In the spring, I got sucked into a really good book that was 900 pages! Turns out this tome is part of a series comprised of eight installments – each of which is 900 pages long. By the time I got to book 4, I was ready for a break.

I had lots of work-related books and magazines stacked high on my desk so I figured it was as good a time as any to make a dent in that pile. First I skimmed all the Human Resources magazines. They are good for an interesting article here and there but nothing you can really get excited about reading. Let’s face it – summer reading material has to be more interesting than taking a nap or it will lose every time.

The next selection in the pile was a book called Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink. I read a few chapters and learned a lot but it was a bit too much like a text book for my summer reading tastes.

The selection I finally decided on was Why Work Sucks and How To Fix It by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson. Wow, what a page turner! Not exactly a steamy romance novel, but a quick read for sure.  In the book they focus on Results-Only Work Environments or ROWE™ and how this concept was implemented at Best Buy. To sum it up, in a ROWE, people can do whatever they want, whenever they want, as long as the work gets done.  ROWE is total freedom to adjust your workday to fit your life, not the other way around.  Sounds radical but makes a lot of sense!  There are no more vacation or sick days, no more 9-5 schedules, no more sitting at your desk when you have delivered all your deliverables.  The book covers everything from why ROWE teams are good and how they change the workplace to testimonials from employees in ROWE departments.  There is even a “How ROWE Are You?” quiz in the appendix.

Our management team is reading the book and will be discussing ways to implement ROWE at Inova Solutions.  Stay tuned and I will let you know what we decide and how it goes.  In the meantime, grab a copy of this book and consider it for your company!

About Darah: Darah joined Inova as our Employee Assistance Specialist (a.k.a. Human Resources) in the summer of 2008 after spending 4 years as a stay-at-home mom. Before having a family, she spent 9 years in various Human Resources positions at a global management consulting firm. When she is not taking her kids to play dates, Darah enjoys trying new vegetarian recipes and having dinner with friends. You can contact her at darah@insideinova.com.