Toluu : Cali & Jody

Cali & Jody

Cali and Jody, Founders of CultureRx and Innovators of ROWE

Old SchoolDecember 11 2008

A couple weeks ago, Jody had the opportunity to speak at an event in Chicago at the Kellogg School of Business. The theme of the event was The Next Generation of Work Flexibility: Find Your Flexible Career in a Down Economy. Several organizations were represented at the event, and the “usual situation” presented itself: Many well-meaning professionals touting the saving graces of flex hours and other traditional band-aids for the lack of control employees have in their work environments. We’ve been in these situations time and again, and this particular event shed light on three things that always disappoint us when we hear people talking about the current state of work/life balance or schedule control:

Even at events where the “cream of the crop” ideas in terms of flexibility are presented, employers are still talking about flexibility as a privilege. We can’t tell you much that makes us bristle - to hear such an analogy to childhood when speaking about adults in the work environment. Almost like “If you’re on your best behavior while we’re at the store, we can talk about an extra half-hour of TV tonight.”
Your chances of being hired will be diminished if you mention flexibility at a job interview, so the experts advise against it. So, in other words, hide your innermost desires so you can get the job, and then suffer in silence as your family life, hobbies, friendship

The ROWE ListNovember 17 2008

For us, this is a very exciting day. Six years ago in our cubes at Best Buy, we started dreaming up the vision for what we thought work should look and feel like. As we daydreamed about the future, one of our far-reaching fantasies was that one day, people would be asking us where the ROWE companies were. Every time we get an e-mail with that question, and every time we see it on this blog, we grin because we know we’ve reached an important milestone. ROWE is standing on its own. It has its own life. And it’s something people want.

Today, we’re unveiling a few companies that are exploring ROWE. These organizations have been utilizing the ROWE Launch Kit: Office Edition and have said they are far enough along in the process that we can share their information. So without any further ado…here they are:

South Metro Human Services

Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council

And, of course, the companies that came before these: Best Buy Corporate and

Interview with Pam Slim - Part 1November 11 2008

We’re excited to be able to share an interview with our friend and fellow rabble-rouser, Pam Slim. In an attempt to share experiences with you of how people “deal” with their work situations, we thought Pam’s story and what she’s up to would be something you’d enjoy. In addition to a blog titled “Escape From Cubicle Nation“, Pam has a book by the same name being released in May 2009. She is a fresh voice that has found happiness outside the corporate walls, and may provide inspiration to some of you that are questioning whether to strike out on your own.

C&J: You left Corporate America in 1996 to start following your own path. Tell us a little bit about your experiences and about the moment you made the decision to leave your job.

Pam: Many people assume by the title of my blog that I was a frustrated and disgruntled employee. Actually, I adored my last corporate job for most of the time that I was there. What changed, and what precipitated the move to entrepreneurship, is that my company went through a merger. My immediate management team all left and it felt like the incoming team was intent on dis

Can I Vote After I Go To The Bathroom?November 2 2008

It should be no surprise, and yet we’re flabbergasted. In traditional work environments where everything is dictated - when you need to be in your chair, when you can leave, whether you can spend an hour to go to the doctor - why wouldn’t voting time be part of the dictated rules?

In a country where democracy has been best described by Abraham Lincoln as “government of the people, by the people, and for the people”, a requirement is that the people decide who their leaders will be. And the setup is a good one: On Nov. 4th, there will be voting booths ready for the swarms of people that will descend on them throughout the country. We have a system set up for people who aren’t able to make it to their designated voting booths. And yet one thing remains a gigantic roadblock: Employees being treated like children not capable of making decisions about when they vote.

There are specific state laws that outline how employers must respond to an employee’s desire to vote. Find your state’s law here.

We were shocked to see our own state of MN’s law:

Minnesota - An employee has a right to be absent from work for the purpose of voting “during the morning of” election day. This time off is paid. (Minn. Stat. Section 204C.04)

So even if I decide, based on whatever else is going on in my work and my l

The Truth About Performance ReviewsOctober 30 2008

Wonderful piece in the Wall Street Journal online about why the performance review system is broken by Dr. Samuel Culbert, a consultant, author and professor of management at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles. Here are a few criticisms of why performance review systems in a traditional work environment suck (our words, not his), and how these same problems are neutralized by a Results-Only Work Environment:

1. A performance review is about the person and the work, instead of being only about the work.

As long as the job is done well, on time, and within legal and ethical rules, does it matter how it gets done? Performance reviews tend to focus on people’s strengths and weaknesses. In other words, you may be getting the job done, but if your boss doesn’t like the way you’re getting your job done you can get called out in a performance review.

In a ROWE, managers aren’t focused on work styles. If you want to pull an all-nighter to meet your deadlines, then that’s up to you. It’s none of your boss’s business, and they aren’t going to judge you for having an unorthodox work style. This frees people up to work in ways that work for them, instead of in ways that fit into the company’s norms.

2. Performance reviews require standardization, when little is standard about our global, 24/7 economy.

As human beings, we’re wired to judge.