Yahoo CEO: No more working remote -- get to the office or quit

The generalized complaint about workers with children being less productive is akin to saying athletes who get married lose their edge.

I work directly with two people who have adjusted their schedules to varying degrees for the purposes of child care. One comes in later, but also stays later, and the other has to work a full or partial shift from home once or twice a week. Both, however, do the same amount of work they did before.

The reality is that there are a lot of lazy, entitled and ineffective people in the work force. Some of them just happen to have kids.

Also, while I would love to have more time with my toddler and give my wife more breaks during the week, as a couple people have alluded to, I couldn't get anything done at home. Having said that, I don't feel bad on the rare occasion that a child-related emergency causes me to take a day off. Especially because single and/or childless workers don't feel any guilt -- nor should they -- when they take an occasional day off to go see a concert, a ballgame or any enjoyable event that people with children (especially young ones) have given up for the time being. Seems like more than a fair tradeoff.

 

When I was in school, people would frequently say something along the lines of, "I don't know how you do it with kids!" And I would occassionaly, I admit, wallow in brief self-pity about it.

The real answer: If kids weren't taking up my time, the bar would. Or the ball game. Or a book or magazine.

 

"This decision suggests that Mayer doesn’t understand one of the most basic ideas about managing workers—that different people work in different ways, and that some kinds of pursuits are inhibited, rather than improved, by time in the office."

Sounds like the writer is spot-on with this. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Some people are less productive working from home, and should be made to work in the office. But there are others who thrive on it. The company, rather than do a one-size-fits-all policy, should tailor it for each individual employee.

 

They should also pay everyone more, too.

 

Tech industry isn't about individuals or different styles. That's just a myth born of workstation exercise balls and margarita Fridays. There is great conformity in their non-conformity. They want people who want to be there 12 hours a day, and they have always wanted this, and they just don't care about anybody's non-work life.

Google is noted for this. So is Apple. Both seem to be doing quite well with that approach.

 

Single and/or childless workers overstate their case to make their situations sound worse than they actually are. Every one of them.

 

Somebody said years ago that when a high tech company tries to make its work environment seem like home, that's because it will be.

 

The reason so many employers want face time is because they figure if they see you, you must be working. As we all know, that isn't necessarily true.

I'll go back to something I said earlier -- if a company has a policy on work-from-home, and enforces it, then all is likely to go well. It doesn't have to be work-at-home all the time. But you probably aren't going to be drawing inspiration from your oh-so-brilliant co-workers every day of the week. Having a day or two at home to get shit done, and not waste time commuting or being interrupted, isn't a far-out idea.

Presumably, Mayer's goal is to change the culture at Yahoo so it is more like Google or Apple, where there is no expectation laid out for work-at-home (though probably people do). The problem is, I wouldn't be shocked if there were talented people who could do well at Google or Apple, but came to Yahoo because of that perk. If that's not there, then why bother with Yahoo? Mayer thinks she's going to be eliminate laggards, but there is going to be a lot of talent walking out the door, too.

 

Does the policy for PTO or sick days include when a kid is sick?

 

From my own experience, I've found that working from home works very well for me when I have a detailed list of tasks that I need to complete. It works much less well when I need to collaborate with somebody or come up with ideas.

And yes, I am just as capable of fucking off in the office as I am at home.

 

If nothing else, the Mayer Memo has brought out into the open the debate over whether "working from home" really means "not really working." We're all aware that stigma's out there.

 

Well, aren't you the greatest fucking parent/worker bee ever.

Also, why don't you use your vacation days? Unless you bank them, you realize you're costing yourself (and your family) money and time, right?