After Yahoo released a memo banning its employees from working from home, protests from workers began to stir a debate whether this is the right move.
Chief Executive Officer of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, released a memo last Friday putting an end to employees' option to work from home. The step raised protests among workers and experts debating on whether this was the right to move to make by a company that is looking to revive what it has lost over the years. According to Mayer, the reason for this move was to stop compromising on speed and quality.
"We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together," said HR head Jackie Reses. However, this has led to the debate on whether working from home leads to greater productivity and job satisfaction or kills creativity and is just a chance to slack off.
Work from home is a luxury employees can enjoy these days due to the development and advancement of technology. According to a report by U.S. Bureau of Labor, in 2010 more than 25 percent of all full time workers in the country worked from home for some time.
According to a survey conducted by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), 59 percent of UK companies offered some form of work from home in 2011 which was a major jump from the 13 percent in 2006.
Workers said the move by Mayer is extremely disappointing and would create an inconvenience for people who have young families and for those who usually work from home to save money and time.
"It's incredibly disappointing," said Jennifer Owens, spokeswoman for website Working Mother, adding most women were delighted when a pregnant Mayer took over the helm of Yahoo. "Her plan ... is to lead her workforce back to the last century by banning work-from-home policies across the company."
"This seems a backwards step in an age when remote working is easier and more effective than ever," Richard Branson, head of Virgin Group, wrote in a blog on the Virgin website. "If you provide the right technology to keep in touch, maintain regular communication and get the right balance between remote and office working, people will be motivated to work responsibly, quickly and with high quality."
