Despite the ongoing brouhaha surrounding Yahoo’s decision to no longer allow its employees to work from home, it’s important that the move is assessed within the proper context. Yahoo is a struggling company that is desperate for new ideas that might dramatically change the company’s trajectory for the better. This is not an industry-leading firm who is forward-thinking and making a statement about how to create the optimal working environment. As such, it seems silly to get into a debate about what Yahoo is doing, when we know that they are simply trying to shake things up.
If Google or Apple announced that their employees were no longer allowed to work from home, then it might be worthy of a national debate about whether working from home makes sense for most companies. But that’s simply not the case. And that’s not to say that what Yahoo is doing is a bad move. Forcing employees to re-engage in a professional setting might, possibly, have a positive effect. But that situation is entirely unique to Yahoo. Had the company been floundering under a policy of office-work only, it may have gone the other way and encouraged its employees to work from home more often in an attempt to get their creative juices flowing.
Whether working from home is the best approach is unique to each company and its employees. Some work settings are better than others, just as some employees are more capable of managing their time and tasks from home. Each situation is different and likely changes often with outside influences and fluid circumstances.
If Google or Apple announced that their employees were no longer allowed to work from home, then it might be worthy of a national debate about whether working from home makes sense for most companies. But that’s simply not the case. And that’s not to say that what Yahoo is doing is a bad move. Forcing employees to re-engage in a professional setting might, possibly, have a positive effect. But that situation is entirely unique to Yahoo. Had the company been floundering under a policy of office-work only, it may have gone the other way and encouraged its employees to work from home more often in an attempt to get their creative juices flowing.
Whether working from home is the best approach is unique to each company and its employees. Some work settings are better than others, just as some employees are more capable of managing their time and tasks from home. Each situation is different and likely changes often with outside influences and fluid circumstances.
