London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

These employers don't care when or where you work

Results-only work environment (ROWE) is a management strategy that focuses on results and employees' performance, not where and when people work.

Susan Hoaby recently learned from Instagram that one of her employees was in Paris.

But that wasn't surprising she doesn't worry about when and where her employees work.

Her company, JL Buchanan, employs a results-only work environment (ROWE), a management strategy that focuses on results and employees' performance, not where and when people work.

"That is the power of trust," said Hoaby, who is the CEO of the retail consulting firm. "She is in Paris, but I know her job is still getting done. She might be doing some [work], coworkers might be shoring her up, but I am not worried about that. I am trusting she took the trip with everything in order."

In a ROWE, employees don't have to request to leave early, or work from home or even from a different country.
"Each person is 100% accountable and 100% autonomous, which means I am self-governing and independent," said Jody Thompson, principal of CultureRx, who also helped create the concept of ROWE.

Generally, ROWEs still have physical offices for employees, but Thompson explained that the need for dedicated work spaces tends to decline.

"Real estate costs can drop significantly in a ROWE since people have let go of work as a place you 'go,' but rather as something you 'do,'" she said.

Hoaby transformed JL Buchanan into a ROWE in 2009 and said employee engagement, productivity and efficiency has increased, along with its profits and top line sales.

The idea of ROWE seems simple, but it can be challenging to implement. It means giving up the deeply ingrained notion that the best employees are the ones who are always at their desks. It also means surrendering any guilt that comes with attending a child's school function in the middle of the day or hitting the gym in the afternoon.

And it requires removing any judgment or questioning of other workers when they leave the office.
In a ROWE, employees have unlimited vacation days with no need for approval.


Giving workers complete autonomy

WATT Global Media, a content and marketing services company in the agribusiness industry, implemented ROWE in 2012, following a big transformation period with several new hires.

CEO Greg Watt was worried about retention. Not only has the shift been good for retaining employees, it's also been a great recruitment tool, he said.

"Butts in seats doesn't create good work. It gives you the perception, but it doesn't necessarily drive excellent performance," said Watt.

ROWE gives workers' complete autonomy, but to be successful workers need to have clear and detailed goals and metrics, Thompson said.

"I have to know exactly what I am getting paid for in terms of measurable results." Results are the only thing employees are being measured by, so they have to be clear.

Employees at WATT have become more involved in setting goals and objectives to determine what is achievable, and everyone is on the same page on exactly what is expected by when.

"Goals are now created bottom-up and not top-down," Watt said. "For too many years, it was the same establishment of goals, but now it's a two-way dialogue."

While most employees enjoy the freedom that ROWEs allow, managers tend to have a harder time adjusting to the new working style.

"They are used to having control," said Thompson. "They have risen up the ranks by being able to control people, and now they have to be really good at the work and deliver measurable results and some managers get wigged out by that."

Managers need to become "results coaches" in these workplaces since regular check-ins with employees to review progress and performances are a big part of ROWE. They are there to help workers be their most productive and help solve any issues or problems that come up. In a ROWE, the hierarchy feels more horizontal than vertical, Thompson explained.

"In a ROWE, you are constantly asking: Is this the right goal? Do we have the right measure? There has to be constant course correction to make sure you aren't wasting your time," she said.

A ROWE goes beyond achieving the so-called work-life balance.

"This is the best solution to work that meets life, it's work-life integration," said Lana Jones, vice president of talent and culture at JL Buchanan.

But just because workers have more freedom, doesn't mean they're working any less.

"I work harder in this job than I probably have in my 25-year plus career," said Jones. "It's about working smarter, not less."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×