Featured Company: Best Buy

As we have written about before, Best Buy recently instituted a Results Only Work Environment (ROWE). This program is so ahead of it's time, that many "pre-programmed?? baby boomer managers are reportedly having a difficult time adjusting to the new environment. Luckily, young people don't think of work as 9-5, so no deprogramming is needed.

To sum it up, ROWE means you are responsible for getting your work done, and that is all. There is no watching the clock, no counting hours and no snickering about someone leaving early or arriving late. In this era of high speed internet, blackberries and constant connectivity it's only a matter of time before the rest of corporate America jumps on the bandwagon.

Apparently the program was not even sanctioned by the CEO. It started with a bunch of lower level employees who want what we all want; a life! The fact that Brad Anderson, the CEO, has actually adopted this new style of working speaks volumes for the company culture. Reportedly, since implementing ROWE, average voluntary turnover has plummeted and productivity is up an average of 35%. Employee satisfaction and increased productivity; who would have thought?

Employee Evolution salutes Best Buy and their consulting subsidiary CultureRX for being pioneers in workplace innovation.

Read Ryan Healy's article from the Brazen Careerist, Best Buy Gets it – Stop Watching the Clock, for some more perspective.

You can find Best Buy and other company profiles in our Jobs section.

Why I started blogging

People often ask why I decided to get into this whole career blogging world that I have come to love. Usually my answer is something about giving my generation a voice in the corporate discussion, or standing up for all of my peers and friends who openly discuss their bitterness towards work. These are true statements and they are some of the reasons I decided to make my voice heard. However, this is not actually why I started blogging.

One evening last fall my dad called. We often discuss random topics and potential business ideas. But this call was different because was unusually excited. He went on a tangent about baby boomers retiring and Gen X being too small to fill their shoes. He told me about the shortage of experienced workers in the non-profit community, and the need for baby boomers like him to begin passing the torch to the younger generations.

I said, "I'm sure this is all true, but what can we do about it?

My father said, "You and Dan (my brother and a budding entrepreneur) should write a book with Mom (a talent development expert in the banking industry) about the passing of leadership from today's managers to generation Y.

It was an interesting idea, and given my initial experience in the working world, I could see how bridging the gap in leadership is necessary. The book never happened. Who knows, maybe it could have worked. But what has transpired from that original idea has been pretty cool.

I studied the topic like crazy. I turned every happy hour conversation with a random peer into a learning experience, and I started writing. I probably spent five to six hours a day reading, writing and studying the topic on top of my 9-to-5 job. Then I started a blog to get some more insight and to make my voice heard. All of a sudden a famous columnist and author asked me to write a weekly column for her. I jumped at the chance.

For months now I have been writing about what I look for in a job, how I like to work, changes I would like to see. Many things I write seem to resonate with young and old alike, and of course, many people disagree with my posts, from all generations. I do not represent the views of an entire generation, it would be ridiculous to pretend I do. But that is why a blog is the perfect forum for this discussion; we can all have our say.

Read the rest at The Brazen Careerist.