Productivity is about efficiency, not hours. The most productive people are those who work less and get more done. If you’re measuring performance based on the amount of hours put into work, you’re doing it wrong.

The Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) is the brainchild of Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson. In a ROWE, “employees do what they want, where they want, as long as the work gets done”.

To follow this workplace hack, you will need to set daily, or weekly, goals for your team to make sure that everyone has an in-depth understanding of the outcomes they are expected to achieve.

Each team member should be given complete responsibility for the work they do. If they believe a part of their job is a waste of time, a ROWE will allow them stop doing that part, as long as the desired results are still achieved. Meetings should also be optional with each team member deciding if they want to attend or if they could be spending their time more wisely.

There’s a good chance that going full-on ROWE won’t suit your business. Maybe you need people in the office to answer the phone or meet with clients, or maybe you need your team to work similar hours to help them collaborate. While ROWE might not suit you, a shift to goal oriented work instead of time oriented work could have huge benefits for your business.

If a full-on ROWE isn’t for you, why not try having ROWE days on a regular basis? For example, once a week or month you could allow your team to work from wherever they like, for the hours they like, so long as they complete the work you set for that day.

This hack is part of a series of weekly workplace hacks that teaches you about collaboration, productivity and time saving tips. Published every Wednesday.

Photo Credit: Johan Larsson via Compfight cc