Jobs that Aren't ROWE-able

@gjason - great to hear that you're interested in starting a ROWE in your organization. Your concern is very valid. We recently migrated a company of 20 people to a ROWE and their main concern was "What about the receptionist?"

One of the core elements of a ROWE is that it's for everyone in an office environment. It's the shifting of a work culture and that pertains to every employee. Would there be issues if some people were not given the same freedom as others? Yes.

We can tell you that the 20-person company understood that ROWE would need to work for everyone or it was a no-go...they held themselves accountable for using what they learned during the months of their ROWE migration to figure out how they would all work together to ensure their receptionist had autonomy. There are times when other staff members take care of reception duties (and often times, they can take care of their own duties at the same time).

Just a thought: perhaps the receptionist and retail sales counter folks could work together to figure out how they will back each other up? Stepping outside "job descriptions" and increase cross-training is another benefit of ROWE - personally and for the business.