employees happier,but also delivers better results. Their program has been sosuccessful that it made the cover of BusinessWeek.This book explores why most workplaces are so dysfunctionaland offers a dramatic new way to stop the toxic behaviors and beliefs("sludge") that keep us from reaching our potential. It also showsreaders how to start their own Results-Only Work Environment,even on a small scale, and help spread the revolution.Filled with passion and common sense, Why Work Sucks andHow to Fix It will change the way you think about your job, yourcompany, and your quality of life.

    Business & ManagementEconomics & Finance
    Open LibraryAmazon
    Stats for nerds
    2recommend
    4mentions
    4people
    2009–2021years
    50% recommend50% neutral

    Mentions per year

    2009201120132015201720192021

    What Hacker News says

    1. allweinAug 2011
      It's not directly on remote work, but I just finished reading "Why Work Sucks and How To Fix It", written by two of the people that helped institute Best Buy's Results Only Work Environment (ROWE). It's a great summary of ROWE, a lot of the troubles they had with corporate culture and perception, as well as ways to make an argument for ROWE in your own workplace.

      Amazon Affiliate Link:

      http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842921/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...

      thread
    2. HarkinsFeb 2009
      Check out the book "Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It" about the "Results-Only Work Environment". It's mostly a case study of how Best Buy implemented a workplace culture that made office hours optional.

      Maybe also the books of Ricardo Semler, a business owner who did similar things.

      thread
    3. privongJul 2021
      For those curious about Ressler and Thompson's book (referenced but without the title), it is "Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It".

      https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/302027/why-work-suc...

      thread
    4. wdruryAug 2011
      I first read about the Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) in the book "Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It" by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson. The central shorthand for breaking through to talking about results rather than attendance as a measure of work is:

      TIME + PHYSICAL PRESENCE != RESULTS

      And yes, they do in fact agree with masklinn's comment that if someone can finish their job in a few hours instead of 40, that the person is perfectly free to take the rest of the time to do other (non-work) things. The job of management is to come up with tasks that are important to the business, and that justify the person's continuing to work there (aka results).

      As for the "sucking", they go into it in detail in the book, but I also like Paul Graham's "You Weren't Meant to Have a Boss".

      http://www.paulgraham.com/boss.html

      Hmm. That probably seems like a suck-up, I just realized I am posting on HN. :)

      thread

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