If you have not yet heard about the recent change that Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer has made to the company’s work – from – home policy, hold onto your seat. As of June 1 of this year, all Yahoo employees will be required to do their work at one of the Yahoo offices. That’s right, no more full time or part time telecommuting for employees of the tech giant. Everyone must go to the office.
The change in policy is intended to bring employees closer together and to change a corporate culture that lacks drive and energy. I am not sure that this outright ban on working from home will have the impact that it is intended to. In fact, I think that it may serve to anger and alienate some of the Yahoo staff who do telecommute.
One way that employees develop a sense of closeness to their employer is when they feel cared for, like their needs are important. While some telecommuters may take their working arrangement for granted, most of them do not. People who are able to telecommute are, by and large, grateful for the opportunity to be able to work from home because it gives them the freedom to combine working with parenting, or with taking care of an ailing parent or spouse, or with doing other things that are equally as important to them as their work. Most telecommuters consistently produce high quality work and manage their time well.
While the intent of Yahoo’s CEO seems noble, the ban on working from home seems like it could do more harm than good. The ban will impact each currently telecommuting employee differently, and it will be interesting to see how it impacts the culture of the company as a whole. My thoughts are with the Yahoo employees who currently telecommute. I hope that each of you is able to find a way to either make working in the office work for you without sacrificing the other important things in your life, or that you are able to find another company to work for from home – or even start your own home based business.
Photo by wanessajensen on morguefile.com.