Are Four-Day Work-Weeks The Answer To Rising Gas Prices? Authors' Emphatic Response: "No!"

While well-meaning politicians, corporate executives and school administrators begin exploring, and even mandating, "four-day workweeks" to fight the pain at the pump, Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson created and refined the "RESULTS-ONLY WORK ENVIRONMENT" or ROWE - in which physical presence, the quantity of hours one works, and even the commute itself are rendered obsolete.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) July 9, 2008 -- While well-meaning politicians, corporate executives and school administrators begin exploring, and even mandating, "four-day workweeks" to fight the pain at the pump, Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson created and refined the "RESULTS-ONLY WORK ENVIRONMENT" or ROWE - in which physical presence, the quantity of hours one works, and even the commute itself are rendered obsolete.

Experts estimate workers could save as much as $3000, or more, annually, by working remotely or scaling back their commute and working from home.

Given the tremendous strain energy prices and the economy are putting on governments, corporations and individual workers, moving toward a

ROWE, co-created by Ressler and Thompson while employed at Fortune 100 retailer Best Buy's corporate office, has enabled thousands of employees there to ignore rush hour - and sometimes their cars in general - working when, where, and how they choose. Without asking permission.

"Given the tremendous strain energy prices and the economy are putting on governments, corporations and individual workers, moving toward a "Results-Only" model makes compelling fiscal sense for business and government," says Jody Thompson, co-author of Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It.

As soaring energy prices affect millions, ROWE is garnering attention as workers in ROWE offices dramatically shorten - or eliminate - commute times, reducing energy consumption, as the focus of work shifts from hours worked and physical presence (inputs) to results (outcomes). The concept has been hailed as both "revolutionary" and "common sense" as well as being derided as "impossible."

The results at Best Buy speak for themselves: Productivity increased an average of 41% on ROWE teams, voluntary turnover rates went down as much as 90%, and involuntary turnover rates (so long, slackers) increased - much to business leaders' delight.

WORK IS NO LONGER A PLACE YOU "GO" - IT'S SOMETHING YOU "DO"
Ressler and Thompson are witnessing the concept gaining traction, and point to the convergence of demographic and cultural trends (technology, telecommunications, boomers scaling back, and Gen Y entering the workforce) as cornerstones of the movement's progress.

In creating ROWE, Ressler and Thompson identified the root causes of workplace stress and dysfunction. Their book tells the story of how ROWE began as an underground movement, started without management's knowledge or permission, and finally came to the CEO's attention after half of the corporate workforce had already migrated to ROWE.

"Merely showing up at a job doesn't deliver business results," says Ressler, a mother of three and co-creator of ROWE with Thompson. "People are showing up at their jobs today, and may or may not be getting anything done. With ROWE, it's not about physical presence - it's about RESULTS. If you can achieve your results in 20 hours a week somewhere other than office, more power to you. That's ROWE."

"ROWE truly is a 'win-win' for people and business," says Thompson. "It produces bottom-line results that senior management (and Wall Street) loves, while allowing employees the freedom to control when, where and how they meet their goals. Yes, reducing your commute by one day may save some money, but let's offer people the opportunity to experience some real savings - and for businesses to unleash the full potential of their employees."