Quick, what is the single biggest expense for every employer? Computers? Office supplies? Benefits? Nope. The single biggest expense for every employer is the cost of hiring an employee.
So what do you do when you have a good employee that is ready to jump ship? If you've got an employee that has consistently performed well, the last thing you want to have to do is replace that employee. You want to give your employee the opportunity to continue making a positive contribution to the company. Let's assume that money alone is not going to solve your problem. If you have the option, you might be able to offer the employee a lateral move. But what if you don't have that option? Or worse yet, what if you do have that option, but the employee wants something more?
The following is a true story of the power of ROWE. My company has an outstanding employee, let's call her Michelle. She's been with the company for more than five years. She's one of the best performers in her department, having been commended numerous times. She's well respected both inside and outside her team. She's also burned out as a result of having to work just about every weekend. She's ready to jump ship.
Now, I've had my eye on Michelle for some time. More than a year ago she approached me about becoming a member if my team. I need to mention that most of my staff has worked with Michelle over the years and every one of them knows Michelle will be an asset and wants her to join our team. Unfortunately, a year ago I had no openings at that time. Now, a year later, I do have a slot, but there is another problem. I can offer Michelle a position in my department, but if she wants to make the move, she'll have to take a significant pay cut. And she'll still be working weekends (though arguably, not as many).
What are the odds--at your company-- that you would be able to hold on to Michelle? Imagine yourself as a manager trying to sell that. For me it was easy. Why? Because I could offer Michelle something no other department in my entire company could offer her: ROWE.
I met with Michelle and explained to her that our department operated as a ROWE. I explained that under ROWE, she was responsible for how and when she performed her job. As long as the job gets done, the rest was up to her.
So how did it all work out? Michelle is still with the company. She now works for me. We just completed Michelle's year-end review. Not only has she continued to distinguish herself, but she is genuinely happy with her new position (yes, in spite of having to take a pay cut). One of the benefits of ROWE has been that it lessened the pay cut for Michelle. Since we're not about presence, but about results, the fact that Michelle works from home most days means she's not spending $20+ per day on parking. Or the cost of filling her tank 2-3 times per week. You do the math; it adds up. More importantly, Michelle has something she didn't have before: a sense of empowerment and a sense of control. Time and again, that has been the one thing that Michelle has talked about.
If you're still not convinced that ROWE provides you with better options than you have today, then ask yourself, this one question: Would your company have been able to keep Michelle?
Unless your answer to that question is an unqualified "Yes!" you owe it to yourself to give some serious thought to implementing ROWE.
