Yahoo’s memo
“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.”
OK, so not many people are saying YAHOO to that! And it’s not easy to say what is right or wrong, but we all have the right to share our opinions and in due course drive in to the decision makers that when making a big decision about us, it’s good to include us in the decision making process.
In my opinion, it might have been the right approach for Yahoo or any company that foresees emergency and lack of growth.
The uproar might have been mellow had this not come as a surprise but through timed discussions with internal teams, but hey, at times you just need to make a call.
All hands on deck – we have emergency. The crew cannot act fast and strongly if the chief officer decides to discuss over the intercom on what needs to be done. You have to be there, you have to interact, you have to make a decision and none of this is possible without all hands on the deck.
Why Flexibility Matters to Employees
Employees and especially working parents want flexible working options. For working mothers it is a stress buster to have the flexibility to work one or two days from home. A lot of balance is achieved just by not worrying about the commute or rushing after a meeting to pick up kids.
It’s just not conducive to be doing it day in and day out without feeling the burn or even eventually getting charred which leads to a mom’s decision to quit the workplace.
Getting those precious few minutes to do Yoga or Zumba utilizing the time we would have been commuting. It’s not about giving up work – in fact many of us who work from home are often more productive and put in more hours as compared to when at the workplace. With less distraction and shorter lunch times, we often accomplish more than we can at work.
Something’s Gotta Give
There’s a trade-off everywhere in our lives, you have to give some to get some.
What employees value is flexibility and faith that their company can offer; flexibility to get things done they would best do without being micromanaged and faith and trust to know that they do it un-monitored. But when push comes to shove – we’ll be there with your colleagues to brain storm and move the company forward. Every hand counts and every brain can make a difference.
Of course, it could have been done gently and perhaps without causing a furor, but at times, the commander-in-chief has to take tough action. Aye, Aye, captain!
Move over technology – we need more people-to-people interaction to get things done fast. After all, we’re all about getting results fast. Something’s gotta give.
But hey Marissa, can we have some perks to come along with this decision, how about paying for my nanny or househelp. After all to get some you must give some??
What do you say?