Results-Only Work Environment: Break Down the Front Door

Have you ever worked 60 hours and watched someone who worked 40 get the promotion?

Were expected to be at your desk by 8:00 AM, even though your most productive hours are afternoon?

Ever felt guilty asking for "time off" when you need to take your child to a doctor's appointment?

That's what happened to Jeffrey, an engineering manager at a technology company, on a Thursday morning that transformed his talent attraction approach. His company just lost their third top candidate in two months. The feedback was brutally consistent: "Your work culture seems too focused on when and where work happens instead of results."

Jeffrey realized a profound truth: The traditional approach to time and presence was closing his front door to top talent.

Why This Matters to You

Your struggle is real: How do you create a work culture that attracts top talent by focusing on outcomes rather than arbitrary time constraints?

As Jody Thompson, co-creator of the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE)™, shared in our Work Positive Podcast conversation, "Time plus presence equals results—that's the currency of work that doesn't fit today."

In this blog, you discover how to transform your approach to time and create a Results-Only Work Environment™ that naturally attracts top talent seeking autonomy, purpose, and trust.

The Time Trap

"We're still using time as the currency of work," Jody explains during our conversation. Think about how deeply ingrained this mindset is in our work cultures:

• We track hours worked.
• We measure vacation days.
• We evaluate "face time" in meetings.
• We judge people who arrive "late" or leave "early."
• We equate presence with productivity.

This time obsession dates to Henry Ford's introduction of the 40-hour workweek. While revolutionary for its era (it reduced working hours), it created a rigid association between time spent and value delivered that still dominates today.

Research confirms this disconnect. Some studies found that the average employee is only productive for about 2 hours and 53 minutes during an 8-hour workday. Yet most companies continue to equate hours with outcomes.

Lisa, an HR director for a payroll company, discovered this reality personally. Despite offering competitive salaries, they struggled to attract top talent. During candid exit interviews with candidates who declined offers, she uncovered a consistent theme: "Your work culture seems more concerned with when I work than what I accomplish."

From Chronos to Kairos

There are two ancient Greek words for time:

Chronos: Clock time—minutes, hours, days, weeks.

Kairos: The right or opportune moment—the fullness of time.

Traditional work cultures operate entirely in chronos, but top talent today seeks kairos. They want to work when they're most productive, whether that's 6:00 AM or midnight.

Research shows that organizations offering flexible work arrangements receive 31% more applications from qualified candidates. But as Jody emphasizes, "Flexibility programs today, like hybrid and four-day workweek are all built around the idea that work happens Monday through Friday, 8 to 5. That's why it's flexible. We're doing something different than what Henry Ford said."

True transformation requires more than modified time structures. It requires a fundamental shift from "time plus presence equals results" to "results, only."

The R.O.W.E.™ Revolution

What exactly is a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE)™? As Jody describes it, it's a management strategy where "employees are evaluated on performance, not presence."

In a R.O.W.E.™ culture:

• People are free to work whenever and wherever they want.
• There are no mandatory meetings.
• All that matters is that the work gets done.
• There's no judgment about how people spend their time.

This approach is about more than just employee satisfaction. It drives measurable business outcomes. Organizations implementing ROWE™ principles have seen:

• 35% decrease in voluntary turnover.
• 41% decrease in health-related costs.
• 18% increase in productivity.
• 52% decrease in work-related conflict.

Michael, a tech company founder, transformed his talent attraction approach by implementing ROWE™ principles. Instead of touting "flexible hours" (which still implied standard hours with exceptions), he emphasized complete autonomy with clear accountability for results.

Applications from qualified candidates increased by 63% within three months. Even more compelling, 89% of new hires cited the results-focused culture as their primary reason for accepting offers.

Eradicate "Sludge"

One of the most powerful concepts Jody introduces is "sludge"—the judgmental comments about how people spend their time:

• "10:00 and you're just getting in?"
• "Leaving again at 3:00 to pick up your kids?"
• "I wish I could come in late every day."

This sludge is toxic to your work culture and nails shut your front door to top talent. As Jody explains, "Judgment represents everything wrong with culture."

The antidote? What Jody calls "sludge eradication." When someone makes a judging comment about time, respond with: "Is there something you need?"

This simple question shifts the focus from judgment to outcomes. If someone needs something, they can ask directly rather than passive-aggressively commenting on others' schedules.

A marketing agency implemented "Sludge-Free Zones," complete with playful signage and a commitment to redirecting time-based judgments toward outcome-focused conversations. Within three months, their internal employee satisfaction scores increased by 43%, and applications from creative professionals rose by 57%.

Your Results-Only Challenge

Ready to break free from the time trap and create a culture that naturally attracts top talent to your front door? Try these three door-opening actions this week:

1. Audit your language: How often do you mention time in discussions about work? Challenge yourself to replace time references with outcome references.
   
   
2. Identify one "sludge" statement common in your culture and develop a strategy to redirect it toward outcomes.
   
   
3. Transform one time-based policy into a results-based expectation. Start small like with meeting attendance or project deadlines.
   
   

Jeffrey transformed his top talent attraction approach to emphasize outcomes over hours, and qualified applications increased by 47% within three months.

His key insight? "When we stopped tracking where and when work happened and focused only on results, our front door swung wide open to top talent."

Taken from Dr. Joey's new forthcoming book, Open the Front Door: How to Attract Top Talent Today.

What's your question about how to create a positive work culture? Ask Dr. Joey here.