The personality test is quite possibly the most irritating, inane ‘idea’ in modern HR. No one is themselves at work, you are your ‘work self’. So as long as I promise not to go postal on the Best Buy patrons what does it matter how I feel about plants?

Re Call centers - British Telecom now employs the majority of its Directory Enquiry telephone operators as home workers. They are able to do this due to improved technology. All calls are incoming. This opens up the role to people who otherwise could not cope with a commute and standard 9-5 day (e.g. working mothers with pre-schoolers) Why can’t other call centers operate in the same way.

The second point - question really - I am looking seriously at implementing a ROWE-style working environment but there’s a mental obstacle I can’t get over. Most of my company are sales people and most of the sales are telephone-based. The sales-people also need access to a confidential in-house client database to do their jobs. The results bit of it is clear - it’s a sales environment so everyone is targeted but…how do you implement ROWE when people need to be in the office to do their job and the hours are linked to when our clients are in their offices?

Also…how do you mange non-performance against “results”. Everyone is skirting the issue so far.

Any advice appreciated.