The Post-Geographic Office - Your Ticket to the World?

Michele Conlin of Business Week Online has recently written one of the more exciting articles for NuNomads I've seen.  Smashing the Clock describes Best Buy's new corporate policy in which employees (not frontline store employees but administrators, execs, etc) Are allowed to work when and where they want.  The initiative is called "ROWE" standing for Results Only Work environment.  Employees may come and go at anytime and work from anywhere.

More exciting are the numerous examples Conlin has collected of other companies that are implementing similar policies.  These companies include IBM, Sun Microsystems, and a Boston Consulting firm. It seems that the corporate world is finally waking up to the benefits in employee morale, productivity and savings to the companies in less need to provide physical work space.  In fact, the initiatives have been so successful, Chief Executive Brad Anderson of Best Buy has launched CultureRx, a subsidiary to help other companies go clockless.

So to those employees of IBM, Sun and other clockless companies, I say, "Come on over to NuNomad - the world is your oyster"!

Comments

[Greg Balanko-Dickson]

During the next 10 years we will see massive changes in the way employers structure the workplace. The reason is the impact of demographics on available talent.

Specifically, baby boomers will once again impact the workplace as they begin to exit the working environment.

In the early days of this transition (like now) employers are fearful of a mass exodus and will be willing to compromise the 'rules' to keep the baby boomers happy.

What do you think?

[Blue Suit Nomad]

You bring up an interesting idea, Greg. Is the current trend a way for companies to appease baby boomers and will it disappear once the fear of mass exodus is no longer there. I don't have a crystal ball, but I really believe that as companies find that productivity can remain high, that people are happier and that they can save money by not supporting massive physical space to house workers that they will begin to see the benefits of allowing non-geographic offices. A lot of people comment to me, "that just wouldn't work for us - we need face to face meetings". Those comments I think will become more a vestige of the past as people realize they really can have effective meetings via teleconferencing. I have been working almost exclusively via teleconferencing for 7 years now and am completely convinced of its efficacy. Moreover, technology will continue evolving with new methods of helping us communicate. Don't think things can get done? Our three sites, Laptop Hobo, NuNomad, and this site have been completely conceived and executed without me and my partner ever meeting face to face. I've never laid eyes on Richard except in the pics you see on the sites.