They said that if the focus was on results as opposed to time, both sides would win. We asked Deb whether this was the case with J A Counter. "I don’t feel that we were ever an employee versus management organisation and that's why I felt that ROWE would be a good fit. Both our employees and management have always been clear about creating a dynamic organisation that focuses on the best interests of clients," Deb clarifies. However, despite the fact that ROWE can help create that type of atmosphere, it is crucial for management to let go and trust.

J A Counter did have a flexible work environment before ROWE though. Well, to some extent. As Deb explains, it wasn’t truly a flexible environment as much as it was really a staggered schedule. Deb explains, "People worked out among themselves who would take the regular shift each week and adjustments would be made. In that way, while we understood the ramifications of family issues and personal commitments, we did require our staff to make up the time taken. With ROWE in place however, we were looking at meeting these personal commitments without worrying about the need to make up for it." In the end, it was more about making judgement calls based on workload and goals than it was about management commanding a desk-bound 40-hour work week.

Deb recalls the emotional journey. "It was actually a very exciting journey for me, that made me realise how much ROWE would impact the lives of our employees and their families as well as bring our organisation to a new level in attracting and retaining talent, managing expenses and increasing productivity," Deb explains. But at the back of it all, a sense of guilt lurked. "There was a sense, whether actual or perceived, that if I'm not at the office, that I was not working or that I was slacking," Deb says. However, many people, Deb included, have noted that people tend to be more productive and focused when working away from the office. There are fewer interruptions, lesser involvement in office chatter, leading to a greater focus and sense of accomplishment. The way Deb viewed it, this guilt was self-imposed and a personal journey that each person needed to work through.

After spending a lot of time spreading the message about ROWE, Cali and Jody managed to get it launched at Best Buy Inc's headquarters in 2003. The ROWE experience at J A Counter however, begins with Deb reading about it in a magazine article. She goes to the CultureRX website, Cali and Jody's company, and eventually registers for a Get To Know ROWE event. It appeared to be a good fit because Deb knew that there was a high level of trust already present in the organisation, a level of respect that would allow ROWE to succeed. So Deb set a meeting up between Linda Skoglund, the firm's President and both Cali and Jody. Linda agreed with the concept after hearing about it and immediately the process of migration began.

"We looked at employee surveys, manager training and staff training. We initiated a Kick-off Meeting, a Culture Clinic and a Sludge Eradication Session", Deb elaborates. Sludge here referring to toxic behaviour and beliefs. Cali and Jody say in their book, Why Work Sucks, that comments like "Ten o'clock and just getting in?" are based on a belief that work can only take place from nine to five in a physical place, that they're telling you that you better start coming in on time or you'll be branded a bad worker.

The first manager training took place in late January last year and ROWE went live at the end of March.

ROWE was not meant to address problems, Deb says. It was the concept of treating employees as adults, of trusting them to get their job done the best way they know how and creating a more productive work environment that proved the catalyst for change. Nevertheless, that didn’t mean it was a smooth journey. "We were very concerned about ensuring our clients continued to receive the high level of service they had come to expect. So we had to work through some logistical issues," Deb explains. For example, figuring out how to transfer calls to remote workers, the most appropriate message to leave on your voicemail, making sure calls were being answered so clients didn’t get put to voicemail each time…

The migration to ROWE encouraged more conversation between administrative staff and sales consultants as well. Some of the sales consultants were concerned that their needs might not be met if administrative staff were not 'present' all the time. But administrative staff also wanted to benefit from ROWE. "Being planful", Deb explains, "was key to this working out." Working together to solve last-minute needs, led to some creative solutions.

The firm moved to a hosted network which means employees login to their desktop from anywhere in the world with internet access. A VoIP telephone system allows employees to receive calls wherever they work. Calls can be forwarded to any phone. People are in control of when and where they work.

And to what do they consider their measure of success? Revenue growth, expense containment, reduction in overtime expense and increased employee satisfaction. "We're viewing physical office space differently now as we ramp up our recruitment... a more creative approach to managing rent," Deb says.

It’s really the progressive organisation that considers working in this sort of environment. That would consider putting itself through these paces. It's a complete re-write on how we approach the idea of work. Someone once said that if you're not judging someone on his performance, what are you really judging him on then? A good question. ROWE puts the focus squarely back on what's important : its not how we do the job or how many cups of coffee we go out to get in the morning. The only question should be whether I got the job done.