Thoughts on Work and Time

This is my first year working full time in a normal, adult job. Before now I was either a full time student, a part time employee, an intern or an English teacher (with part-time hours and full benefits). Adjusting to this new American work lifestyle is difficult for me. Not because I'm lazy or dont' like to work, quite the contrary, but because it feels so unnatural sometimes.

Who ever decided a group of people needed to be present in the same set of offices during the same hours every day to get things done? Who determined that this was the best way for businesses to turn a profit or for projects to reach their culmation? Maybe in the days of typewriters and couriers it made sense, but today it just doesn't.

I read a lot about the ROWE (results-only work environment) movement over the last two days and I'm fascinated, to say the least. The concept is that a business or department can strip away all time and space-related constraints around the working day and evaluate employees simply based on their output. Not only does it provide employees with 100% freedom as to where, how, and when they do their work (employees don't even keep time cards unless they are non-exempt), but it also makes glaringly obvious if an employee is just really good at "looking busy." Productive employees are expected to do the exact same amount of work to earn their same salaries, productivity tends to soar and managers have no right to ask employees how they spend their time (to avoid judgments or "sludge"). Further, "dead weight" employees can be identified and fired to be replaced by more motivated, talented employees. It creates happiness, flexibility and loyalty.

Sounds great, right?! At first I wasn't sure, then I thought through some scenarios and found that ROWE would work with any kind of job I might want in my career. In business you focus on a deal or a project for a long time before its final. Who cares if you work from 8pm to 4am or intermittently? Who cares if you work from your office, your home or your vacation spot? Meetings can, and often are, held online or over the phone. In law, even in the land of billable hours, does it really matter where you bill your hours from? We don't use statute books anymore (ever heard of Westlaw?), and documents are scanned and sent electronically anyway. There's no need for a partner to leave a file on your desk when you can access all files via intranet.

Then I started thinking about my own productivity. In my current job I am given a file, I work through the file over time (sometimes this takes 20 minutes, sometimes 2 weeks), taking frequent breaks to account for lack of attention span, and eventually come up with a final product. When I don't have a file I don't produce anything but I still have to be in my office. Granted, my situation is different because I directly assist the judges, but theorhetically I could work from home, receive assignments via email, conference with judges over the phone or in person (if needed), access files via intranet and submit memos and orders via Internet. I honestly dont' think this is best for the Court System because we're a bit archaic, but it could work and would certainly be a more valuable use of everyone's time rather than waiting around for assignments after having finished something.

Looking back on my days as a student the concept is all too clear. As a student I worked for myself. I paid money for the opportunity to learn so I took that opportunity to the extreme. Not only did I attend classes but I also volunteered my time, wrote and edited journal articles, argued for Moot Court, etc. It was like having two full-time jobs, but I managed to fit all my tasks neatly into a given week and still had time for something resembling a personal life. I worked this hard because I wanted to. I produced results because I benefitted from them and, aside from attending lectures, nobody was telling me when to study, where to study, or how long to study. I decided how to use my time because I'm an adult with a goal.

What's the difference now? Am I less of an adult now that I'm in the workforce? Am I less able to manage my time and efforts?

Hardly.

So this gets me thinking, I don't believe I will be able to find a flexible job/ROWE employer in the next five years. Luckily I'm young and able to tolerate these infringements on my life more now than in 5 or 10 years when I might have kids or other complications in my life. So I'm willing to work my ass off stuffed in an office with other people for a few years.

However, I would soon like to live the ROWE lifestyle. Remember my dream of going to grad school in France? I'd really love to drop down to part time at my job while attending school in France and do my professional work in between homework assignments. As long as I meet the deadline and produce high quality work, who cares if I study European business during the day?! Remember me talking about getting a house in Mexico? I'd like to take my work with me to Mexico, hang out in my house for weeks at a time and return to my office if I need to deal with something in person.

As the months go by since becoming a "professional" in this American work culture my ideal lifestyle slowly becomes clearer. It may seem demanding and even complicated, but the bottom line is this: I want flexibility. I want experiences. I want to work hard at something interesting and earn a fair living without giving up my reason for living. In sum, I want options.