Working from Home

With Yahoo’s CEO, Marissa Mayer‘s recent decision to ban working from home, the internet has exploded in discussions on the subject. For some, working from home is a necessity, especially in this time, where the line between our personal and professional lives are blurred. The internet is 24/7, and when working for an company like Yahoo, it can feel like those are the hours you keep. Sometimes working from home is the ONLY way you can maintain your work life balance and your sanity.

However, I can see how it could seriously impact a company when employees aren’t readily available. Missing out on impromptu meetings and brainstorming sessions can have an impact on a fast-moving company. Ideas need to be shared and vetted. Also, there are sure to be a few bad apples slacking off. No matter how unfair it may seem, it only takes a few people to take advantage of a work-from-home policy to ruin for everyone!  It was recently brought to light that Mayer looked over VPN records and noted that many staffers weren’t logged in. I certainly hope she did more than that to look into the issue. When I worked from home, I rarely used the company’s VPN. I can see how others might want to use their own equipment so they can be more comfortable and thus, more efficient.

It will be interesting to see how this policy affects Yahoo. Will they see a mass exodus of employees going to more work-from-home friendly companies? Will Yahoo’s productivity improve? Will it be harder for them to recruit new employees?

How do you think this new policy will affect Yahoo?  Would you work for a company that bans working from home outright?