Talk about a tempest in a teapot. OK, Yahoo is a BIG teapot with $4.5 billion in annual revenues and 14,000 employees.
The media storm started recently when CEO Marissa Mayer issued an edict that she wanted to end telecommuting at Yahoo.
The memo, in part, read: “To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices. Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings. Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home.”
Makes sense. But critics have come from every direction. Richard Branson, who knows a thing or two about success, went so far as to call the decision “a backwards step in an age when remote working is easier and more effective than ever.” (Read more.)
We don’t disagree with Sir Richard. And neither do employers, since telecommuting continues to explode. This sort of “flexible” workplace isn’t just a one-way street that benefits workers. A survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Mom Corps (which helps companies create flexible jobs) revealed nearly one in two working adults (45%) would give up some percentage of their salary for more flexibility at work. Think about that: people would work for LESS if they could work out of the office.
That being said, there’s no rule that demands a company, even a tech company like Yahoo, has to support telecommuting. To each his own. As Yahoo itself noted in subsequent statement: “This isn’t a broad industry view on working from home — this is about what is right for Yahoo, right now.”