HOT TAKES
Season 2 Episode 2
R.O.W.E + the Future of Work Culture
Of all the changes COVID-19 forced upon the work force, perhaps the one that has lasted the attention span of conversation the longest is the one surrounding work culture. Headlines such as “The Great Resignation” and “Labor Shortage” have dominated media for the past few news cycles despite overwhelming dispute by those at the center of its story. While some truth can be found in the puffery, the real culprit of companies’ understaffing are not the lack of employees willing to work, rather it is the disinterest of those employees willing to work for companies that lack an appropriate work culture.
The importance of work culture is a relatively new idea. From design to strategy, office life, historically, catered to hierarchal prestige. Cubicles were intended to improve the lives of employees by creating privacy and hyper productive work spaces, however the layout developed into a symbol of corporate drudgery. As office life developed throughout the late 90’s and into the 21st century, global companies like Google and Apple became the outlier in corporate offices – with their high perk campuses, flexible work schedules, and little to no supervision on teams, all striving for and atmosphere that prioritize results. While this method works and continues to thrive in tech industries, would this method translate to creative organizations in the same way? Is it possible for the video and television industry, an industry often plagued by a military work mentality amid cutthroat competition, to adopt this work culture and remain productive? It turns out, yes, and then some.
In this month’s episode of Hot Takes, we speak with Sharese Bullock-Bailey, Chief Strategist and Partnership Officer at Ghetto Film School on the advantages of a Results Only Work Environment, otherwise known as R.O.W.E. When companies shifted to a work-from-home model as a result of the pandemic, workers were suddenly gifted with more time to live their lives outside of their organization. As the industry reemerges with an overwhelming creative demand, artists are refusing to give that up. There are some areas of the industry that benefit greatly from in-person environments for a number of reasons, but as Sharese will tell you, the advantages to adopting R.O.W.E on a wide scale, are too big to ignore.
Watch the episode below!
